For the past few years, Disney has been remaking their animated classics into live action films. I was never a big fan of “Sleeping Beauty,” but I really enjoyed “Maleficent.” “Jungle Book” and “Cinderella” were great. “Mulan” is on the way soon, but it’s already been announced that this version will have no musical numbers. I’m looking forward to “The Little Mermaid” and “The Lion King,” but another one of my favorites has recently become a live action instant classic.

“Beauty and the Beast” had its US release last week, and despite the somewhat negative publicity (omg, a gay character!), it has still managed to pull in $462 million worldwide. Not bad for a little love story in provincial France 😉

The original tale was written in 1757 by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, and while many of the details are obviously similar, there are quite a few very noticeable differences! I don’t want to spoil too much, but if you’re interested, you can read and listen to the entire text on LitteratureAudio.com.

I watched the 1991 animated film many times throughout my childhood (and ok, my adulthood, too). What many people aren’t aware of is the animators of this version were inspired by the 1946 production by poet and filmmaker Jean Cocteau, which featured a lot of new additions not seen in the original story but which showed up in the classic Disney film, such as moving pieces of the castle.

The opening number is arguably the best song in the movie (it gets my vote, anyway). It’s catchy and sets the scene perfectly in just a few minutes: we learn that Belle is an outsider who strives for something more, and it’s obviously going to happen throughout the course of the movie.

If you’ve seen the new version, you may have noticed a few changes. Belle’s librarian friend is now referred to as Père Robert, there’s no ladder in the “library” (because there are only like 12 books), there are no sheep, and LeFou doesn’t refer to Belle as “the inventor’s daughter.” She’s pretty good with her hands herself, though, and you’ll see that in the movie. Makes sense to remove that line.

As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, a lot of my early French vocabulary came straight from Disney movies. Since “Beauty and the Beast” is back in the spotlight, today’s post is going to focus on this opening piece.

 

Ville sage, sur un petit nuage,
Calm town on a little cloud
Où les jours se tiennent immobiles.
Where the days stay motionless
Où les gens, dès le matin, bavardent
Where, as soon as morning strikes, people talk
De tout et de rien.
About everything and nothing.

 

[Les Villageois]
– Bonjour ! x5
Hello!

[Belle]
Le boulanger porte son plateau bien garni
The baker’s carrying his well-stocked tray
Du bon vieux pain de son fournil.
Of good old bread from his bakery.
Depuis qu’on est arrivés,
Since we arrived
Les gens me sont étrangers,
People are strangers to me
Dans les rues qui pleurent d’ennui.
In the streets that weep of boredom

[Le Boulanger]
– Oh, bonjour Belle.
– Oh, good morning, Belle

[Belle]
– Bonjour Monsieur.
– Hello, sir.

[Le Boulanger]
– Où est-ce que tu vas ?
– Where are you going?

[Belle]
Chez mon ami le libraire.
Je viens de terminer une merveilleuse histoire,
À propos d’un ogre, du Roi, des haricots …
To my friend the librarian’s.
I just finished a marvelous story
About an ogre, a king, some beans…

[Le Boulanger]
– Très intéressant … Marie, les baguettes ! Et que çà saute !
– Very interesting… Marie, the baguettes! And make it fast!

[Les Villageois]
La tête ailleurs et ce petit air audacieux
Her head is elsewhere and she has this little bold appearance
D’un chat sauvage sous une ombrelle.
Of a wild cat under a parasol.
Elle ne parle pas notre langage.
She doesn’t speak our language.
Elle est toujours dans les nuages.
She’s always in the clouds.

[Les Villageois]
C’est bien vrai qu’elle est étrange, Mademoiselle Belle !
It’s true she’s strange, Miss Belle!

[Les Villageois]
Bonjour !
Bonjour !
Hello!
Salue la famille !
Say hello to your family!
Bonjour !
Bonjour !
Embrasse ta femme!
Kiss your wife!
Il me faut six œufs !
I need six eggs!
Tu veux nous ruiner !
You’re going to ruin us!

[Belle]
Je veux vivre autre chose que cette vie !
I want to experience more than this life!

[Le Libraire]
– Ah, Belle !

[Belle]
– Bonjour ! Je rapporte le livre que je vous ai emprunté.
– Hello! I’m bringing back the book I borrowed from you

[Le Libraire]
– Comment çà ? Déjà !
– What? Already!

[Belle]
– Oui ! Je l’ai dévoré en une nuit.
– Yes! I devoured it in one night.
– Vous avez quelque chose d’autre ?
– Do you have anything else?

[Le Libraire]
– Eh eh eh …
– Depuis hier ? Non, hélas !
– Eh, since yesterday? No, alas!

[Belle]
– Ça ne fait rien, je prendrai …
– It’s no big deal, I’ll take…

[Le Libraire]
– Eh eh eh …
– Uh, uh, uh…

[Belle]
– … celui-là !
– …this one!

[Le Libraire]
– Celui-là ? Mais tu l’as déjà lu deux fois !
– This one? But you’ve read it twice!

[Belle]
– C’est mon préféré !
– It’s my favorite!
– J’aime les romans de capes et d’épées …
– I love swashbuckling historical romances…

[Le Libraire]
– Eh eh eh …

[Belle]
– … pleins de magie et de Princes ensorcelés
-… full of magic and enchanted princes!

[Le Libraire]
– Et bien, si tu l’aimes tellement, je t’en fait cadeau !
– Well, if you like it that much, it’s a gift!

[Belle]
– Mais monsieur …
– But sir…

[Le Libraire]
– J’insiste !
– I insist!

