Disney's Original Story! Mrs. Beaumont's "Beauty and the Beast" Synopsis and Comments - What are the differences from the Disney version?
I would like to introduce "Beauty and the Beast" published in 1756 by the French writer Madame Beaumont (Jean-Marie Leprince de Beaumont). I read the Shinchosha version translated by Kiyoshi Muramatsu.
Let's take a quick look at the book.
Belle, the youngest daughter of a wealthy merchant, is exceptionally beautiful and kind-hearted. One day, when her father is captured by a hideous beast, she takes his place. The Beast, who falls in love with Belle, is moved by her honesty and returns her to her family, but the grief of loss consumes her and she tries to give up her life. Witnessing this, Belle comes to a decision. This collection contains 13 stories that gently convey the truth and harshness of life and have been loved beyond time and country.
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My reading of this Mrs. Beaumont's version of "Beauty and the Beast" was influenced by the Disney movie, to say the least. I love this movie and it is my favorite of all the Disney films. I would like to read the original story of "Beauty and the Beast"! I thought that if I could understand the differences between the original and the movie, I would be able to understand the greatness of Disney even more, so I decided to pick up the original.
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, the original author of "Beauty and the Beast" was the French writer Madame Beaumont. However, the story is a bit complicated, as it was written by Madame Beaumont based on "Beauty and the Beast" by Madame Villeneuve, a French writer published in 1740, and shortened it so that even children can read it easily.
In other words, the original "Beauty and the Beast" was the 1740 Villeneuve edition, from which the 1756 Beaumont edition was born. It was the Beaumont version that made this story famous worldwide, and it was the Beaumont version, not the Villeneuve version, that was read around the world from then on. It was the Beaumont version that Disney used as a reference.
The differences between the Villeneuve and Beaumont versions are explained in detail at the end of the Shinchosha version of "Beauty and the Beast," so I will not go into them in depth here, but to put it bluntly, there is a difference between a novel for adults and a fairy tale. The Villeneuve edition is larger in volume, and its contents are more elaborate than the Shinchosha edition. I have read the Villeneuve edition published by Hakusuisha, and it is not easy for even adults, let alone children, to read comfortably. On the other hand, the Beaumont edition is about 30 pages in a paperback book, and the contents are very clear and easy to read. This is probably one of the reasons why the Beaumont edition became so popular.
So what is its Beaumont version of the story?
I bravely started reading this piece and was suddenly surprised from the very beginning. To my surprise, I learned that Papa was not an inventor, but a wealthy merchant, and that he had three sons and three daughters! The youngest of these daughters was Belle. At this point, it's completely different!
And while the three older brothers have little presence in this story, the two older sisters do not. In fact, they are the key to the story. Although they were beautiful, they had bad personalities, and were proud and selfish. They spent their days at the ball and the theater, looking down their noses at their parents' riches.
In contrast, Belle, the youngest, was a wonderful, kind and parental daughter in spite of being incredibly beautiful. Her love of books is the same as in Disney movies. Her older sisters were deeply jealous of her and made fun of her.
But those days suddenly came to an end. Papa's business is rapidly declining, and they are forced to give up the house and live quietly on a farm in the countryside. Papa and his brothers work the fields, while Belle concentrates on the housework. The sisters did nothing but lounge around and reminisce about their once grand life. They forced Belle to do all the work and bullied her. Oh, this is just like Cinderella. Belle spent her days silently enduring this kind of punishment.
After a year of such a life, a letter arrives from the city. It said that his father's merchant ship, which had been missing, had returned safely to port! This is good news! Now business is back! The family is overjoyed.
However, the shrewd sisters did not forget to ask Papa for souvenirs. They begged Papa for expensive dresses, hair ornaments, and many other ornaments, and saw him off to the city. Belle, however, knew that she would run out of money because of her sisters' begging, so she did not ask for anything. Papa said that would be lonely, so Belle asked for "roses. Now, finally, the roses that we are all so familiar with made their appearance. These roses will be the key to the fate of these girls.
When Dad arrived in town, disaster awaited him. A lawsuit was filed against his goods, and in the end he was left with very little money. In other words, Papa had to return home in the same poverty he had arrived in.
Papa is staggering home after a disappointment. He is walking through a big forest that leads to the house, and he gets lost. He didn't get lost on the way there, but what a blunder! Oh, and it's snowing! It's windy. Wolves might be coming! If we don't get out of here, we will die! Dad was in a hurry, but he saw a big light out of the corner of his eye. As he got closer, he saw that it was a big castle. It was like the "Beauty and the Beast" that we all know and love.
Papa enters the castle fearfully. But there is no one inside. There is no sign of anyone at all.
