Beauty and the Beast (2017)
Bill Condon
Writers:
Stephen Chbosky, Even Spiliotopoulos (Screenplay), based upon the tale by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont.
Cast:
Emma Watson (Belle), Dan Stevens (Beast), Luke Evens (Gaston), Josh Gad (Lafou), Kevin Kline (Maurice), Hattie Morahan (Agatha / Enchantress), Hayden Gwynne (Clothilde), Gerard Horan (Jean the Potter), Ray Fearon (Pere Robert), Ewan McGregor (Lumiere), Ian cKellen (Cogsworth), Emma Thompson (Mrs. Potts), Nathan Mack as Chip.
Opening Sequence:
On November 22, 1991 the Disney animated feature opened State side. 25 million budget, this little film earned 44,797 on it's opening day. Who would've known this little musical, and the third in the Disney Renaissance period would become a world wide instant classic. Based on a French fairy tale by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont. It went on to collect a whopping 425 million in the world wide box office. So we flash forward to 2017. A new film that was destined to grow like the original, it finally grossed 500 million besting the animated classic, and creating yet another win for Disney. It didn't have any real competition opening day, but the week after it would have to contend with the Power Rangers. A series back in the day, thousands of episodes, and a life time of fans. Week two will be a test for the live action Beauty and the Beast film.
The Power Rangers came out week two, and it didn't beat Beauty and the Beast, but it came close. Box office highlights worked in the favor of those Rangers. I know. What does the Rangers have to do with this film? Everything, because Hollywood will continue to make garbage remakes from the past that won't work today. Beauty and the Beast for example is a romantic, fantasy, that attracts folks to the box office, it's just the way it is. The Rangers is just another TV series made movie to entice the fans. Granted they did well this week, but wait till the competition gets heated with the Ghost in the Shell film with Scarlett Johansson as the lead character, coming up week two for the Rangers. Time will only tell, i guess. We're going to have to see what happens, because when it comes to Hollywood making the big calls, it somehow becomes a big waste in the box office. They're so confident about Power Rangers that they ordered six sequels. All this has to do with film making, and the way the film is approved or disapproved in the box office. Why? can't Hollywood just wait and see what happens instead of jumping in.
Review:
An old woman, cold, wandering about found a castle. entering the castle, she had asked the prince for some shelter. The weather is cold, she just wanted to warm up and be on her way. But the Prince was colder than the weather outside, enough to bring anyone to their knees. The Prince and his guests were repulsed by the old woman. He mocked her, as she tried to speak. He had given the old woman a glance at what surrounded him. Beautiful people all around, so the old woman could not stay, her looks repulsed him, so much he wanted her to go. As the guests and the Prince continue to mock her, she carefully moved towards the double doors, turned back to the Prince, her cloak came down. Her looks were different. A light emanating from her. The light blinded everyone close to her. The old woman became a beautiful Enchantress (Hattie Morahan). She cast an enchantment on the Prince and everyone within the castle. She changed the Prince into a hideous Beast (Dan Stevens), and everyone inside into animate objects. The castle became cold as the Prince's heart. He was warned that when the last petal from the rose falls, you and the everyone within the castle will forever become the Beast, objects that are as cold as the very heart that beats inside of you. He was given a mirror that would reveal current events, but even then the Beast must find a way to break the Enchantress's spell before all is lost. The camera focuses inside the castle, then it slowly moves back to a wide shot of the castle, fade to black.
"You know she will never love him." -Cogsworth-
"A broken clock is right two times a day, Cogsworth. But this is not one of those times." -Lumiere-
Beauty and the Beast: Emma Watson, and Dan Stevens did a phenomenal job singing, acting, the characters came to life in this live action counter part. Luke Evans and Josh Gad as Gaston and Lefou was amazingly acted, and their performances were more than perfect. These guys were funny, and i could see the animated versions back in 1991. Everything down to the set pieces was perfect. The CGI in some ares were OK, but it really doesn't matter because the musical performances was better then the animated versions, these guys hit the mark, and much more. All musical performances was written by Alen Menken and Howard Ashman, and Tim Rice three talented writers that not only makes this film beautiful lyric wise, it's just one of those musical pieces you want to hear time, and time again. The boredom never gets within reach. Aria: Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Tim Rice, performed by Audra McDonald. Days in the Sun: Alan Menken; Lyrics by Tim Rice. How Does A Moment Last Forever (Montmartre). Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Tim Rice. Evermore: Music by Alan Menken; Lyrics by Tim Rice.
