tag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-03:250077Classic Film: for the discussion of great cinemaClassic Film: for the discussion of great cinemaClassic Film: for the discussion of great cinema2012-05-06T03:43:49Ztag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-03:250077:18052kareilaLa belle et la bête (1946)2012-05-06T03:43:49Z2012-05-06T03:43:49Zpublic5Posted by: <span lj:user='kareila' style='white-space: nowrap;' class='ljuser'><a href='https://kareila.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png' alt='[personal profile] ' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://kareila.dreamwidth.org/'><b>kareila</b></a></span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038348/">http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038348/</a><br /><br />I sought this out at my local library because I saw a review online claiming this was the best cinematic adaptation of a fairy tale yet to be filmed. I don't quite agree with that, but there is a great deal here of interest.<br /><br />This is a black and white, French language film. The subtitles are adequate but fail to capture certain subtleties of the dialogue, such as the delightful moment when Beauty switches from calling Beast "la bête" (the beast) to "ma bête" (my beast). Both are simply subtitled as "Beast!" in the version I watched.<br /><br />The special effects are impressive. Unseen hands tend to Beauty. Statues come to life. The Beast's hands smoke whenever he kills. And the ending... I don't want to spoil it, but it is lovely.<br /><br />If you want to spend an hour and a half on some old-fashioned character development and cinematic sleight of hand, this is a good pick.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=classicfilm&ditemid=18052" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> commentstag:dreamwidth.org,2009-05-03:250077:9078glindaClassic French Children's Cinema2010-05-23T19:35:58Z2010-05-23T19:36:37Zcalmpublic0Posted by: <span lj:user='glinda' style='white-space: nowrap;' class='ljuser'><a href='https://glinda.dreamwidth.org/profile'><img src='https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png' alt='[personal profile] ' width='17' height='17' style='vertical-align: text-bottom; border: 0; padding-right: 1px;' /></a><a href='https://glinda.dreamwidth.org/'><b>glinda</b></a></span><br /><br /><o:p></o:p> <p class="MsoNormal">Seeing that I’ve been feeling a bit under the weather this weekend I thought I’d crack into my epic pile of unwatched DVDs and ended up watching a couple of short French children’s films from the 50s. Beautifully shot, at times whimsical and moving they were exactly what I needed this morning.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Fittingly, seeing that the Cannes film festival winners are announced this evening, both films won prizes – <i>White Mane</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> winning the Grand Prix in 1953 and </span><i>The Red Balloon</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> winning the Palm D’or in 1956) at Cannes when they were released. </span><i>The Red Balloon (Le Ballon Rouge) </i><span style="font-style: normal;">is probably the best known of the two, it was certainly the one I bought the DVD for – various contributors to a Radio 4 </span><i>Film Programme </i><span style="font-style: normal;">special on children’s cinema having waxed lyrical about it – featuring as it does the adventures and friendship of a boy and a balloon with a mind of it’s own as they travel the streets of Paris. Colour is used to considerable impact in the film and I’d love to know how they animated the balloon because it truly becomes a mischievous character in its own right. For a film with as little dialogue as this contains it’s a remarkably emotionally engaging film. I can see why so many people who saw it as children find it so memorable. </span><i>White Mane</i><span style="font-style: normal;"> (</span><i>Crin-Blanc</i><span style="font-style: normal;">) on the other hand has more structured narrative mainly due to having a narrator and is visually stunning for very different reasons. It concerns the friendship that develops between a young boy and a wild horse and the shots of the wild horse herd are often quite extraordinary (director Albert Lamorisse’s experience and skill as a photographer show through into some impressive cinematography) though a little disturbing sometimes. </span> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Essentially both films are about unusual friendships, trust and escape, and given that they’re respectively 30 and 40 mins long I’d recommend them thoroughly for anyone looking for a whimsical and bittersweet pleasure. <o:p></o:p></p> <br /><br /><img src="https://www.dreamwidth.org/tools/commentcount?user=classicfilm&ditemid=9078" width="30" height="12" alt="comment count unavailable" style="vertical-align: middle;"/> comments