She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not...
/Okay my lovely fanatics, I have been dying to write this post because it’s my favourite tale of all. The famous tale of a magic spell cast upon a prince and his subjects, waiting for a girl to fall in love with him and break his curse before the last petal falls and he lives forever as a horrible monster. Yes, it is the tale of Beauty and the Beast! And what a tale it was.
The original story, La Belle et la Bête, was written by a French woman, Jeanne-Marie LePrince de Beaumont and as much as I enjoyed the tale all together, I was expecting more from it. I suppose I can thank Disney for that. Nevertheless, the story’s message of accepting appearances and “virtue before wit or beauty” is a very powerful and humbling message to carry in modern day life. Let’s go over the differences of the original story from Disney’s, shall we?
In this story, Belle is a poor merchant’s daughter who takes care of her father and spoiled, wicked sisters. As we all know, her father stumbles upon Beast’s castle in the woods where he finds shelter from the rain and wolves. Beast is kind to him but when her father takes roses from Beast’s garden, he gets angry and says to the father that unless he receives one of the daughters, the father will have to die for his treachery. This is where the similarities kick in and Belle takes her father’s place and promises to live with Beast forever. That’s one brave girl. Belle and Beast eventually grow to appreciate each other but alas, Beast sets her free. Belle returns just in time from visiting her father to save Beast from the brink of death, kiss him, and break his curse ending in a happily ever after.
In the ending, instead of an on-the-edge-of-your-seat battle between Beast and Gaston in Disney’s version, it’s more intimate with Belle returning to a dying Beast lying in the garden. She confesses her love for him, begging him not to die, begging him to live and be her husband because she can’t live without him. How romantic is that? And now, a drum roll for my favourite part; as soon as her words of love leave her lips, Beast transforms into a gorgeous Prince. I just love that, don't you? Sigh.
It may not be a tale as old as time, but it certainly beats most fairy tales in the romance category. Once again, hats off to Disney for bringing this hopelessly romantic story to the big screen. Fifty points to Gryffindor! Er, Disney.
Fairytales – one, Adaptations – three.
Claire Marshall.
Claire is short, though she likes to cheat and wear heels. She was born in Toronto and, yes, she likes the Leafs. She is a caffeine addict and likes super heroes and anime. In her spare time, she enjoys writing fiction, reading, playing video games, and watching her favourite shows and movies. She is a social media addict with a wicked sense of humour and follows celebrity gossip like the bible.