Nevertheless, when I entered the large room, there was a table with dishes and a mountain of food for one person. Dad warmed himself by the fireplace for a while and waited for someone to come, but finally he could not bear the hunger and ate this meal.
Then I left this room and found a bedroom and decided to go straight to sleep there. I was exhausted and exhausted.
Huh? The Beast doesn't appear? Many of you may have wondered. That's right. The original story is that the Beast has not appeared yet even after coming here.
The next day, Dad woke up at 10:00 in the morning. To his surprise, there were clean clothes for him to change into. Who could have put them there? I don't know who it was, but it seems that there is someone in this castle who is entertaining Papa. Lumiere? Cogsworth? Who on earth could it be?
Then we went down to the big room where we had dinner last night and there was even cocoa ready for us. I drank it gratefully and finally decided to leave the castle. As he went out into the yard to pick up the horses, he saw a rosebush with beautiful flowers. Ah, just the thing! A souvenir for Belle! Just as he was about to take the rosebush home, a terrible beast appeared before him with a loud cry. Finally, our Beast made his appearance.
One would think that Dad would be taken to jail without question, as in the movie, but in the original story, the exchange unfolds quite differently. But in the original story, the exchange is quite different.
You ungrateful brute," said the beast in a horrified voice. I welcomed you into my castle and saved your life, and in return you try to steal the rose that I love more than anything else in the world. You must die to atone for this wrong, but I will give you fifteen minutes to beg God's forgiveness."
The merchant squatted on his knees, clasped his hands together and said. Your Highness, please forgive me. I never imagined that I would offend you by picking the roses that one of your daughters asked me to pick.
I am not your highness," the monster replied. I am a beast. I hate flattery and want people to say what they think. So don't think you can move my heart by following me. But you said you have daughters. Then I will forgive you on the condition that one of those daughters dies in your place of her own free will. Now, get out of here without a fight. If she refuses to take your place, you must swear to me that you will return in three months.
The kind-hearted merchant had no intention of sacrificing his daughters to such an ugly monster. However, he vowed to return because he thought, "At least I can experience the joy of holding my daughters once again. The beast told him that he could leave whenever he wanted. But," the Beast continued, "I will not let you leave empty-handed. But," the Beast continued, "it is not my desire to let you return empty-handed. Go back to the bedroom where you stayed. There is a large empty box there, and you can fill it with anything you like. I will have it brought to your house.
Shinchosha, Madame Beaumont, Beauty and the Beast, translated by Kiyoshi Matsumura, p. 38-39
How about this? Isn't this amazing? The Beast not only put Papa in jail, but even allowed him to take home whatever he wanted as a souvenir. In fact, Papa brought back a lot of gold coins. He was very generous.
The original beast is a gentle and kind gentleman long after this. The beast was ugly on the outside, but his heart was kind from the beginning.
He then tells his daughters the story of how he escaped. Belle volunteers to take her place. Papa tries to hold her back, but Belle is determined and shows no sign of changing her mind. Finally, Papa is so determined that he breaks down and returns with Belle to the Beast's castle. Belle is now living with the Beast.
It may seem easy to swallow if I give a brief synopsis of the story, but when you think about it, the father is not so bad either. After all, he gave up his beloved daughter to spare his own life at the very end.... This is also very different from the Disney version.
As they live together, Belle gradually becomes attracted to the kind and gentle beast, but that is the original story. But this is the original story, and there is a certain cruelty. Belle is attracted by his kindness, but she can't accept his appearance. She can't help but think, "It's such a pity that such a kind hearted man can be so ugly! I can't help but think, "What a pity that such a kind heart is so ugly!
Another feature of the original story is the Beast's courtship. In the Disney version, the Beast does not make his own courtship proposal, and the premise of the story was that he must love and be loved by the time the roses fall. In the original story, however, there is no such time limit, nor is there any romantic flourish. In the original story, however, there is no time limit, and there is no romantic touch to the story. Belle even breaks the mood by asking, "Belle, do you want to be my wife?
Their life together lasted about three months, and they grew closer, but Belle still felt that she could not marry him. He is a good man, but I don't want to be the wife of an ugly beast.
And the gentle beast knew what Belle wanted, too. She wanted to see her daddy. In the movie, Dad was in a pinch, but not in the original story. But Belle was suffering from the fact that they had been separated for three months and would never see each other again. So Belle boldly confides in the Beast, "I might die of sadness if I don't see my father.
In response to this appeal, the beast made a bitter decision. I would rather die than cause you grief. You may go home now. You may leave now, even though the poor beast will probably die of grief.
The Beast's kindness touched Belle's heart, and with tears in her eyes, she promised to return in eight days. The Beast then gave her a magic ring. It was a magical ring that would allow her to return to the castle as soon as she placed it on the table.
Belle then returned home and was happy to see her dad again.