[Belle]
– Oh! Merci, merci infiniment !
– Oh! Thank you so much!

[Les Villageois]
La tête ailleurs avec des rêves plein les yeux,
Her mind is elsewhere with amazing dreams
On ne sait pas quoi penser d’elle.
We don’t know what to think of her.
Elle a toujours l’air absent
She always seems away
Ou plongée dans ses romans.
Or engrossed in her books
Quel mystère pour nous que cette Mademoiselle Belle !
What a mystery Mademoiselle Belle is!

[Belle]
C’est le plus beau des romans
It’s the most beautiful of books
Et tout ce passage m’enchante, tu vois !
And this passage moves me, you see!
Elle rencontre le prince charmant
She’s meeting Prince Charming
Mais elle ne l’apprend pas avant le chapitre trois !
But she doesn’t know that before chapter 3!

[La cliente]
Il faut bien dire qu’son nom
We have to say that her name
Lui va comme un gant
Fits her like a glove
Car sa beauté est sans pareil.
Because her beauty is unmatched

[Le chapelier]
Mais sous son visage d’ange,
But under her angel face,
Elle est quand même très étrange.
She’s very strange.
C’est vrai qu’elle ne ressemble à personne.
It’s true she isn’t like anyone else.

[Les Villageois]
Non, elle ne ressemble à personne.
No, she isn’t like anyone else.
Cette fille ne ressemble à personne,
This girl isn’t like anyone else,
C’est Belle !
It’s Belle!

[Le Fou]
– Ouah ! Tu ne rates jamais ta cible, Gaston !
– Wow! You never miss your target, Gaston!
– Tu es le plus grand chasseur du monde !
– You’re the best hunter in the world!

[Gaston]
– Le meilleur !
– The best!

[Le Fou]
– Aucune bête n’a la moindre chance de gagner contre toi !
– No beast has the slighest chance of beating you!
– Ah ah !
– Aucune fille non plus d’ailleurs !
– Nor any girl, for that matter.

[Gaston]
– Aucune, Le Fou, et j’ai jeté mon dévolu sur cette délicieuse enfant.
– None, Le Fou, and I have my heart set on this delicious child.

[Le Fou]
– La fille de l’inventeur ?
– The inventor’s daughter?

[Gaston]
– Exactement !
– Yes!
– C’est l’heureuse élue que je vais épouser.
– She’s the happily elected one that I’m going to marry.

[Le Fou]
– Euh, mais …
– Uh, but…

[Gaston]
– La plus belle fille de la ville,
– The prettiest girl in the town,

[Le Fou]
– Sans doute mais …
– That may be, but…

[Gaston]
– La seule qui soit assez belle et qui a la chance d’être choisie par moi !
– The only one pretty enough and lucky enough to be chosen by me!

[Le Fou]
– Oui, bien sûr ! Mais comment est-ce tu … ?
– Yes, of course! But how are you…?

[Gaston]
À l’instant même où je l’ai vue, ingénue,
At the moment I saw her, this little ingenue,
Je suis tombé amoureux d’elle.
I fell in love with her
Elle est la seule, ici-bas,
She’s the only one here on earth
Que je trouve digne de moi.
That I find worthy of me.
Et je compte bien épouser cette demoiselle !
And I’m planning on marrying this girl!

[Trois filles blondes]
Il est divin, il est à frémir,
He’s devine. He makes me quiver.
Monsieur Gaston, quel beau garçon.
Mr. Gaston, what a fine guy.
Mon cœur s’emballe, je vais défaillir
My heart gets carried away, I’m going to faint.
Y a qu’lui pour vous donner le grand frisson.
There’s only he who can give me the chills.

[Les Villageois]
– Bonjour
– Hello

[Gaston]
– Pardon !
– Excuse me!

[Les Villageois]
– Ça va ?
– Mais oui !
– How are you?
– But of course!

[Gaston]
– Gardez votre poisson !
– Keep your fish!

[Les Villageois]
– Je veux des saucisses …
– I want some sausages…
– Une part …
– A slice of…
– Dix mètres …
– Ten meters…
– … de Brie …
– … of brie…

[Gaston]
– Pardon !
– Excuse me!

[Les Villageois]
– … et bien servie.
– …and a big serving.

[Gaston]
– Vous permettez !
– Would you mind!?

[Les Villageois]
 – Le pain …
– The bread…
– Les soles …
-The fish…
– … est sec !
– …is dry!
– … sont vertes !
– …is green!
– Mettez vos lunettes !
– Put your glasses on!

[Belle]
Je veux vivre autre chose que cette vie !
I want to live something other than this life!

[Gaston]
Je ferai, pour Belle, un excellent mari !
I’ll make an excellent husband for Belle!

[Les Villageois]
La tête ailleurs perdue dans son univers,
Her head is elsewhere lost in her own universe,
C’est une étrange demoiselle.
She’s a strange girl.
Elle est fantasque et bizarre.
She’s fickle and bizarre.
Un fossé nous sépare.
A gap separates us.

[Les Villageois]
C’est vrai qu’elle ne ressemble à personne.
Non, elle ne ressemble à personne.
Cette fille ne ressemble à personne,
C’est Belle !
It’s true she’s not like anyone else.
No, she’s not like anyone else.
This girl isn’t like anyone else,
She’s Belle!

[Les Villageois]
Bonjour! x5
Hello!

 

Now that you can sing along and talk shade about Belle, you should check out this clip from the 2017 movie. The first few lines are totally different than the original, and it’s interesting because these lines weren’t changed in the English version. Which do you prefer?