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La Belle et la Bête / Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD
Shout Factory | 2014 | 113 min | Rated PG-13 | Feb 21, 2017
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Video
Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Audio
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 French: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (less)
Subtitles
English
Discs
Blu-ray Disc Two-disc set (1 BD-50, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Digital
iTunes
Packaging
Slipcover in original pressing Embossed print, Inner print
Playback
Region A (C untested)
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Price
List price: $22.97
Amazon: $16.79 (Save 27%)
New from: $12.29 (Save 46%)
In stock now
Movie rating
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6.9
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42 ratings.
Blu-ray review
| Movie |
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2.5 |
| Video |
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3.5 |
| Audio |
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4.0 |
| Extras |
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2.0 |
| Overall |
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5
0.5
3.0
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36% popularity
233 collections
14 fans
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Beauty and the Beast Blu-ray Review
Reviewed by Martin Liebman, February 13, 2017
Author Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve's Beauty and the Beast has enjoyed several cherished film adaptations -- those that maintain
the source story's historical timeframe in both animated and live action forms and those that modernize it -- but each version seems to miss out on at least one or more
important element from the original tale, leaving viewers without a definitive straight-retelling of the original work. Director Christophe Gans'
Beauty and the Beast, a 2014 French film, sticks closer to the details
found in the original telling than most, offering a slightly more traditional take on the classic tale made famous by Disney's Oscar-winning
masterpiece. Unfortunately, this film falls well short of capturing the spirit of the original tale, which says that true beauty is more than physical
attractiveness, leaving it without the necessary overarching theme that ties the story together and makes it a true fairy tale.
As the film opens, a
mother
reads a story to her children that suddenly springs to life and reveals its characters as more than mere words on a page. Belle (Léa Seydoux) and
her
family are forced to leave the city after her father's (André Dussollier) business sinks him into financial ruin. Yet Belle continues to thrive. Her
innate goodness shines as she adapts to a
life without finery and with much less fuss than her brothers and sisters who miss their past lives in the city. When news comes that all of Belle's
father's fortune may not be lost, he returns to the city but becomes lost on the journey home, stumbling upon the Beast's (Vincent Cassel) castle.
Belle trades her freedom for her father's, and as she adapts to life in the castle alongside the Beast, the film begins to deviate from the original
tale, offering a glimpse into the Beast's past and how he came to be the Beast.
While truer to the original tale in many ways, 2014's Beauty and the Beast falls well short in the most important part of the story: the
romance.
In the fairy tale, Belle (who is blessed with both inner beauty and good looks) grows to love the Beast as they spend time together in the castle.
It's enchantingly depicted in a classic montage in the Disney animated film.
In this film, there's barely a hint of their growing affection. They spend only a little time together, they argue a bit, and suddenly the Beast loves
Belle enough
to allow her to leave. After visiting her family, she returns to the Beast, in love with him and all but ready for happily ever after. Never is the
relationship developed to satisfaction, never mind to the point that viewers feel not only the outer connection but, more importantly, the inner
passions that drive the characters and the story in its final moments. The romance is much of what made Disney's version work so well. Audiences
became attached to
the characters, felt their evolving feelings, and understood the sacrifices and desires that were a result. Audiences that come to this
variation of Beauty and the Beast expecting a finely developed love story, which is central to any telling, will likely walk away disappointed.
Even
the "past" love story that ultimately leads to the Beast's curse leaves much to be desired in terms of how it's developed and presented on the
screen.
The film does offer an interesting blend of the original tale and the beloved Disney version while taking its own liberties with the source and adding
in its own creations. For example, this telling adds a magical "golden deer" subplot and an odd take on the not-so-invisible
servants that are a hallmark of the
Disney film. Belle's family is larger and more fleshed out in this version, keeping with the original story, while the "storming of the castle" will be
familiar to Disney fans, albeit as the movie takes rather giant strides in making the sequence its own. Technically, it's a quality film,
presenting
the Beast's castle with a sense of decrepit place that is itself something of a blend of juxtaposing elements: cold yet hospitable, barren but dotted
by flashes of natural beauty. Costumes are attractively presented and period-complex (though sometimes seem to favor function over form) while
the
digital Beast effects present the creature with as much care as the film's midrange budget allows, handling even wet fur nicely enough.
