Event Film and Video Screenings “Beauty and the Beast” (DisCina, 1946)

Jean Cocteau’s sublime adaptation of Mme. Leprince de Beaumont’s fairy-tale masterpiece - in which the pure love of a beautiful girl melts the heart of a feral but gentle beast - is a landmark of motion picture fantasy, with unforgettably romantic performances by Jean Marais and Josette Day. The spectacular visions of enchantment, desire, and death in “Beauty and the Beast” (“La Belle et la Bête”) have become timeless icons of cinematic wonder. Critic Roger Ebert wrote in his four star review, “Before the days of computer effects and modern creature makeup, here is a fantasy alive with trick shots and astonishing effects, giving us a Beast who is lonely like a man and misunderstood like an animal. Cocteau, a poet and surrealist, was not making a ‘children's film’ but was adapting a classic French tale that he felt had a special message after the suffering of World War II: Anyone who has an unhappy childhood may grow up to be a Beast.” Rescheduled from January 12, 2019. In French with English subtitles. 35mm restoration film print on loan from Janus Films.93 min.

Programs are free and open to the public, but children 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Seating at the screenings is on a first-come, first-served basis unless otherwise noted. Short films may be shown before some features.

For general Packard Campus Theater information, call (540) 827-1079 ext. 79994 or (202) 707-9994.