JEAN COCTEAU (1889–1963), Beauty and the Beast (1946). A signed autograph

Two autograph sheets in black ink, each measuring 20 × 13 cm, containing the introductory text to *Beauty and the Beast* (1946), one of Jean Cocteau’s most famous films. The second sheet ends with the artist’s signature, accompanied by his characteristic star. Before giving way to the narrative, Cocteau chooses to address the viewer directly. He asks them to set aside, for the duration of a film, the scepticism of adulthood and to rediscover that childlike openness which allows one to believe in fairy tales, magic and metamorphoses. The text concludes with the four words that give rise to all wonderful tales: ‘Once upon a time…’. This manuscript contains a more elaborate version of this address. In it, Cocteau begins by paying homage to ‘the great French mythology of fairy tales’, before declaring that he is addressing what remains of childhood in each of his viewers. This opening passage was omitted from the screened version, which begins directly with ‘Children believe what they are told’. A comparison with the text appearing on screen thus allows us to trace the evolution of this introduction, the final version of which was streamlined to focus on the evocation of childhood and its belief in the marvellous. These two pages belonged to Fred Orain, a close collaborator of André Paulvé, producer of *Beauty and the Beast*. Fred Orain went on to have a distinguished career in French cinema, notably producing Jacques Tati’s early films, before becoming the first president of the Higher Technical Commission for Cinema. Upon completion of this work, Fred Orain presented him with the two pages by Cocteau so that the text could be included in the reproduction of the opening credits.

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