Presented in 35mm

Jean Cocteau’s sublime adaptation of the fairy-tale masterpiece—in which the pure love of a beautiful woman frees a feral but gentle beast—is a landmark of motion picture fantasy, made well before Disney got its hands on the story. Jean Marais, who suggested the film to the director, fully commits to the character of the Beast. “In my opinion,” wrote Cocteau, “one must have Marais’ passion for his work and his devotion to his dog to persevere as he did in deserting the human race for the animal race.”