My beloved monster:My cover of Panna a Netvor music and a revision of the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale
Article updated 2014
Above: illustration of Beauty and the Beast by Arthur Rackham
One of my favorite fairy tales is Beauty and the Beast. I think I have watched every version made for cinema. Of course when you think about the Beauty in the Beast on the screen most people will go wether to the highly poetic and brilliant French version by Cocteau (1947) or the most recent and correct Disney animated one from the nineties. These are the most known versions and both are all right but the maiden falling in love with the good-hearted monster (drinking from the French version of the fairytale by J.M. Beaumont though we may not forget there is a previous version written by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve,) has echoed in many versions. I highlight for example a russian animated version "The Scarlet Flower" (1952) which realist animation and color makes us think of Dulac´s vibrant illustrations.
There are also versions that are so forgettable like the Canon and Faerie Tale Theatre versions in the eighties, the second being a copy of Cocteau´s almost frame by frame and only saved by lovely and young Susan Sarandon. Some modern tv series have also revisited the myth, being the best (I think) the one in the eighties with Ron Perlman as Vincent. Though departuring from the classic fairytale I like the fact Beauty falls in love with the "monster" which I find strangely handsome as beast itself as as it's tradition since Cocteau´s version is portrayed as a "lion-like" creature. But sometimes it is shown as a different creature, for example as a boar in the 1976 version.
Above: Cocteau´s Beauty and The Beast (1947) almost perfect version? Aesthetically it is so but fails inthe final transformation under my point of view.
Most of them have a major flaw, the anti-climatic transformation, in most of them you end up thinking, why didn't you stay as a beast? Even in Cocteau´s the beast transform into an effeminated version of the antagonist. George C, Scott (1976) was well acted and faithful to the take, but his and Klaus Kinsky (1984,tv) were even uglier as princess than as monsters... My romantic self claims.... no way! stay as a monster, please! Ron Perlman (tv) demonstrated with his Beast he could make a believable romantic hero without transformation involved. This series were remade recently for TV but beast lost all his beastly factor and I gave up after first episode I confess.
Above: Ron Perlman as Vincent in Beauty and the Beast TV series (skip the recent re-make, it is not really a remake at all)
Above: The scarlet flower (russian animated version 1952) This "russian folk" version of the tale was also remade in 1977 as a live action movie that cannot surpass the previous animated version and had an irregular production.
Above: Disney's 1991 animated version, collecting shards of so many versions provided a really lovely approach, and the final transformation was satisfying enough. Still as Disney's some points were a bit blind but well it is a children´s version after all.
I particularly some of the variations that are also inspired by the greek myth of Eros and Psyche. This is the case of the Norwegian re-tale "East of the Sun and West of the Moon" written by a Jørgen Engebretsen Moe where the Beast is portrayed as a Polar Bear, and just like in the Eros and Psyche myth the wife is banned from watching her husband and is punished when she does so. The tale was brought to life in the movie "The Polar Bear King" (1991), an ok fantasy movie that is worth a watch, but it has its many flaws too.
Below: Dulac´s illustration for East of the Sun and West of the Moon and The Polar Bear King movie adaptation.
Same happens with "Hans, my hedgehog", one of the chapters from the amazing TV series The Storyteller by Jim Henson. In this chapter rather than a version of the Grimm version we see many of the elements portrayed in East of the Sun and West of the Moon, the heroine betrays her husband confidence burning the hedgehog skin and then he vanishes and she goes on a search to find him. One lovely Beauty and the Beast little treasure in my opinion. Maybe my second favorite.
Numerous other versions have been released, some based in one of the zillion versions and retellings like Beastly (based in Beauty and the Beast spinoff novel written by Alex Flinn and set up in modern New York). In the movie version, not being faithful to the novel, they turned the Beast into an emo-bald tatooed not-so-ugly guy and I found it not convincint at all. Still for lovers of the tale, here you have a modern spin of. Just too teenager-sweet for me!
In 2014 there has been a new version of the classic tale released La Belle et la Bete, which is not a remake of the Cocteau classic version but a re-tale of the story directed by Christophe Gans and starring Vincent Casell and Léa Seydoux, though quite memorable it doesn't peak the romantic and decadent energy of Panna a Netvor though it is a beautiful and rather faithful rendition to the tale and I enjoyed very much the new approach to The Prince origins. A couple of moments of chemistry but not really such a romantic build up as we see in Panna a Netvor either. Overall beautiful but something was missing.
