Walt Disney Studios--love them or not, when they hit a homer, credit has to be given objectively. When I saw the 1991 animated version of "Beauty and the Beast", I felt that nothing could ever improve on that film until I viewed this version. The story is a charming fairy tale that speaks of an inner beauty we all seem to miss in others consistently, and so when seeing this, it reminds us of that attribute we all must obtain to enable us to truly love others.
This rendition is a live-action retelling of the Disney animated classic from 1991. As before, this fairy tale centers on a young woman named Belle (Emma Watson), who is forced to live in an enchanted castle with a prince who is cursed to resemble a hideous Beast (Dan Stevens). Belle's father, Maurice (Kevin Kline)gets caught in a storm only to find retreat in the castle, so the Beast decides to imprison him. Word gets out to Belle, so she opts to take her father's place. Eventually, the pair fall in love as Belle learns to see the good man behind the Beast's monstrous exterior. But this end only happens through the Beast's staff (they too being cursed). Through his staff, including Lumiere (Ewan McGregor), Mrs. Potts (Emma Thompson), Cogsworth (Ian McKellen), Chip (Nathan Mack) and others, they encourage both the Beast and Belle to have patience with each other, amongst other things.
Meanwhile, back in the village, Gaston (Luke Evans) is still attempting to woo Belle in order for her to become his wife with his help from his nice, but bumbling sidekick, LeFou (Josh Gad). Unfortunately, Gaston is so much in love with himself that he simply won't accept Belle's rejections of him.
Others to round out the cast are Hattie Morahan as Agathe/Enchantress, Audra McDonald as Madame Garderobe, Stanley Tucci as Maestro Cadenza and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Plumette.
This was brilliantly directed by veteran, Bill Condon ("Sister Sister" '87, "Dead in the Water" (TV movie) '91, "Gods and Monsters" '98, "Kinsey" '04, "Dreamgirls" '06, "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn- Part 1" '11, "Tilda" (TV movie) '11, "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn- Part 2" '12, "The Fifth Estate" '13, "Mr. Holmes" '15) plus others and TV. By his very resume, this filmmaker can take any character and is able to get his actors to emit any emotion that is needed to get that scene to work and be ultimately convincing to his audience. This is what makes him stand out. His directing is only matched by his ability to be a creative screenwriter. It was creatively written by Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos based on the 1991 screenplay by Linda Woolverton which is based upon the tale by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont. Certainly this was a virtual copy of the 1991 version, however there were a couple of places of difference, and just seeing these characters literally come to life was a treat. And what can I say about Alan Menken's music and Howard Ashman and Tim Rice's lyrics? Nothing short of perfection! With musicians like these, how could this production be at a loss? With Tim Rice's lyrics, it gave a couple more numbers to add to this already family classic. All were cast well in this, especially Watson, Stevens, Thompson and McGregor.
I f you liked the original 1991 version, you will love this, and if not, this live version may be what you need to really appreciate this story. This film has it all: action, love, compassion, adventure, redemption, with amazing visuals and production values. This must be seen on the large screen, because of the impact it has. A film to be seen by one and all for sure. This film ROCKS!
Out of 4 Stars: 4 Rated: PG 129mins.
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