What's mesmerising about Cocteau's film is the seriousness with which it regards the fairytale material, combined with an eerie, dreamlike production design that's more effective precisely because it's more real.

"Beauty and the Beast" remains a profound exploration of the human and animal worlds, light and darkness, and love and art.

More exquisite than ever thanks to a 4K restoration, Jean Cocteau's dreamy 1946 black-and-white retelling of Beauty And The Beast is a real spellbinder.

The B&W photography by Henri Alekan shimmers, and the eerie imagery (created entirely in camera) creates a texture of visual poetry and cinema magic never been equaled in the years of fairy tale cinema since.