Fantasy drama

Beauty and the Beast (1946): Cast, Box Office & Plot

Name: Beauty and the Beast
Genre: Fantasy, Drama, Romance
Released: 1946-09-25
Duration: 1 h 36 min
Cast: Jean Marais, Josette Day, Mila Parély, Nane Germon, Michel Auclair

Beauty and the Beast (1946) movie poster

Beauty and the Beast is a 1946 fantasy drama starring Jean Marais as La Bête / Le Prince / Avenant, Josette Day and Mila Parély. It runs 1 hour 36 minutes and earned $298,718 worldwide.

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Watch the trailer Read the plot summary

Released: September 25, 1946
Runtime: 1h 36m (96 min)
Genres: Fantasy , Drama , Romance
Original language: French
Studio: Andre Paulve Film
After the credits: No No extra scene

The story

What Is Beauty and the Beast About?

The premise of Beauty and the Beast without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

A gentle‑hearted Beast falls for a simple, beautiful girl. Though repellent, he captivates her and tests her fidelity by giving her a key, warning that if she does not return it by a set time he will die of grief. She misses the deadline, and it is then revealed that the Beast is truly handsome, turning their tragic love into a surreal vision of death, desire, and beauty.

Beauty and the Beast Themes & Keywords

· 50 tags

beast
based on fairy tale
surrealism
monster
spell
magical spell
magic castle
fairy tale fantasy
magic glove
magic horse
magical mirror
cult film

+38 more

transformation
teleportation
flying
17th century
prince
based on novel
maurice character
the beast character
belle character
deception
psychotronic film
france
greed
destitute
sibling relationship
beauty and the beast characters
man in tights
man in stocking feet
gold key
promise
physical beauty
footman
magical realism
daughter
bow and arrow
18th century literature on screen
playing chess
french literature on screen
costume drama
furniture repossession
surreal scene
rich suitor
repeated marriage proposals
female hostage
treasure room
moneylender
dead deer
man carries a woman in his arms

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Cast & crew

Beauty and the Beast Cast & Characters

Jean Marais leads the cast as La Bête / Le Prince / Avenant, with Josette Day as Belle and Mila Parély as Félicie.

Jean Marais as La Bête / Le Prince / Avenant
Josette Day as Belle
Mila Parély as Félicie
Nane Germon as Adélaïde

Also Starring in Beauty and the Beast

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Michel Auclair Ludovic
Jean Cocteau The Voice of Magic (uncredited)
Christian Marquand Footman (uncredited)
Raoul Marco The Insurer
Marcel André Belle's Father
Gilles Watteaux Footman (uncredited)
Noël Blin Footman (uncredited)

Plot

Beauty and the Beast Plot Summary

What happens in Beauty and the Beast from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 13 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 4-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

In a quiet home life shadowed by misfortune, Belle tends to her father and keeps to the comforts of ordinary days. She rebuffs Avenant, the roguish friend of her brother, who insists she deserves more and tests the boundaries of an orderly life with talk of marriage. Belle dreams of staying close to family, avoiding the lure of wealth, and cherishing the steady care she can offer to those she loves.

Full summary

The whole story of Beauty and the Beast, scene by scene

Read the full summary