I know my initial reaction to Beauty and the Beast was salty (or it comes off as salty, I don’t HATE it fcol). But I had a notion recently that made me think better of it.
The moments in the film that focus on the enchanted Objects focus on their relationships, specifically their romantic ones. We’ve got Lumiere and Plumette, Pianoforte and Garderobe. Some of our cast have absent partners, as in the case of Mrs. Potts and Cogsworth (although Cogsworth’s is...clingy). But the point is, the curse to some extent separated these people from those they loved. To break the curse, the Beast needs someone to fall in love with him for his inner goodness, as well as have their love in return.
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| Love is what makes us human. (The Verge) |
Love is what makes people, well, human. Hence Gaston is the real monster because he only loves himself, and hence the longer that the Beast is unable to find love, the less human his subjects are. Romantic love completes us. For the foil, Gaston wants to marry Belle to satisfy his own vanity, when he does not understand at all who she really is, and she knows perfectly well that he is the kind of man that could never make her happy.
I don’t see how the film connected that to the curse that fell on the Prince for being uncharitable (although at the ball he was hosting he was either looking for a bride or a bedmate). But the theme is there, and it’s better developed than I thought it was.
Beauty and the Beast will be out on Blu-ray in less than a month from now. Chances are, I will be a lot less critical on the second viewing.
Read More: My friend Ibbet thinks Gaston is one of the best things about the remake
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