Now the question is, what happens from here?
In the Disney movie, Gaston and his friends ride into the castle from this point on, and the story rapidly accelerates to a grand finale, but in the original story, Gaston never existed in the first place, after all. How will the finale end without the lovable macho man who drives the story?
The key was those mean sisters.
The sisters heard from Belle about the castle and her happy life with the beast, and as usual, they became intensely jealous. They also heard that Belle had promised to return in eight days, so they came up with an evil plan. If they did not return by that date, the Beast would get angry and eat Belle. The sisters begin a plan to keep Belle from leaving. The plan worked, and Belle decided to stay home for another eight days.
However, on the tenth night after returning home, Belle had a dream. She dreamed that a wild beast was lying on the grass in the garden, about to die. Belle jumps up quickly, bursts into tears, and murmurs in her heart, "I am going to die.
I can't believe I made Mr. Beast so sad, after he showed such deep concern for me."
Shinchosha, Madame Beaumont, translated by Kiyoshi Matsumura, Beauty and the Beast, p. 52
I'm such a bad woman, aren't I? It is not his fault that I am so ugly and so unintelligent. Why did I refuse to marry him? If I were with him, I would be happier than my sisters. It is not a husband's manliness or intelligence that satisfies a woman, but his good character, his virtue, and his care, and Mr. Beast has all of these things. I do not love him, but I have respect, friendship, and gratitude. I can't make him unhappy. If I do, I will regret my ungrateful behavior for the rest of my life.
Shinchosha, Madame Beaumont, translated by Kiyoshi Matsumura, Beauty and the Beast, p. 53
Hmmm, that's a shame! It is not "love" yet here. After all, her ugly appearance still seems to be the bottleneck, but all at once her heart is going to marry the Beast.
Belle then quickly returns to the castle with the magic ring given to her by the Beast.
But no matter how long I waited, the beast never came. Usually at nine o'clock at night, he always comes...
Belle began to feel uneasy. She wondered if the Beast had really died of grief because of her!
Belle runs around the castle, calling out her name in a loud voice. But there is no one to be seen. Belle is in despair, but then she remembers her dream. Perhaps she is in the garden!
I rushed out and found the beast there. But it had collapsed, and I could not tell if it was alive or dead. Forgetting the horror on its face, I clung to its body and heard the faint sound of its heart. The Beast was still alive. Belle splashed water on the Beast's face and he woke up.
You forgot your promise. In my grief over losing you, I decided to die without eating anything. Now that I have seen you one last time, I can die content.
No, my dear beast. You will never die," said Belle. You will live and become my husband. From this moment on, I accept your proposal of marriage and vow to be yours alone. Oh, sadly, I thought I had only friendship for you. But this pain I am feeling now has taught me that I cannot live without seeing you.
Shinchosha, Madame Beaumont, translated by Kiyoshi Matsumura, Beauty and the Beast, p. 54
At this moment, the whole castle became festive, with the palace glowing, fireworks going off, and music playing.
Then the beast that was now dying before my eyes disappeared, and at his feet lay the prince, handsome as an angel.
Belle does not realize that this prince is the Beast. She couldn't help but ask the prince where the Beast had gone. Then he reveals everything to her.
In Disney, Belle looks into the prince's eyes and realizes that he is the Beast, but in the original story, it was a tasteless reunion. This is another great Disney film performance in this area.
Thus, when they entered the castle together, all of Belle's family members were there. The witch had moved Belle's family there. Belle was overjoyed.
And the story does not end there. The mean sisters are transformed by the witch into stone statues that stand at the entrance to the castle. The sisters are punished with a sarcastic "You will watch her happiness there until you change your bad character, which you won't. You will not be able to do it," she punishes them sarcastically.
And Belle and the prince lived happily together, happily ever after.
So the original work is finished. Thank you all for your hard work.
Now, when you look at it this way, it is easy to see how different the Disney movie is from the original.
First of all, the setting of the witch's curse is almost never mentioned in the Beaumont version. Moreover, it was truly groundbreaking to explain it at the beginning of the film. This made it possible for us to enter the story from the Beast's point of view and to experience the thrill of wondering whether the Beast and Belle will really be united.
Also, as I mentioned a little earlier, it is very important that that Gaston is not in the original story. His presence in the Disney film emphasized Belle's otherness and created movement in the story.
And best of all, in the original story, Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs. Pod and other essential characters in the movie do not appear at all. This is also completely original by Disney. Their presence transforms the dark atmosphere of the original story into a light-hearted comedy. Disney has taken advantage of the witch's curse and breathed life into "things. Such anthropomorphism is Disney's family heirloom, and I doubt that it has been used as effectively as in "Beauty and the Beast.
