France, 1700’s. A young and
handsome prince indulges in life’s worldly pleasures. When an enchantress
masquerading as a beggar crashes one of his parties and he turns her away, she curses
not only him but his entire household. As his servants turn into inanimate objects,
he himself is transformed into a hideous Beast (Dan Stevens). The only way to
break the curse is for him to find a girl who will see beyond his appearance
and offer true love, but can someone really love a monster? Years pass and
memories of their existence are erased from the minds of Villeneuve’s
townsfolk. Young maiden Belle (Emma Watson) is frowned upon by the villagers
for her progressive beliefs and practices. War veteran Gaston (Luke Evans)
attempts everything to woo her into marriage, but her reluctance is adamant
given his narcissistic tendencies. When her father gets lost in the woods and
ends up in one of the castle’s dungeons, she barters with the Beast for her to
take her father’s place. As the unlikely pair spend more time together, they
start to notice something about one another, sparking optimism for breaking the
curse. But can love blossom fast enough before the last rose petal falls?
To be a musical or not to be? This
appears to be the hot debate right now with regards to Disney’s reimagining of
their much beloved classics. Beauty and the Beast is the acid test. Seeing how
it’s obliterating box office records left and right, perhaps Disney should
stick to the formula and concentrate on their songs, which have undeniably endured
the test of time. We are not saying that no one will watch a non-musical Disney
remake. The appeal of these narratives is universal. It will always find a new
audience. What we are trying to point out here is the possibility of alienation
for fans who grew up with these movies, whose personal connection to most of
these tales happens to be the soundtrack. If you can retain your original
fanbase and gain a new one at the same time, won’t that make everyone happy?
This doesn’t mean, however,
that relying on the musical format comes without disadvantages. Most of Disney’s
princesses in the 90’s sang really well. That comes easy with animation. You
just have to hire both a voice actor and a singer to play the part. With live
action, this is a rather difficult feat to achieve. You need to find a face
with great name recall for the purpose of box office appeal. The thing is, it’s
not always easy to find an A-list actress who has the singing prowess to match.
And that’s where compromise comes in. We are not hating on Emma Watson. She is
such a sweetheart, but her singing parts were underwhelming to say the least,
especially when you recall the animated Belle singing in your head. As such,
her musical numbers seem quite reductive, but you will forgive her anyway
thanks to nostalgia.
There are several scenes that
fill you with such an overwhelming emotion, a strong pang of nostalgia that is
almost impossible to ward off. The highlight is obviously that scene where the
two are garbed in their iconic blue and yellow outfits as Emma Thompson sings
the titular song in the background. To be totally honest, I was on the brink of
shedding a tear. That’s when you realize how these stories have played a vital
role in your childhood. You will probably never remember each and every scene
or dialogue but the music and the costumes, they just stick. Let’s not rob the
younger generation of that sense of nostalgia.
That it took a live action
version more than two decades to be released is a blessing in disguise. Back in
1991, could you have really imagined a non-animated version of Be Our Guest
rendered onscreen without being too tacky and unrealistic due to CGI
limitations? That musical sequence can be considered as one of the film’s tour
de force moments, comparable in terms of its glitzy visual impact to Chicago’s hypnotic
onscreen rendition of Razzle Dazzle or Moulin Rouge’s spectacular spectacular Hindi
Sad Diamonds medley. Watching it in 3D amps up its appeal even more, leaving
you in musical heaven.
Much
controversy has shrouded the release of this movie, from subtle homosexual subplots
met with criticisms blown out of proportions to accusations of glorification of
women who choose to stay in abusive relationships. These themes cannot be
ignored, but it still depends on the perspective of the viewing public. If you
know how to distinguish issues well, you’ll be fine. It’s mostly those who have
something to fear and protect that make the most noise. If they let their beliefs
and personal agenda get in the way of their enjoyment, then that’s so not our
problem.
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