Beauty and the Beast Blu-ray, Video Quality
Beauty and the Beast is often a rather cold film, a bit visually unwelcoming and dreary. It's often contrasted against deeply saturated reds,
whether rose petals or some of Belle's costumes. Color springs to life in a few more evenly and naturally lit exteriors where costumes and vegetation
stretch the
palette, but expect a predominantly cold color scheme that's more thematically accentuating than it is inherently vibrant. Details are good, particularly
around the castle and various interiors where both woods and stone show fair surface texturing, but never the sort of intimate, tactile, authentic
qualities exhibited by the finest transfers. Much the same may be said of faces and clothes. Even the most resplendent and texturally in-depth
costumes lack that last little push of lifelike intimacy. Blacks are critical to the experience, and there's an occasional struggle to hold deep, particularly
early on when Belle's father arrives at the Beast's castle. They do tighten up as the film moves forward. Flesh tones are slightly pasty. Light
macroblocking
is evident in a few places but no other major source or encode flaws are apparent.
Beauty and the Beast Blu-ray, Audio Quality
Beauty and the Beast boasts a pair of DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtracks, one in the native French and the other in a dubbed
English. Both are similar, with perhaps a sight edge to the French in terms of openness, depth, and overall clarity. The track features no shortage of
quality sonic moments, particularly where the low end is concerned. The film opens with crashing waves and a coming storm that pound the stage
nicely, though certainly without the raw aggressiveness demonstrated in the top tracks with similar qualities. Much the same can be said for every low
end engagement in the track. Whether gunshots (which do echo nicely about the stage) or massive footfalls late in the movie, the low end never
reaches that level of punishing that its scenes seem to demand. Atmospheric effects are quite good, though, whether blustery winds swirling about the
stage or dialogue reverberation through the expansive castle. The track rarely wants for greater openness and raw sense of space and place.
Complimentary effects are arguably its strength, including little scuffles about the castle or eerie environmental effects outside of it. Music is pleasing,
clear to satisfaction and well spaced along the stage, more up front than in the back, though. Dialogue is well defined and prioritized in both tongues,
though the French, obviously, syncs to lip movement.
Beauty and the Beast Blu-ray, Overall Score and Recommendation
Beauty and the Beast falls well short of satisfying its core needs: exploring the relationship between its title characters. Their love seems
sudden, convenient for the plot, explored with little, if any, sense of sincerity in the heart, never mind in the physical. The film does a fair job on the
surface, blending elements of the original tale and various filmed versions while making many parts its own, sometimes to good effect, sometimes to
not-so-good effect. But its failures outweigh its pluses, yielding, at best, a so-so adaptation that, with some work, could have stood as one of the
definitive tellings. Shout! Factory's Blu-ray offers good video and audio along with a few interview supplements. Fans of the original work will want to
see it, but fans of the Disney version and romantics will likely find it lacking.
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Beauty and the Beast: Other Editions
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Beauty and the Beast Blu-ray, News and Updates
• Beauty and the Beast: Interview and Promo Clips - February 13, 2017
Shout! Factory has sent us interview and promo clips from the upcoming Blu-ray release of
Director Christophe Gans' 2014 film, Beauty and the Beast. The disc releases on
February 21, 2017.
• Beauty and the Beast (2014) Blu-ray - November 7, 2016
Shout Factory will release on Blu-ray director Christophe Gans' film Beauty and the Beast (2014), starring Léa Seydoux, Vincent Cassel, André Dussollier, Eduardo Noriega, and Audrey Lamy. The release will be available for purchase on February 21.
Beauty and the Beast Blu-ray, Forum Discussions
» Show more forum discussions for Beauty and the Beast Blu-ray
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