La Belle et la bête
Reviewed by Sam Hatch
Jean Cocteau's 1943 classic has been restored and returns to art houses in a beautiful print that includes the interesting intro in which Cocteau himself appears to give a primer on the film. A vivid and dreamy film, it tells the tale of a merchant's daughter Belle (Josette Day) and the monstrous entity she encounters in the forest. The beast (Jean Marais) is a truly enchanting character, and his realm filled with moving hands for candelabras and other such menageries results in some of the most imaginative and surreal visuals filmgoers can find. Genius stuff.