During the last years some "Beauty and the Beast" television specials have been released, one German and one Italian version. Belle was really sweet in the german version though the production obviously suffered of a slow budget and the make-up of the Beast and servants was really laughable. I may add though that It was curious to see a Beast trying to impose himself on Bella and the first hints of attraction still in his monster-form. My two cents for this.
Beauty and the Beast (germany, 2013)
Recently an Italian/Spanish co-production, made for tv two chapter version of Beauty and the Beast was released. Featuring prince "Leon" and "Belle", there is no monster (except for a subtle scar) but a transformation of the soul. Overall it was really romantic though an always mixture of Phantom of the Opera, Jane Eyre and Beauty and the Beast itself. Despite not having the best of productions, it stood even if only for the chemistry among the lead actors. If curious I was able to find a subtitled version in youtube.
A new version of the tale is being made by Disney that want to retell the story in a live-action movie as it did with Cincerella and Maleficent. Of course curious about the result, though it is difficult they surpass their own animated version.
So why I have picked PANNA a NETVOR to make a cover of the soundtrack and tribute Beauty and the Beast video?
Panna a Netvor (1978)
Panna a Netvor (literally "The maiden and the Monster" (1978) is a Czech movie directed by Juraj Herz is really a captivating approach, different from all the others made and definitely stands as different from the Cocteau´s referece. Instead of polished, this version is gloomy, eerie, almost spectral and very sensual. Definitely not a children version and full of uneasy camera angles that sometimes put you into the eyes of the Beast which is the undeniable lead.
It´s very rare to find though I have found it full in youtube and even other fans of the movie covering this lovely theme and other online platforms if you want to have a look. I say it's worth you get the original, It's really a rare yet haunting version of this tale.
As in almost eavery BATB re-tale some elements are still there, Beauty is the daughter of a merchant, she asks for a rose... As in East of the Sun (and Eros and Psyche) Beauty is forbidden of watching his captor mixing then two of my favorite tales <3 and thus she genuinely falls in love with the monster ignoring he is so, and while doing this Netvor (the Monster, portrayed beautifully by coreographer Vlastimil Harapes) starts his transformation back into his human form, something that we think he might even have forgotten he once was. We see a "monster" not a gentle tamed lion, with the face of a crow and a tattered cloak with burst of animal predator instinct, and despite not having FX, make up, performance and movement makes it all strikingly poetic. And for once we have a rather good looking human alternative to the monster. Overall I think it's the most romantic version of this fairytale ever made with some genuine romantic tension and despite having a slow movie opening and some bizarre scenes that I dislike and don't justify in the movie (including some village life butchering a pig, ewwwww which you must understand in the context of villagers being also "animals" and in fact greedy little monsters themselves and another one with a little deer that wasn't damaged but pretty much scared in the film making) then it happens to become one of the most romantic movies ever made.It happened to be a version I accidentally watched when I was really young and impressed me deeply (despite some of this points that I find hard to approve) the rest of the movie dwells in such in depth beauty that it stayed with me for a long time in my memory, to the point that I still remembered the main music motif which now I have covered myself as a little tribute to this very unknown movie. The castle environment is oppressive and almost rotten. Being a fan of fantasy and romance (in an era where paranormal romance is in fashion but doesn't seem to grab it "right") here is my little version of "Motiv Panny" written by Petr Hapka. One of the most unknown and underrated but strikingly beautiful soundtracks ever, that kind of melodies that stays in your head for over a couple of decades till I could re-watch this movie again. Of course it has its odd moments but overall it shows really thrilling.
So here it is, my own version of MOTIV PANNY (PANNA A NETVOR) I hope you like it and that you made a little discovery.
Priscilla Hernandez (me :) ) piano, voice, winds. I also mingled myself with a chandelier in the video some of the images are me, Armen and Sveta playing as well as the scenes from the movie I like most)
Armen Vartanyan: violin
Svetlana Tovstukha: Cello
Leave your comments about my cover in the forum
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Below some useful links if you want to research more:
East of the Sun and West of the Moon Old Tales from the North (book)
Beauty and the Beast (1947)
Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast (2014)
Jim Henson's The Storyteller ~ The Complete Collection
The Polar Bear King
