MOVIES

Fairy Tales, Monsters, and the Genetic Imagination, on view in the Upper-Level Galleries from February 24 through May 28, 2012, depicts composite beings and fantastic narratives that are influenced by literary sources from folktales to science fiction. The exhibition explores themes of psychology, identity, and the future. Inspired by this constructed alternate world, the Frist Center, in collaboration with the Nashville Film Festival, has planned a four-part film series— “Unexpected Tales”—which will explore Fairy Tales through fantasy, monsters, and genetic development. The short film preceding the feature will be presented by the Nashville Film Festival.

About the short film:
Silent film star Lillian Gish comes to life among a surrealist landscape of grainy eighteenth-century engravings, storybook crosshatch illustrations, and hand-painted imagery. Composed of more than four thousands collages, the narrative follows the transformation of the heroine as she transverses a flickering dreamlike world drawn from myth, allegory, and her own subjectivity. Directed by Stacy Sheers, 2011. 16 Minutes. Unrated.

About the feature film:
Considered one of the finest fantasy films of all time, this 1946 adaptation of Beauty and the Beast—written by Jeanne-Marie Le Prince de Beaumont and adapted and directed by Jean Cocteau—is a retelling of the traditional fairy tale in which Belle’s father is sentenced to death for picking a rose from the Beast’s garden. Belle’s father begs the beast for permission to see his family one more time before his death; when he returns home, Belle decides to take the place of her father and goes back to the Beast. Belle eventually becomes drawn to the Beast; he, in turn, falls in love with her and proposes marriage, which she refuses. As Belle is drawn closer to the Beast, he decides to test her feelings by allowing her to return home to her family and making it clear that if she does not return within a week, he will die of grief. This is a stunning film using surreal imagery and special effects to create a wistful, romantic story about never judging a book by its cover. Stars Josette Day and Jean Marais. Jean Cocteau’s adaptation, originally released in France as La Belle et la Bête. 120 minutes. 35mm. Unrated.