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Apparently, composer Philip Glass replaced the entire soundtrack, including the spoken dialogue, with an Opera version that has sung dialogue. I have not seen this version, which would have to be regarded as a separate film altogether, akin to What's Up, Tiger Lily? (1966).
How others will see it. It is requisite to mention that Beauty and the Beast is a subtitled, black and white, French language film. this removes the majority of the audience, which is limited mostly to the art house crowd. Early scenes suggest a comedy, but instead it is a romance, and admittedly one that takes advantage of a woman's fantasies. A beautiful woman, with a mansion all to herself, servants to do all the housework and cooking, and a man pining away for the love of her. Such bliss.
For the typical male, pleasure from this movie comes chiefly by watching lovely Josette Day onscreen. There's also comic scenes involving the two wicked sisters, their brother, and his friend. None of this provides sufficient male interest to watch a feature-length film.
How I felt about it. Romance is boring if it is perfect. Instead, perfection is limited to one half of our screen couple. Belle is nice, even when her sisters are on the most wicked behavior, and she's firm (but still nice) to The Beast only when he's invading her privacy.
While Belle is perfect, her boyfriends are not. Avenant (also Jean Marais) is excitable, without position, and his ethics are questionable, since he plots with other less reputable members of Belle's home. The Beast has wealth, but is physically strange, and then there's the rules about not having visitors, and never leaving his weird estate. Plus, he seems depressed, and has a problem with self-esteem. And he eats raw deer.
Why would Belle learn to love such a man? Why would she try to save him, and care nothing about his wealth? Because it's a story.
The charm behind the romance escapes me. Admittedly, I can see why a woman would enjoy luxury and solitude after spending years doting on her impossibly self-centered sisters. And, she might be grateful to her benefactor. Having seen the real world, perhaps she's had enough of it anyway. All this is fair and good, but why love your creepy warden, when it would be so much easier simply to tolerate him?
Belle's home life is as curious as The Beast's pathos. Why is Belle a Cinderella-like servant to her two hostile sisters? How can three sisters live in such close quarters, and have two turn out sinful shrews, while the third is a courageous lady? Since there is hostility between the men and the women in the family, why do they stay together, even as the furniture is sold off to pay bills?
And why doesn't Belle ask The Beast if he can bring her father from home to The Beast's mansion, a much better environment for his recovery? If the Beast's heart is so good, why does he threaten to kill men who unknowingly take a rose, and why does he hold people hostage against their will? Is it good-hearted behavior to kill robbers with arrows? Belle's fascination for The Beast has nothing to do with his soul. His magic, wealth, and power interest her. As well it should.