美女与野兽

La Belle et la bête' is a romantic fantasy masterpiece. The atmosphere is ethereal, hazy, ripe with magic. There is a quality to the pace, visuals, dialogue and blocking that just feels otherworldly. Perfect for this tale. The use of human and other life forms in unusual ways is most imaginative. Especially so are the faces in the mantel and the torch sconces. I mention them as inspired and labeled this review for spoilers because I still remember the pleasure of the surprise of those images when I first saw this film. I do not speak french but I think that the actual dialogue matters less than in any film I have seen. This one can be enjoyed by yielding to the image and the rhythm.