La Belle et la Bête (1946) – Film Review

Louis Belden

Magical, whimsical and erotic, ‘La Belle et la Bête’ is the

romantic fairy tale escapism the world needed in 1946. This
review will be analysing Jean Cocteau’s ‘La Belle et la Bête’
and specifically be focusing on Vladirmir Propp’s, a folklorist
famous for his analysis of narrative structure in folklore,
character theory. Key sources include the David Straker’s
article, ‘Propp’s Dramatis Personae’ (2017) which breaks
down the character architypes of Propp and M. Knight’s article,
‘Beauty and the Beast – 1946 vs 1991 vs 2014 vs 2017’
(2017) which compares all the different adaptions of the story.
This review will compare ‘La Belle et la Bête’ with the 1991
Disney adaption ‘Beauty and the Beast’ in relation to Propp’s
character theory.
A 1946 French romantic ‘La Belle et la Bête’, was directed by
Jean Cocteau and is an adaption of the 1757 story Beauty and
the Beast. The story revolves around the romance of a young
lady named Belle and a mysterious Beast who is keeping her
captive after she swapped places with her father after he was
sentenced to death for stealing a rose from the Beasts garden. Figure 1. La Belle et la Bête 1946 poster
Propp’s idea of character theory is ever present in both beauty
and the beast movies, the theory puts each character into a specific architype that drives the plot. The
main character theory titles are, The Hero, Princess, Helper, Dispatcher, Donor, Villain and False Hero.
Although at first Belle might seem like the obvious fit for Princess she does in fact fit under the Hero
archetype, The Hero is considered the character that we associate most with and who we follow on the
journey. This is true to bell as she is, in both adaptions the character the story focuses on. In ‘La Belle
et la Bête’ Belle is a strong female lead who isn’t the typical damsel that was prominent at the time, she
may be tied down to her father and sisters however she shows resilience with the beast and doesn’t
just let him take advantage of her. Part of Propp’s Theory on the Hero is, “The basic function of the
hero is to go on a quest and they do this because they feel they are lacking something in their lives”
(Fordor, 2015) This statement fits in well with Belles role in the plot more so in the 1991 Disney
adaption as she is seeking more than the provincial life she has and this is demonstrated through the
musical number ‘Belle’. Belle in ‘La Belle et la Bête’ is not as motivated by a life more than she has but
she is however tied down by the life that she has due to not being able to marry Avenant and this
devotion to her father is what also in turn takes her to the Beasts castle. Two other sub categories also
fit under the Hero banner, which stand true for both version of the character, these being the Victim and
the Seeker. The victim fits appropriately for 1946 Belle as she is victimized by her sisters and then the
Beast by being confined to the castle. The 1991 Belle is similar in this way because she is made a
victim of abuse by the town as well as The Beast. The Seeker is also appropriate as Belle in both
versions is seeking her Fathers freedom and it could even be said she is seeking for something more
inside the beast. ‘La Belle et la Bête’ showed that the hero doesn’t have to be a man or someone with
power, The Beast however fits into the archetype of The Princess which is clever in the way the
characters are almost role reversed.
Figure 2. Belle 1946. Figure 3. Belle 199 1

The Beast takes the form of the princess as he is almost seen as the object of the film, although, this is
a lot more present in ‘La Belle et la Bête’ as the Beast is almost helpless, the princess in Popp’s theory
is that of a reward for our hero. Although this isn’t exactly true for the Beast he does stand as the
reward for Belle at the end when he becomes human again. Part the archetype does say that, “The
princess isn’t always a woman and in fact the princess isn’t always human.” (Fordor, 2015)
demonstrating the theory does fit the to the Beast despite there not being a clear role he fits under. The
Beast in the Disney adaption fits the role in the way he not only is the prize for Belle in the end but he
does also have to be saved by the villagers in the end. The Beast also fits into the archetype of the
Donor, the person who gives the hero something special a magical weapon for example, in this case it
is the mirror that allows Belle to see her father and later the Beast.
The Villain in ‘La Belle et la Bête’ isn’t exactly who you might think at first, it is in fact filled by the role of
Belle’s sisters, characters replaced by the villagers in the Disney adaption. The Villain is someone who
directly contrasts with the hero, the Sisters do this by looking down on Belles views and contrasting with
her selfless nature, Propp’s theory also states that the villain brings out the hero’s goodness which In
Belle is her good nature and her empathy towards the beast. In the 1991 version the village acts as the
same thing in the way they bring out the good in Belle and show the selfless side of her. A variant of the
Villain is the False hero, Avenant is the best fit for this as in the start he seems like a good love intrest
for Belle and is in fact who she wants to be with, however his intentions to kill the Beast. A False hero is
a character that at first seems like a hero but turns out to not be who they appear. Gaston fits this role
in the Disney version as he is parallel to Avenant as he is trying to get Belle’s hand in marriage.
Another thing key to the theory is, “The False Hero will try to steal the Hero's thunder, grabbing the
credit and perhaps trying to marry the princess instead.” (D. Straker, 2017) The idea that Avenant or
Gaston is trying to marry the princess doesn’t work in this scenario but way he tries to kill the Beast and
in theory steal him from her does work with the theory.
The helper is the supporting role of the story and acts as help for the hero on their quest, this role is
harder to assign in ‘La Belle et la Bête’ as there are not particularly many supporting characters at
Belle’s side, however there is a minor character of Magnificent the horse who does take Belle home
and guide her to her father. The helpers in the 1991 film are a lot clearer, the role is filled by the
enchanted furniture, Lumiere and Cogsworth, who aid Belle, as well as the Beast to some extent, on
their quests. The Dispatcher is the character on their quest, which in both versions is Belles father.
Although he doesn’t exactly send Belle off he, he is however the reason for Belle’s quest, as Belle must
travel to the Beasts castle in order to save him.
In conclusion Propp’s theory does fit in with both versions of the story and provides points that are
integral to the story and plot. ‘La Belle et la Bête’ proves that the relatively basic and somewhat sexist
theory can be applied to a completely different story and still function. This is the same for the 1991
‘Beauty and the Beast’. In an article the journalist M. Knight said, “Even though it is unfaithful, it gives
us a pleasing movie that makes sense, reinforces the important message, and can be enjoyed by kids
and adults. No wonder it is so highly regarded and loved by everyone.” Demonstrating that the theory
and the story not only fits both films but can be adapted in order to cater to a completely different
audience.

Bibliography

 m. Knight . (2017). Beauty and the Beast - 1946 vs 1991 vs 2014 vs 2017. Available:
https://moonlightknighthk.wordpress.com/2017/03/23/beauty-and-the-beast-1946-vs-1991-vs-
2014-vs-2017

 Fordor, M, (2015), Propp’s Character Archetypes, AT: https://mfmediafilm.wordpress.com/2015/09/21/propps-

character-archetypes/ (accessed 10/10/2018)

Illustration list

Figure1:
http://kebekmac.forumprod.com/jean-cocteau-1946-la-belle-et-la-bete-t5879.html

Figure 2:
https://www.thisisinsider.com/belle-best-revolutionary-feminist-disney-princess-2017-3

Figure 3:
http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/la-belle-et-la-bete-1946