BY STEVE RAMOS

The Beast Returns
Le Belle et La Béte
Unrated
1946, Criterion

The most beloved film from the most versatile artist of the 20th century is restored to a gorgeous version that's as close to its original theatrical release as a DVD re-issue can possible be. The film is the 1946 adaptation of Madame Leprince de Beaumont's classic 18th-century fairy tale, Le Belle et La Bte. The director is a French poet, dramatist and graphic artist, Jean Cocteau (1889-1963). While Orpheus (1949), the second movie in his trilogy updating the Orphic myth about a young Parisian poet named Orpheé (played by Cocteau's longtime companion, Jean Marais) who travels to the land of the dead, is considered his greatest film, Le Belle et La Bte is the film that continues to make the deepest impact on audiences. There are plenty of DVD bonuses including Philip Glass' opera based on the film, a 1995 documentary about the film's production and rare publicity stills. Still, the disc's best feature is the restored film itself.

When pretty Belle (Josette Day) takes the place of her merchant father (Marcel André) as a captive of the mysterious Beast (also played by Marais), her trip from her humdrum family farm to the Beast's mysterious castle is similar to the magical voyage Dorothy makes from drab Kansas to the magical Oz. Disney's stage and animated adaptations have made Madame Leprince de Beaumont's story a familiar one. Cocteau's version is unique by portraying Belle's disappointment when the enigmatic Beast is transformed to the more pedestrian Prince.

Everything about Le Belle et La Bte dazzles. Composer Georges Auric, who scored Cocteau's 1930 film, The Blood of a Poet, provides the haunting music. Cinematographer Henri Alekan brings a dreamlike sheen to the story. As Belle, Day looks every bit the fairy tale princess with her luxurious gowns, sparkly jewelry, lily-white skin and long, blonde hair.

Jean Marais' triple-duty performances as Avenant, the Beast and Prince Ardent remain the most astounding thing about the movie. His Beast makes a commanding presence with his high collar, brocade jacket and padded shoulders. He's monstrous royalty, cloaking his thick fur with a wardrobe swathed in lace and jewels. Marais' chiseled face is covered with thick brown fur. His Beast mask has short pointy ears and two small white fangs protruding from the corners of his mouth. It's become the iconic symbol of the movie, and deservedly so. After the Beast first appears suddenly from behind some bushes, his entrance continues to make a shock.

Cocteau collaborated with Christian Bérard to create the surrealist imagery, always making sure the film retained its childlike spirit. Long, white curtains flutter from open windows. Human hands hold the candelabras that line the hallways of the Beast's castle. Sculptures move and exhale smoke from their concrete noses. Late in the film, Belle puts on a magical glove and is transported from the Beast's castle and emerges from the wall of her father's faraway bedroom. The most magical moment in the film occurs when she cries in front of her father, and her tears turn into pearl droplets.

Cocteau, the son of a middle-class Parisian family, only made six films over a three-decade period. While each one thrives on experimental photography and surrealist settings, Le Belle et La Bte makes its greatest impact through more subtle touches. During a conversation, the Beast loses track of what Belle's saying. His eye catches a deer in the distant woods, and he can't stop watching what he hopes will be his next meal. After all, he's a beast, despite his human form; and that's what makes him so compelling.

Le Belle et La Bte grade: A.

E-mail Steve Ramos

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