Posted by “Tale as old as time, Tune as old as song, Bittersweet and strange. Finding you can change, Learning you were wrong” I attended the opening night of the new Beauty and the Beast remake movie and the expectations were up to my chin. The previews had left me concerned, elated, and intrigued. The main concerns were the viewers would either be facing an exact replica of the animated film; or that they’d be facing a film nothing like we remember. I brought these concerns with me into the movie theater. But after watching this film, honestly I can say this movie was the perfect balance of old meeting new.
Belle Re-envisioned:
Belle played by Emma Watson, was possibly the best casting choice that has occurred since Robert Downey Junior. The former Harry Potter star voiced all the passion, spunk, and adventuresome attitude we have come to know and love in Belle. Although I absolutely loved the redesigned yellow ballgown, let’s talk about the one thing I didn’t like about the movie.
THIS DRESS! Now overall it was stunning, Until you hit one snag. Half of the skirt was tucked up into the waist of the skirt, giving Belle the fresh from the bathroom look. After stewing for awhile on the reasoning behind this I think the intent was to display Belle’s rebellious nature, (which if you watch more than ten minutes of the movie you’ll kind of already see). The point was over-all defeated and Belle’s tucked up skirt served no purpose other than to look awkward.
Every Character is Important:
Of all the things that make a movie great, this is by far the most crucial. Every character in this movie brought something important to the plot. Within the scenes the emotions inside the characters were scene in graphic detail. From Lefou’s crush on Gaston to the book keeper’s struggle to exist in an illiterate town. Every character holds something important to the plot that was not seen in the original animated feature. Because of this the movie is saturated in greatness.
Lefou:
I had heard the controversy behind the choice to make Lefou’s character have a homoerotic subplot. After the movie closed a new favorite Disney character emerged. Lefou. Lefou’s heartfelt change and scenes of torn agony were displayed in a marvelous way. All things considered I appreciate the great work Disney has done in reinvigorating these classic characters.
VIVA LA FRANCE:
From the moment the movie begins, you are hit with the overwhelmingly French influences. From the French provincial furniture to Belle’s village, every aspect of this movie was soaked in French influence. You can almost feel yourself walking beside Belle in a small village on the countryside that smells of flowers and bread. The director, Bill Condon, did a very good job of making the viewer feel the French aspects of this film.
After Watching this film it has become clear to me how carefully every move Disney made was considered. It paid off. Disney live action remakes from this point on will be held to the standard that was achieved in this film. God bless the dazzling characterization that was achieved in this feature. Moreover, this may be a tale as old as time, but the remake made took that feeling of a nostalgic Disney film and remade it into something new and to be loved and appreciated by all generations.
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