Also released in 1937, Disney's monumental filmSnow White.In "Beauty and the Beast," the seven dwarves are given personalities and the story is modified in a comedic way, and I am also impressed by the fact that the Disney-isms are carried over to this film.
These modifications of the Disney film "Beauty and the Beast" were largely due to the powerful duo of lyricist Howard Ashman and composer Alan Menken. Christopher Finch's about this work.The Art of Disney."The following is explained in the following section.
The film was a masterpiece, comparable to the best of the early Disney Classics. Walt had actually considered making a film of this story in the early 1950s, but it never happened. 40 years later, the project was revived, and after some initial stumbling blocks, production eventually began with Howard Ashman as executive producer. At Ashman's insistence, the team created a plot that was sympathetic to the Beast. It also gave a great deal of focus to the heroine, Belle. The second act is a dark setting. Cogsworth, Lumiere, Mrs. Potts, and other workers at the castle are disguised as objects. However, the gloom is softened by the lively appearance of these people. Ashman also made Gaston, the villain, into a large, humanized man. He is a suitable opponent for Belle and the Beast. Naturally, the film's music was composed by Ashman and Menken.
By the time the film was released in 1991, the Beast had become an even gentler character (although that did not make him any less scary looking) and Belle a strong heroine. Gaston is handled well, at first appearing simply as an outlaw bullying the weak, then becoming a real villain as the film nears its climax. The comic relief (the comedic relief) is treated a bit pretentious, and the songs set the mood. The art direction, layout, and backdrops all return to Disney Classics standards, and the magic of the CAPS system makes this a first-class production from all accounts.
The film was well received by critics and audiences alike, setting a new attendance record for an animated feature. Even better, "Beauty and the Beast" was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Motion Picture. This is the first time in film history that an animated film has received such an honor.
Kodansha, The Art of Disney, translated by Christopher Finch and Maeda Mieko, p. 99-100
Ashman and Alan Menken are the most powerful duo, who also worked on "The Little Mermaid". The duo originally came from the musical field and brought the sensibilities they cultivated there to Disney films.
Beauty and the Beast is truly a musical film. Its opening also begins with a music number that is over seven minutes long. This was unheard of in Disney films up to that point, but it worked beautifully. The film is also filled with other iconic Disney songs such as "The Lonesome Supper" and "Beauty and the Beast. I love this movie because of its musicality. The addition of Disney's signature visual beauty and comedy makes this film a true "one-stop shop" for all things musical. Combined with the strength of the story, it is the most powerful film ever made.
When I think about the Disney movie again after knowing the original, I realize how brilliantly this was altered. This is Disney! I am filled with a feeling of wanting to give a big shout out to Disney.
And this is a bit off topic from the original story, but I recently had the opportunity to visit Tokyo Disneyland. There I rode the "Beauty and the Beast" attraction.
I must admit, I was struggling to hold back tears after riding this attraction. It was just so wonderful! I was so moved that I wanted to hug and honor the people who created this attraction.
When Walt Disney created Disneyland, his philosophy was to recreate the two-dimensional space of the movie in the three-dimensional space of reality and to let guests enter it and experience the story world together. For more on this, see Masako Notoji, author ofThe Holy Land of Disneyland."and by Richard Snow.Disneyland: How the World's Greatest Entertainment Was Created.I had not yet read these books when I rode this attraction, so I did not know anything about it.
But the immersive experience of this attraction was nonetheless extraordinary.
I especially remember how pleasant the sound of "Hey," from "Hey, Very Wonderful" on the bell during "The Budding of Love" was. It was a sound that could only be heard in that space. It is a feeling that cannot be felt through the TV or earphones in the room.
In the ball scene at the end, we felt as if we were there. The back and forth, left and right movements were just like the camera work of a movie camera. Not to mention the sound effects. Really, if you are not careful, you will cry.
We then proceed backward from the room where the ball is being held. As we move away from the room, Belle and the Beast become smaller and smaller, reminding us that we are leaving the world of "Beauty and the Beast" and returning to the real world. In other words, this is a mechanism to make the guests feel how much we have been immersed in the world of "Beauty and the Beast. I was completely knocked out by each and every one of these touches. I was so moved that I just let go. I highly recommend this attraction to everyone.
Now that we have gone from the original story of "Beauty and the Beast" to the Disneyland attractions, reading the original story has allowed us to see more and more of the beauty of Disney's version of "Beauty and the Beast.
We have already seen the finished "Beauty and the Beast," but there must have been extraordinary hard work involved in the creation of this film. I am sure that watching "Beauty and the Beast" with that in mind will give you a different taste. I am finally feeling that this film has become a big part of my life.
It was indeed an interesting read.
The above is a summary of Disney's original "Beauty and the Beast" - What are the differences between the Disney version and the original? What is the appeal of the Disney version in terms of its differences?
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