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| Edited By: Bryan Durham |Source: DNA |Updated: Mar 17, 2017, 05:47 PM IST
Film: Beauty And The Beast
Director: Bill Condon
Cast: Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Kevin Kline, Luke Evans, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellen, Stanley Tucci, Emma Thompson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw
A story as old as time. Well, not nearly, but if you're familiar with the story, it probably is. Belle (Watson) and her father Maurice (Kline) come to live in a small-minded village where everybody knows everybody and the ordinary is the norm and a girl with a nose up in a book is supposed to be "that funny girl". As if it's a bad thing to be a bookworm!
Anyway, there's also a prologue about this haughty, unkind prince, who gets turned into Beast (Stevens) after refusing refuge to an enchantress in disguise. As usual, only true love can break the spell.
Except, the prince lives in the castle under a dark cloud and incessant snow, where wolves roam the countryside. Hardly a place for a woman of the time to be out and about. Not our Belle. She senses her father is in danger after his horse returns from a fair where he had gone to sell his wares, sans papa. She doesn't think twice before asking Philippe (the horse, in case you're wondering) to lead her back to her father. Which he does. Long story short. She finds Maurice in the palace dungeon, takes his place as the Prince/Beast's prisoner and eventually grows to love him. Except daddy's petrified and is hellbent on getting her back.
Meanwhile, a persistent suitor and former soldier named Gaston (Evans) and his sidekick LeFou (Gad) want to prove Maurice is a loon after they leave him to the aforementioned wolves. And Belle so missed her dad! So, on the night of Beast and Beauty's first dance together, he sets her free when she finds out Maurice is in danger. But will she be able to save her father?
Fairly little changes as BATB flies from the 1991 animation flick to the 2017 live-action feature. Aside from the cast, there's really nothing new happening. Apart from the insinuation that LeFou is gay and the fact that Plumette and Madame de Garderobe make BATB #notsowhite, what has changed is the spirit of inclusiveness in Disney filmmaking. It's subtle, I grant you that, but at least we have a well-rounded cast of celebrated actors bringing alive a fairy tale we all grew up, with the utmost sincerity they could muster.
The CGI (computer-generated imagery) make beloved characters like Lumière (McGregor), Cogsworth (McKellen) and Mrs Potts (Thompson) come alive in a way the 1991 animation flick never could. And don't get us start on the costuming!
Alan Menken's score plays out again with certain songs revised to suit the new film's cast. But one has to say, the 1991 flick had a few eternal charms that doesn't quite come to the fore here. Riding on the coat-tails of nostalgia might be fine and all, but you've got to take it up a notch. That's why when the choreographed songs — 'Belle', 'Gaston', 'Beauty and the Beast', 'Be Our Guest' — instantly transport you to the golden era of Hollywood, you can do nothing but gawk on, awestruck.
Let's get this out of the way first. If Belle is a beauty, why is Emma Watson looking so plain throughout? Gaston obviously loves himself more than Belle. Why is he so insistent on marrying only her? Also, the thawing of emotions between Belle and Beast is more pronounced and well played out in the original version. Here, there's no palpable chemistry or believable transition. A kangaroo court (in a tavern, no less) and an insane asylum, but no police? And more importantly, how can you break bread and share the dance floor with the same idiot villagers who stormed your house only a few days before? Belle's refrain, 'There must be more than this' rings true in your own head. The story never rises above its limitations.
Obvious flaws in the story aside, it's an entertaining spectacle that sees you rise, fall, float and fly with every note in this musical. It's engaging, beautiful and idyllic. Purists might have their reservations, but one has to say this is a thing of rare beauty!
