La Belle et la Bête &

Queer Theory
By Terry, Ting & Molly
Introduction

 What is Queer Theory?

 Key sources:
 David M. Halperin’s Saint Foucault: Towards a Gay Hagiography (1997)
 Judith Butler’s Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity (1990)

 The Director and the Beast

 Key Sources:
 Rictor Norton’s
 Cocteau's White Paper on Homophobia (2000)

 My Beautiful Angel: The Gay Love Letters of Jean Cocteau to Jean Marais. Excerpts from My Dear
Boy: Gay Love Letters through the Centuries (1998)

 Queer subtext in the film

Queer Theory - What is it?

 A form of critical theory

 The theory of deconstruction of social norms in terms of sexuality and gender
 Looking at texts and media to see LGBT subtexts and hidden meanings
 Built on the foundations of feminism and gay/lesbian studies
 However does not focus on single issues like them
The Word “Queer”

“As the very word implies, “queer” does not name some natural kind or refer to
some determinate object; it acquires its meaning from its oppositional relation
to the norm. Queer is by definition whatever is at odds with the normal, the
legitimate, the dominant. There is nothing in particular to which it necessarily
refers.”
(Halperin, 1997:62)

 Once considered an insult towards

 Now often used as an umbrella term for numerous sexualities and gender
identities
The History of Queer Theory

 Developed from ideas by Michel Foucault

 French philosopher and social theorist
 Term coined by Teresa de Lauretis
 Differences: A Journal of Feminist Cultural Studies
 Modern Queer Theory was first put forward by Judith Butler
 Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity
 “Originally intended to dispute the biology-is-destiny formulation, the distinction
between sex and gender serves the argument that whatever biological
intractability sex appears to have, gender is culturally constructed: hence, gender
is neither the result of sex nor as seemingly fixed as sex.” (Butler, 1990:9)
 Here she purposes that gender is just a social construct
 Concepts like this is what makes up Queer Theory
Queer Theory in Film

 Queer views on older films

 True representation of LGBT characters in film
 Making Love (1982)
 Not good representation

 Big Eden (2000)

 Good representation

 New Queer Cinema

The Director vs Queer Theory

 Jean Cocteau
 Director
 Authorship of the homosexual novel Le Livre
Blanc

 Jean Marais
 Actor

“the beauty of an animal . . . that Figure 1. Jean Cocteau and Jean Marais
insolent beauty which is only (1998)
heightened by filth.”
(Cocteau, 1903)
“The title of the book — Le Livre Blanc — is equivalent to
the English phrase "White Paper," and the purpose of the
book is to present an impersonal and objective report,
‘compiled by committee’ as it were, rather than a
personal narrative. Cocteau's intention has largely been
ignored by most readers and critics, who respond to the
work as though it were a ‘confession’ of his homosexuality
rather than a ‘white paper’ on homophobia. It has been
read as an apology rather than as a challenge, and
scholars have busied themselves with biographical
speculation rather than sociological analysis”
(Norton, 2000)
Figure 2. Cover of Le Livre Blanc
(1999)
“Each episode in the novel is an illustration of
social injustice, and Cocteau's message is quite
clearly stated: My misfortunes are due to a
society which condemns anything out of the
ordinary as a crime and forces us to reform our
natural inclinations”
(Norton, 2000)

“The last pages are swamped by self-pity,

but nevertheless express one of the key
sentiments that prompted the Gay
Liberation movement: ‘I will not agree to be
tolerated. This damages my love of love and
of liberty’ ”
Figure 3. Illustration in Le Livre Blanc
(Norton, 1998) (1930)
Queer representation in the film

 The reason for having Avenant in the film was that he had a
relationship with belle’s brother. This is shown when her brother
objects to Avenant marrying belle and only thinking that he’s good for
him.
 The costume that the beast wears and the way he acts in the film are
considered very camp.
 At the time is was taboo to be gay at the time so the actor who played
the beast being gay has a lot of symbolism of the attitude of the time.
 All the furniture in the castle is a male so this could symbolise the
directors sexuality.
 the film could be seen as a love story between the director and the
actor of the beast
 The beast in the film could be the representation of hiding his true Fig 4, script showing ludovic being happy
feelings and being ridiculed for them and when he transforms into the belle rejected Avenant
prince he's being his true self.
1991/2017 representation

