A more horrific and gloomy version of The Beauty and the Beast. Julie, the youngest daughter of a bankrupt merchant, sacrifices her life in order to save her father. She goes to an enchanted castle in the woods and meets Netvor, a bird-like monster. As Netvor begins to fall in love with Julie, he must suppress his beastly urge to kill her.
Director: Juraj Herz. AKA Beauty and the Beast
Writers: Juraj Herz (screenplay), Ota Hofman (screenplay), Frantisek Hrubín (play & screenplay), Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont (fairy tale).
Stars: Zdena Studenková, Vlastimil Harapes, Václav Voska, Jana Brejchová, Zuzana Kocúriková, Marta Hrachovinová, Vit Olmer, Jan Preucil, Milan Hein, Karel Augusta, Josef Laufer, Josef Langmiler, Frantisek Svacina.
Cinematographer: Jirí Macháne.
Composer: Petr Hapka.
Glad to see this one again, it’s been ages! Many many thanks, Jon!
For me, nothing supersedes Jean Cocteau’s LA BELLE ET LA BETE; and given my particular ‘pet’ sensibilities no other version probably ever will. This, however, is quite extraordinary in its invention and its own right. Thank you very much, Jon for posting something I’d long heard about but was never able to see.