Beauty and the Beast

film by Cocteau [1946]

Also known as: “La Belle et la bête”

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June 22, 2026

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Jean Cocteau's 1946 film La Belle et la bête (Beauty and the Beast) is a surrealist motion picture based on the classic fairy tale. Cocteau, a versatile French artist, also wrote poetry, novels, and plays, and his filmmaking often explored personal mythology and universal myths. The film is a notable example of his work in the 1940s, a period when he returned to filmmaking. The story of "Beauty and the Beast" itself has a long history, appearing in collections by authors like Charles Perrault and the Brothers Grimm, and has been interpreted through psychological lenses by figures such as Bruno Bettelheim.12

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Jean Cocteau
Filmmaking in the 1940s
…also as a director in La Belle et la bête, a fantasy based on the children’s tale, and Orphée (1949), a re-creation of the themes of poetry and death that he had dealt with in his play.
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…also as a director in La Belle et la bête, a fantasy based on the children’s tale, and Orphée (1949), a re-creation of the themes of poetry and death that he had dealt with in his play.
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Pierre Cardin
…costumes for Jean Cocteau’s film Beauty and the Beast. He also worked at the couture house of Christian Dior.
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…costumes for Jean Cocteau’s film Beauty and the Beast. He also worked at the couture house of Christian Dior.
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