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Beauty and the Beast (1978 film)

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(Redirected from Panna a netvor)

Beauty and the Beast
Theatrical release poster
CzechPanna a netvor
Directed byJuraj Herz
Written byPavla Marková
Story byFrantišek Hrubín
Ota Hofman
Based on
La Belle et la Bête
by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont
StarringZdena Studenková
Vlastimil Harapes
CinematographyViktor Růžička
Edited byJaromír Janáček
Music byPetr Hapka
Production
company
Distributed byÚstřední půjčovna filmů
Release date
  • March 2, 1979 (1979-03-02)
Running time
91 minutes
CountryCzechoslovakia
LanguageCzech

Beauty and the Beast (Czech: Panna a netvor; literally translates to The Virgin and the Monster) is a 1978 Czechoslovak Gothic horror film directed by Juraj Herz from the script by Pavla Marková.[1][2] It is based on Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont's 1756 fairy tale Beauty and the Beast. It premiered on 2 March 1979.[3]

For his direction, Herz received the Medalla Sitges en Oro de Ley at the Sitges Film Festival in 1979.[4]

Plot

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A widowed and ruined merchant lives with his three daughters. Julie (Zdena Studenková), the youngest, asks him to bring her a rose. While the father begins his journey to sell more of their belongings, including a painting of Julie's deceased mother, he crosses an enchanted forest and arrives at a decrepit castle. There, the father finds free food and drink mysteriously laid out for him, and he falls asleep beside the fire. When he awakens, he discovers jewels and riches on a table, which he takes. Grateful for the unexpected generosity found at this manion, he thanks the unknown host who had given him shelter.

The father picks a white rose in the mansion garden, where he meets a bloodthirsty being (Vlastimil Harapes), half-man, half-falcon, who sentences him to death for taking the rose. His only chance of survival would be for one of his daughters to sacrifice herself, who would have to agree to remain a prisoner of the Beast for eternity. The merchant refuses and agrees to die. Julie is the only one of the three daughters who chooses to save her father's life. Julie travels to the castle on a horse sent by The Beast. Upon arriving, she drinks from a glass unknowingly laced with a sleeping potion. In her sleep, she dreams of a handsome man rescuing her and carrying her through the halls of a castle.

Meanwhile, The Beast is haunted by his violent thoughts of killing Julie, but his growing love for Julie prevents him from harming her. Although Julie is forbidden from seeing the Beast, she gradually falls in love through their nightly conversations. One morning, the Beast reaches out to her and Julie's touch transforms his talons into human hands. The transformation shocks The Beast, who had thought that his cursed appearance was irreversible.

Over time, Julie grows tired of the castle and longs for her sisters and father. The Beast grants her wish by showing her family through a magic door in the castle walls. He then reveals his true appearance to Julie, leaving her overwhelmed by confusion and feelings of betrayal. Although she tries to accept his appearance, she cannot overcome her fear and flees back home. Her sisters are shocked that she is still alive.

The Beast is heartbroken and starts destroying the castle by setting it on fire. Julie is haunted by The Beast and hears his voice; realizing he is dying. Julie can not resist the urge to return to The Beast, and she goes back to the enchanted forest. At the ruins of the burnt castle, she finds The Beast, who transforms into the man that she saw from her dream.

Cast

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Reception

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David Melville from Senses of Cinema wrote, "Panna a netvor has the capacity to horrify in the best and the worst of ways. Yet like any true fairy tale, it is unlikely ever to leave its audience bored or indifferent".[5]

Legacy

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Beauty and the Beast inspired Lucile Hadžihalilović's 2025 fantasy drama film The Ice Tower. Hadžihalilović said: "There's something in the dark fairy-tale atmosphere, steeped in snow and dread. The framing, the lighting, the unsettling beauty—a blend of surreal and the real within a toxic atmosphere really captured my imagination."[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ Jack Zipes (27 January 2011). The Enchanted Screen: The Unknown History of Fairy-Tale Films. Routledge. p. 408. ISBN 978-1-135-85395-2.
  2. ↑ Bartłomiej Paszylk (8 June 2009). The Pleasure and Pain of Cult Horror Films: An Historical Survey. McFarland. p. 111. ISBN 978-0-7864-5327-6.
  3. ↑ The Virgin and the Monster (1978) – Filmový přehled. Retrieved 14 April 2026 – via www.filmovyprehled.cz.
  4. ↑ Film a doba: měsíčník pro filmovou kulturu (in Czech). Vol. 26. Orbis. 1980. p. 125.
  5. ↑ Melville, David (14 October 2019). "Beauty and the Beast (1978) • Juraj Herz • Senses of Cinema". SenseofCinema.com. Senses of Cinema. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  6. ↑ "Films that inspired Lucile Hadžihalilović's 'The Ice Tower'". Letterboxd. 2 October 2025.
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