"No one's quick as Gaston, no one's slick as Gaston / No one's neck is incredibly thick as Gaston / For there's no man in town half as manly / Perfect, a pure paragon / You can ask any Tom, Dick or Stanley / And they'll tell you whose team they prefer to be on! / Who breaks hearts like Gaston? / Who's much more the sum of his parts like Gaston?" [Singing] -Lefou-
"As a specimen, yes, I'm intimidating!" [Singing] -Gaston-
"My, what a guy, that Gaston!" [Singing] -LeFou-
LeFou: The character is played by Josh Gad. Oh by the way the "Other," critics would bring up, a certain controversy. But not me. The character was on dot, and Josh Gad did a wonderful job acting, singing the part. The transition from animated feature to live action has got to be a huge challenge, but the director Bill Condon had everything going right. Almost to perfect if you ask me. Anyway, getting back to Gaston's second in command. LeFou was just one of those characters, he went with the strongest of them all, Gaston (Luke Evans). Wouldn't you? The handsome fellow goes around town telling everyone he's going to marry the most beautiful girl in town which happens to be Belle (Emma Watson). The story as in Act 1, the handsome guy came by and wanted the best looking Gal. As if that would work. Nope Belle rejected Gaston as soon as he set foot at her doorstep. Either way these two antagonist, more like the guys that think their cool but really aren't cool at all. They just keep coming back for more, and their presence isn't much: Until they get the crowd going, then they become bigger, better than the character intended to be like. And Luke Evans, and Josh Gad did a wonderful job conveying that. The bigger, better than life characters became somebody in the animated version, and the live action film.
Belle / Beast: The main characters in the film lift you up from the first Act to the very end of the third Act. Emma Watson, and Dan Stevens did a wonderful job singing, and acting, because you know some musicals out there that you could notice the lips aren't moving the way it should, especially when you dance, move around. Stevens and Watson both did an amazing job with the singing, and the acting. the scene where Belle realizes that the Beast isn't all that bad gave me goosebumps. I remembered the animated version, and they got that scene right. Both really had that emotion down. It was important because Belle needed to know the events as it was laid out before her, and Beast needed to know that she loved him. Both characters are alive, they make you want more, it was beautiful to see the transition between fear, hate, and love. Her father Maurice (Kevin Kline) was captured, and she was afraid, but switched places, a selfless thing to do. Hate was conveyed with her silence, disrespecting the Beast. And finally Love, afterwards she realized that he was kind, and ultimately fell for him. The characters fell in love because they found something special about one another. They had time, but the selfish part in the Beast was completely gone by the time he threw that snowball at Belle. Both actors did a wonderful job as both Belle, and Beast. No one would play these characters like Watson or Stevens, to credit they had both conveyed true love on film, and that is difficult to act.
Bill Condon: The director of this film was the same director from the Twilight films. some critics complained about the integrity of Beauty and the Beast. The Twilight films from my understanding did very well, disagree or not this director did a wonderful job with the scene, acting, music, everything that it takes to make the film move, he did it. The ambiance, down to the castle and the characters like Mrs. Potts (Emma Thompson). Computer CGI and the tea pot looked like a real life tea pot. Lumiere (Ewan McGregor), Cogsworth (Ian McKellen), and the rest of the cast did an amazing job. And the main credit is the director, because he had to understand the story and the direction the cast had to go in order to make this animated feature come to life. So who ever the critic is, he or she is very wrong. Condon's direction was perfect for this major motion picture. In fact even down to casting. All the actors look like their animated counter parts, a part of movie magic that almost always makes me extremely happy.
"There goes the baker with his tray like always, the same old bread and rolls to sell! Every morning just the same, since the morning that we came... To this poor provincial town." [Singing] -Belle-
Final thoughts on this wonderful film, go and see the movie. The film is better than the 1991 animated feature, because the people in the production team cared about the work, and what it takes to make a film like this. They knew what needed to be done, and got it right. What if the singing was off? Would you agree then? No because the integrity of the film was lost. The film makers decided to make something beautiful into something artificial. That was not the case here. Condon cared about the work, acting, singing, even to the casting of the film. That to me is so important in making something special. This film could be watched 20 years from now and it will still hold it's own. Go see the film for yourself. The magic, beauty, experience, and especially the music that brought the animated characters to life. Beauty and the Beast is one of the best live action features you'll probably ever see. Watch the 1991 version, and then go to the theater and feel the energy, magic from this beautiful film.
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