La Belle et la bête is a landmark feat of cinematic fantasy in which master filmmaker Jean Cocteau conjures spectacular visions of enchantment, desire and death. The BFI is to present the original film version of this fairy-tale masterpiece in High Definition for the first time in the UK, released on Blu-ray in August. Special features include a commentary by Sir Christopher Frayling, an animated short, documentaries, trailers and deleted scenes, along with an illustrated booklet.

Josette Day is luminous yet feisty as Beauty and Jean Marais gives one of his best performances as the Beast, at once brutal and gentle, rapacious and vulnerable, shamed and repelled by his own bloodlust.

Henri Alekan’s cinematography combines with Christian Bérard’s masterly costumes and set designs to create a magical piece of cinema: a children’s tale refashioned as a stylised, highly sophisticated dream.

La Belle et la bête will be released on UK Blu-ray by the BFI on 6 August 2018 at the RRP of £19.99.

Blu-ray features:

• Newly presented in High Definition from the French 4K restoration (by SNC and the Cinémathèque française)
• Feature commentary by cultural historian Sir Christopher Frayling
• Des Réves de Cocteau en numerérique, l’aventure de la Belle et la bête (2013, 51 mins
• Christian Bérard et Jean Cocteau, deux magiciens du spectacle (2013, 24 mins
• Deleted scenes (6 mins): film and audio clips from scenes that were not included in the final film
• Barbe Bleue (René Bertrand, 1938, 13 mins): an animated version of Perrault's Bluebeard
• Original theatrical trailer
• BFI trailer (2013)
• Stills gallery
• Illustrated booklet with essays by Dr Deborah Allison, Marina Warner and George E Turner, and full film credits