A landmark film where a girl’s love reaches through fear to touch the heart of a terrifying yet gentle beast returns on Blu-ray. Beauty and the Best, featured in the Criterion Collection, is now available for fans in Canada and the United States with a thoughtful slate of new features that invite fresh discovery and appreciation.
This edition offers a pristine high-definition transfer drawn from the best available film elements, scanned at high resolution and color corrected to restore the film’s original contrast, texture, and tonal balance. The transfer reveals subtle details in lighting and texture that may have been missed for decades, inviting both longtime admirers and first-time viewers to experience the film in a new light.
Some features include:
- A careful high-definition transfer drawn from the best available film elements, scanned at high resolution and color corrected to restore the film’s original contrast, texture, and tonal balance.
- An alternate soundtrack by Philip Glass, La Belle et la Bete, providing a contemporary operatic score that enhances mood while honoring the narrative’s rhythm without replacing the original audio.
- Two audio commentaries accompany the disc: a scholar’s perspective by Arthur Knight and a critical essay by Christopher Frayling, offering insights on style, symbolism, and lasting influence.
- A gallery of rare behind the scenes photographs and publicity stills gives a window into production decisions, set design, makeup, and the marketing approach of the era.
- A demonstration of restoration shows the frame-by-frame cleaning, digital repair, and preservation choices that safeguard the film for future generations of viewers.
- The package includes the original trailer directed and narrated by Jean Cocteau, along with the 1995 restoration trailer that documents the restoration journey and impact.
With these features, this Blu-ray release earns a place in any collection and remains a vital option for both seasoned cinephiles in North America and newcomers discovering this iconic film for the first time.