French actress Léa Seydoux wowed American audiences with her emotional performance in the Cannes-winning film “Blue is the Warmest Color.” Disney’s live action remake of “Beauty and the Beast” starring Emma Watson won’t hit theaters until March 2017, but you’ll be able to catch Seydoux as Belle in a French version of the beloved tale long before then. This interpretation of “Beauty and the Beast” seems considerably darker than the Disney tale.
As the synopsis for the French film details, the story is set in 1810. “After the wreck of his ships, a financially-ruined merchant (André Dussollier) exiles himself in the countryside with his six children. Among them is Belle (Léa Seydoux), his youngest daughter, a joyful girl full of grace. One day, during an arduous journey, the merchant stumbles across the magical domain of the Beast (Vincent Cassel), who sentences him to death for stealing a rose. Feeling responsible for the terrible fate which has befallen her family, Belle decides to sacrifice herself and take her father’s place. At the Beast’s castle, it is not death that awaits Belle, but a strange life in which fantastical moments mingle with gaiety and melancholy. Every night, at dinner, Belle and the Beast sit down together. They learn about each other, taming one another like two strangers who are total opposites. When she has to repulse his amorous advances, Belle tries to pierce the mysteries of the Beast and his domain. And when night falls, the Beast’s past is revealed to her bit by bit in her dreams. It is a tragic story, which tells her that this solitary and fearsome being was once a majestic prince. Armed with her courage, ignoring every danger, and opening her heart, Belle manages to release the Beast from his curse. And in doing so, she discovers true love.”
From the look of the trailer, this version of the story seems to be quite violent, and is closer to the original fairy tale than the Disney film. The costumes are absolutely stunning.
“Beauty and the Beast” has a limited theatrical run in the U.S. beginning on September 23.
