Classic tale given a modern makeover
IF it’s not Baroque, don’t fix it. Those immortal words, uttered in jest by Cogsworth the talking clock in the 1991 animated Beauty And The Beast are largely heeded by director Bill Condon for this live-action remake.
Strong-willed bookworm Belle (Emma Watson) continues to rebuff the amorous advances of preening Gaston (Luke Evans), who wonders how he’ll know when he is in love.
“You’ll feel nauseous!” retorts manservant Le Fou (Josh Gad).
Before Gaston can find out, Belle trades places with her inventor father Maurice (Kevin Kline) as eternal prisoner of an accursed Beast (Dan Stevens) in his crumbling stronghold.
The gloom of incarceration is lifted by the kindness of enchanted servants including tightly wound clock Cogsworth (Sir Ian McKellen), flirtatious candlestick Lumiere (Ewan McGregor), and clinking teapot Mrs Potts (Emma Thompson) and her teacup son Chip (Nathan Mack).
As petals of an enchanted rose fall, Belle glimpses beneath the fur of her tormented host and acknowledges that “there may be something there that wasn’t there before”.
Distinguished by stunning production design, this Beauty And The Beast doesn’t quite scale the dizzy heights of its animated predecessor, but comes delightfully close.
Watson is a spirited heroine and is blessed with a sweet singing voice, and Stevens teases out the humanity of his fallen prince.
Both cede the limelight to the twin comic tornadoes of Evans and Gad, who elevate their homoerotic bromance and bring the tavern down with the lyrically wicked singalong Gaston.
Lumiere’s eye-popping Busby Berkeley-esque Be Our Guest is still a showstopper, augmented with shimmering digital effects, and the title song performed by Thompson brings a lump to the throat.
Not once but twice upon a time, Condon’s film promises and delivers a deliriously happy every after.