Introduction
There are many different reasons for memorizing the year 2017. Personally, for me, this year was remarkable due to the release of one of my favorite animated stories, Beauty and the Beast. I heard about the idea of its filming in 2015 and got two years to use my imagination and think of the acting cast and their contributions to this true story about love and friendship. Then, I used all my opportunities and patience to buy the tickets and go to the cinema at the end of February. I have never regretted the money and time spent, and, even today, I am happy because of the number of emotions and pleasure I experienced that day.
However, I was deeply surprised that some people found that movie starring Emma Watson (Belle) and Dan Stevens (the Beast) rather boring or predictable. In this essay, I would like to help those people who find Beauty and the Beast a failed or weak movie recognize its strengths and a high-quality combination of images, the content, and the staff.
The Movie and the Story
In 1991, the world first saw one of the most powerful and beautiful Disney’s animated movies, Beauty and the Beast. Although many people had already been impressed by such works as The Little Mermaid and Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast attracted people’s attention by high-quality animation, memorable songs, and a variety of funny characters. It was hard to imagine that this story could have another more successful continuation until Bill Condon made a decision to create a musical romantic fantasy movie of the same title.
On the one hand, it seems to be easy to understand what to expect from such movies: a lot of music and songs, beautiful dresses, talking furniture, and powerful dialogues. On the other hand, it is always interesting and unpredictable to observe the vision of the same story from a new perspective. Some people adore this genre, and someone may stay skeptical. I belong to the first group and cannot even imagine that Beauty and the Beast are somewhere defined as Disney’s and Condon’s failure.
Not to Compare but Enjoy
I have always believed that people are free to rely on their personal opinions and judgments. No one can impose something unpleasant, unwanted, or undesirable on another person. However, I suddenly came across one online article, written by Ethan Daniel Zerbe, about why this movie failed. I changed my mind about the power of free will and was burning with a desire to use all my words and knowledge just in order to make that person take his words back.
As it was expected, the author of the article belonged to that group of people who believed that retelling the same story is boring and useless. He was dissatisfied that “probably about 75% of this film is the line for line, word for word, blatant copying of the original script” (Zerbe). At the same time, he is dissatisfied with the presence of pointless original filler and new scenes that are used to make this work “newish” (Zerbe). One more negative feedback is left to a wrong choice of the cast with many actors and actresses being inappropriate for a musical.
As far as I continued reading the article, I realized that there could be many people who may think the same way Zerbe did. Evidently, he did not write this review in a famous magazine or an educational journal. It is an ordinary post that can be found online. Still, the problem is that it really could be found online, and some people may refuse to watch the movie because of such critique and calling Beauty and the Beast a bad movie. With all my respect for people of different ages, gender, nationality, and education level, I want to make those who agree with Zerbe change their opinions and look at the film from another perspective.
Quality of Images
The quality of the chosen images and entourage can be defined as one of the first reasons why it is wrong to think that Beauty and the Beast is a failure or a bad movie. A beginning scene of the ball cannot leave a person indifferent to the beauty and richness of the design. Millions of candles, people dressed in white dancing in a huge room, and the makeup of the prince play a significant role in the creation of the first impression.
There is no place for doubts about the chosen style of life and its beastly beauty with the fete that is “a lilting swirl of cream-colored gowns and a soaring aria” (Hornaday). It is evident that the show promises to be unbelievable, and the emergence of an older woman, performed by Hattie Morahan, does not concede any other event in the movie. New positive emotions appear as soon as Belle is introduced to a well-known but so much-expected song. Finally, almost every scene in the movie until the ball with all the characters meets and even exceeds expectations with its unbelievably kind fairy tone.
The Power of Content
Another aspect that dissatisfies Zerbe in his discussion is the poor development of the events and the pointlessness of new episodes like the one with Belle mother’s death. However, it is hard to think about another story to be added to the already known Beauty and the Beast. There are many children who watch the animated film and ask the same question about Belle’s mother and the reasons why she lives with her father only.
It could be even more interesting if more facts from the past life of the prince and his servants such as “Mrs. Potts the teapot, Lumière the candelabra and Cogsworth the clock… brought to convincing life by way of digital magic and terrific voice work by Emma Thompson, Ewan McGregor, and Ian McKellen, respectively” (Hornaday). Their stories could become another cause to continue filming the story about Belle and the Beast.
The way of how the story of the prince ended when he was the beast is one more pleasant novelty in the film. The castle crumbles, taking the life of Gaston (Luke Evans), the servants become inanimate one by one, and the last rose petal falls before the main characters confess they’re true love feelings aloud. Even the coming of the enchantress to re-do the spell becomes a new and interesting moment that lacks in the story of 1991. Some tears on my face when the screen went black turned out to be the best evidence of the movie’s success unless it was a sentiment of mine.
The Beauty of the Cast
The last but not the least advantage of the movie is surely the chosen cast. Despite the fact that Zerbe underlined the bad vocal skills of Emma Watson or not appropriate physical forms of Luke Evans, all his words fade away when all these people are on the same stage. Their high level of professionalism, acting qualities, and personal attitudes to characters make the viewers fall in love at first sight. Gaston is sweet and even a little bit naïve on Belle.
Still, he becomes “the film’s avatar of nastiness… goes from annoying to evil when he stirs up the anti-intellectualism and xenophobia of a populist mob to serve his own egomaniacal ends” (Scott). Even though I like Dwayne Johnson (the actor proposed by Zerbe for this role), I do not believe he could succeed in that kind of transformation the way Evans did it.
In her turn, Watson adds several new characteristics to Belle, such as confidence, kindness, and politeness. In addition, she has never defined herself as a singer, and her singing is “technologically sweetened” that is “serviceable enough to get the job done” (Scott). Her contribution to the role of Belle is impressive because she does not spoil it or try to make it different. She performs her task and lives the life of Belle with all her adventures, hopes, and dreams.
Conclusion
In general, the opinions of such authors like Ethan Daniel Zerbe should be considered subjective and rather restrictive. It is wrong to use such posts in order to build a new opinion about Beauty and the Beast. This movie is not an ordinary fairy tale with already known characters and a well-recognized plot. It is a chance for people who are between their 30s and 40s to remember their childhood and enjoy similar emotions regarding the current progress. It is also a unique opportunity for a person of any age to learn the story of true love, observing the images of the highest quality, captivating content, beautiful actresses, and handsome artists.
Works Cited
Hornaday, Ann. “Remake of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Convincingly Springs to Life.” The Washington Post. 2017. Web.
Scott, A. O. “Review: ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Revels in Joy and Enchantment.”The New York Times. 2017. Web.
Zerbe, Ethan Daniel. “Why Beauty and the Beast Fails.” Pop Culture Corner. 2017. Web.