 In the newer beauty and the beast the beast has been changed to
be more gruff and threatening than the one in the 1946 rendition
which was more submissive with belle.
 This is shown by in the 1991 rendition and the new 2017 one that
the beast isn’t as submissive with belle and doesn't want her to be
in the castle at all. But later on in the film he slowly starts to
show his emotions.
 The 91 version is more reminiscent of what a relationship would
be like back in 1946, with the beast not being as empathetic with
belle which is reminiscent of a character trait of hero from the
1940s.
Fig. 5 film poster for 2017 beauty and the beast
 Fig. 6. Beast (1946 Version) Fig. 8. Beast (1991 Version)

1946 1991
• Submissive • Angry
• Timid • Bitter
• Trusting • Secretive
• Emotional • Kind hearted
• Flamboyant • impulsive

2017
• Cold
• Masculine
• Rude Fig. 7. Beast (2017 Version)
• Selfish
• Arrogant
Conclusion

 Queer Theory as a whole is the deconstruction of social norms in terms of

sexuality and gender representation
 Jean Cocteau and Jean Marais showed what could be achieved by the LGBT
community at the time
 Queer representation is present in all 3 versions of Beauty and the Beast,
even though that representation had been altered in various ways throughout
the years

La Belle et la Bête is a film with LGBT representation at its core, with its gay
actor and director, subtle hints of queer traits from characters and fully gay
characters in its remakes.
Bibliography

 Butler, J. (1990) Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity.

New York: Routledge.
 Halperin, D. (1997) Saint Foucault: Towards a Gay Hagiography [Online] At:
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=o9ct-
YPs66UC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Saint+Foucault:+Towards+a+Gay+Hagiograp
hy&q=queer+odds&redir_esc=y&hl=en#v=onepage&q&f=false (Accessed on 11
October 18)
 Norton Rictor (2000) “Cocteau's White Paper on Homophobia” [Online] At:
http://rictornorton.co.uk/cocteau.htm (Accessed on 11 October 2018)
 Norton Rictor (1998) “My Beautiful Angel: The Gay Love Letters of Jean
Cocteau to Jean Marais. Excerpts from My Dear Boy: Gay Love Letters
through the Centuries, Edited by Rictor Norton” [Online] At:
http://rictornorton.co.uk/cocteau2.htm (Accessed on 11 October 2018)
Image Bibliography

 Figure 1. Jean Cocteau and Jean Marais [Photo] At: http://rictornorton.co.uk/marais.jpg (Accessed
on 11 October 2018)
 Figure 2. Cover of Le Livre Blanc [Illustration] At: https://images-na.ssl-images-
amazon.com/images/I/41BZTJ8T4DL._SX285_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg (Accessed on 11 October 2018)
 Figure 3. Illustration in Le Livre Blanc [Illustration] At:
https://www.elysiumpress.com/pictures/6908.jpg?v=1383619431 (Accessed on 11 October 2018)
 Figure 4. Script Transcript [Screenshot] At: http://www.aellea.com/script/qBEAST.htm (Accessed on
11 October 2018)
 Figure 5. Beauty and the Beast 2017 Poster [Poster] At: https://reelrundown.com/movies/Film-
Review-Beauty-and-the-Beast-2017 (Accessed on 11 October 2018)
 Figure 6. Beast (1946 Version) [Screenshot] At: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038348/ (Accessed
on 11 October 2018)
 Figure 7. Beast (2017 Version) [Screenshot] At: https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Beauty-and-the-
Beast-Blu-ray/169928/ (Accessed on 11 October 2018)
 Figure 8. Beast (1991 Version) [Screenshot] At: http://www.simonprior.com/beauty-and-the-beast-
1991/ (Accessed on 11 October 2018)