Original soundtrack.
Philip Glass is most definitely an acquired taste. His score for Koyaanisquatsi is a brilliant melding of sound with image. I also like his work on the 1931 Dracula (The Universal box of Dracula films includes the Glass’ score as an alternative to the original soundtrack, which had almost no music to begin with — I believe an excerpt from Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” over the opening credits is the only music in that film).
But Cocteau’s great fantasy stands alone with the original score.
Cheers,
Steve
CinemaUprising.Blogspot.com
The original score is so wondrous I’ve never watched the film with Glass’ opera.
Also the original performers’ voices seem integeral to the film.
It would be interesting to see the projected film incorporated into the opera as originally intended, but incorporating the opera soundtrack into the film on DVD doesn’t really work for me.
Honestly, I liked the opera better. It was done so perfectly that it seemed like Cocteau originally planned for it to be set to music.
I saw the movie with the Glass score live in 1995 and it’s still one of my favourite movie experiences ever.
Francisco
When you watch Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast, do you like to watch it with the original soundtrack or the Philip Glass oprea?