Avenant with Spoilers


I love this movie but I don't think Cocteau made a good decision to create the character Avenant. This was obviously done to throw off viewers so they might not realize Jean Marais also was playing the Beast. Without the Avenant character the viewer would fairly easily conclude The Beast was played by - and would be eventually transformed into - Marais.

Trouble is Avenant is not a bad guy, he really loves Belle - and as the movie notes she loves him !! He may have had a bad streak in him like many human beings, wanting to rob and kill the Beast but then again part of his reason for this was because the Beast was holding Belle hostage and probably only his death would end the situation. Instead, fairly good guy Avenant ends up dead and because Belle is in love with him, the Beast now resembles Avenant after the spell is broken (rather than how he looked originally before the spell had been cast) because Belle loves him. Kind of a disturbing, creepy ending. If Avenant had not existed in this film (like he doesn't in the original story), "the face of Avenant" could have been the Beast's original face and it could have been a more satisfying if conventional fairy tale ending.

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Avenant is NOT a 'good guy' and a big part of his goal was to steal the Beasts treasure, not just 'rescue' Belle. He was rough with Belle...always trying to force her into a kiss, or embrace etc.

Belle loved his good looks, she was attracted to him in a physical sense...but even she knew he wasn't right for her, or she would not always fight him, or run from him like she does.

She fell in love with the Beast's soul, she was eventually able to look past his ugliness to the gentle spirit within him. Hence we see her slowly softening to him, giving him water etc.

The key moment for me on Belle's love for the Beast is when Avenant is going on about 'saving' her and then says that the Beast will 'forget' her, and Belle in tears...runs away, and Avenant has a look of disbelief on his face as he realizes Belle's feelings.

Belle loved both in a way...Avenant for his looks, and the Beast for his soul. The Prince even asks Belle in the end did you love Avenant and she says 'yes' BUT then he asks "did you love the Beast" and she also says 'yes'.

In the end Belle was rewarded with the Prince who had the Beasts good soul AND the good looks of Avenant.

While Avenant got cursed with the beasts ugliness to match his rotten soul.




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Sorry but I disagree with your take on Avenant. The only option any of Belle's love ones have to free her from the Beast is to kill him, he's not going to let her go. Wanting the Beast's wealth does show a greedy side to Avenant but then he's not a robber and since the Beast will be dead, of course he's not going to just leave his fortune there. Similarly, I hardly think grabbing a kiss without Belle's approval puts Avenant in the bad guy character; she certainly isn't upset when he does.

Belle acknowledges throughout the film she loves Avenant. You talk about the Beast as a wonderful person but then he had planned to kill Belle's father for merely picking a rose, he essentially has kidnapped and imprisoned Belle, and selfishly will not let her return to her family (don't forget the reason Belle didn't marry Avenant is because she didn't want to leave her father which Avenant accepts yet the Beast would never do.) Yes, the Beast is a tragic figure and ultimately sympathetic but that can hardly deny his cruelty.

Belle certainly cares for the Beast and wishes him no ill hence her going back to warn him but she has no intention of any sort of a romantic relationship if a nonphysical one with him before his transformation.

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but then he's not a robber and since the Beast will be dead, of course he's not going to just leave his fortune there.


Stealing from someone you've killed is robbery. What makes you think it's not?

I hardly think grabbing a kiss without Belle's approval puts Avenant in the bad guy character;


Some would label that sexual assault.

Can't stop the signal.

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@ HarlowMGM

I agree with you. I didn't like the beast resembling Avenant at the end. It spoiled the film for me even though Jean Marais looked gorgeous in his apparel.

A bird sings and the mountain's silence deepens.

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I didn't like the beast resembling Avenant at the end. It spoiled the film for me


Kinda missing the point about appearances not being important, right?

Can't stop the signal.

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