Gans' La Belle et la Bete coming to Blu-ray & DVD (but no English subtitles, or English region friendly version in sight)

The question keeps popping up on old posts or in my inbox so I thought it was high time I addressed this in a post. The questions are: Will Gans' La Belle et la Bete be coming to US/UK/Aus theaters? Will there be an English translation or subtitles if it does? How about Blu-ray/DVD - will we be getting one of those? Will that have subtitles at least??

I've been constantly searching for any news of an American, or English speaking country, release of Gan's sumptuous Beauty and the Beast remake, but whether it be theaters, a limited release/showing or DVD/Blu-ray and there has been nothing. Unless Pathé do an English international release later in the year or in 2015 (like sometimes Japanese films do) then it looks like we're out of luck at seeing it on the big screen.

(It's just so bizarre. I haven't even had luck with Canadian releases.)

I've been watching the Blu-ray/DVD announcements for other countries as well to see if there are English subtitles but so far zero. Again, it's just bizarre, especially as the feature film song had an English version so I'm a little confused. Maybe distribution agreements with Pathé haven't been working out well? 

The French DVD and Blu-ray release however, (though there are no English subtitles) is June 26, 2014 and you can find that HERE. (Note: the disc release seems pretty light on content. It looks like just the film and no behind-the-scenes footage, although some was released online as part of the marketing lead up).

 

And here is something that looks like it was created for a steel book release but apparently isn't. It's just the Blu-ray/DVD combo packaging.
✒ ✒ To see it & LOTS of behind-the-scenes & "making of book" pics click the "Read more" link below✒ ✒

With no English-friendly versions in sight, apparently I need to seriously brush up on my French - and get an all-region Blu-ray player... 

There is a French making of book available in the UK, but with French text. You can find that HERE. And here are some preview images from the book (click on image to view full size):

As well as more from behind the scenes which I found online HERE. I'm sharing as much as I can find, simply because this looks like it's difficult for English speakers to find. (Images & Text via auto-translate: © 2014 Eskwad - PATHÉ PRODUCTION - TF1 FILMS PRODUCTION - buys / neunte / zwölfte / ACHTZEHNTE BABELSBERG FILM GMBH - 120 FILMS © Huginn & Muninn / Mediatoon Licensing):

Castings storyboards through costuming and special effects Achieving, Behind the Scenes of Beauty and the Beast in bookstores February 28, dives into the magical world of Christophe Gans.

Here is an exclusive preview.

 On Beauty and the Beast , from a story That everyone knows, I wanted to offer a world That belongs to me completely. universe Woven sum of emotions I have known Especially through video games or Japanese cartoon. diagonally Vision worlds I love my cross occupations in parallel cinema ... For example, Shadow of the Colossus , Fumito Ueda game. Represents It has small face climbing over huge entities That Are difficulty to guess the shape or scale accurate Because we do not-have the Necessary distance. It is a concept That I tried to remember to Beauty and the Beast , Including the scene of the giants ... "

Christophe Gans

"Maybe one of my five favorite movies or oven japanime. SPECIFICALLY this sketch there, inside Memories . Which Raises the issue of setting operatic scene around costumes, roses, etc. .. Of course, at Morimoto, we are in the interstellar void, inside of a vessel, with ghosts Have you APPEAR cosmonauts before ... HOWEVER, I imagined the field of the Beast in the same way as an enclave. A lost world, an oasis of spring surrounded by walls of ice, with winter scolds the other side In this ... pocket outside time, Belle finds himself dressed as It was three centuries ago - I do not know if people in apercevront, goal Does not she wear dresses of the First Empire in the Beast! Magnetic Rose Succeeds in a perfectly tight mode (25 minutes), to sixteen this dream shift, poetic, a universe incorporated in a biosphere That is not hers. When I was little, I loved movies with dinosaurs. Not Because of the dinosaurs, goal Because They Took Place in small oasis ., a clueless beach or in the crater of a volcano ! Awesome It is very childish to Imagine That there are micro-worlds within the world - it is still too big for a child. We all remember the castle of the Beast is lost somewhere beyond the forest - but I've Previewed time immediately these walls of ice and perpetual spring They protect. You know, I think there are two kinds of influences That Occur During The Production of a film. Those we-have in mind, 100% aware it is: Legend , Miyazaki, My Neighbor Totoro . ... And Those we Discovered while shooting or postproduction There Was this plane Crying FreemanWhere Tcheky Karyo walk in the forest at night with this woman yakuza white trench coat That is in the process of smoking against a tree ... When I turned, I thought "Cool. It's like black of the past film. In fact, it is "a map for Vertigo . The One Where James Stewart Kim Novak catches in the redwood forest He finds she HAS white trench coat, she leans against a tree ... Is That What I mean there are influences on the Abebooks web lost the thread and replaying Afterwards.Magnetic Rose , When you tell me, It Seems totally obvious. Goal I did not think. Same ..: the sequence of giants, I did not think spontaneously Majin (Kimiyoshi Yasuda, 1966) by turning, goal today when i see my giant wandering amid the mist and tall fat in my movie, yes, that's obvious. "

Christophe Gans

"I met Christopher on Fantômas , a beautiful project That Unfortunately DID not materialize. When contacted for my Beauty and the Beast , I Had Worked on in the Meantime environments video game Heavy Rain , a highly cinematic game. I Had the impression listening Christophe , I had my appointment with my work on Heavy Rain , it was interesting to-have Someone who can do the decoration built as well as virtual ... paradoxically, there is very little in my virtual party on film. 
WAS Trying to go up to the So-Called "bio" (When the actor is in direct contact with the elements), that 'is to say the opposite of virtual ... We built the Entire bio dining room - with the exception of ceiling vaults - The Board of Belle , the tower Where the Beast lives, the interior and exterior cottage / (except the roof), the tavern, 80% of the hall, the first two flights of the monumental staircase and the corridor walls That border trophy and outdoor promenade That leads, and finally inside the rose. Everything Regarding virtual extensions cottage (landscape all around) and ballroom (Actually two columns and floor, everything else is duplicated digitally) ... 
The environment of the castle (park, castle, gardens) while it is turned on green background with bio media for the bridge and the grand staircase of the garden. There is a scene Where Beautiful wrinkles were giant tree to contemplate the extent of the area: the tree WAS Constructed so That It moves there, the rest Was a huge blue background. "

Thierry Flamand

"It goes way back, Christophe and me. On Crying Freeman , His first movie, he made ​​me small sketch "Fellows potatoes" which allowed me to put things ... fortunately, for the sake of efficiency and Because We know better today, we Developed a technique. He made ​​a list of scenes, All which reserves as the first guide, and as you go up the site. This is Where It is interesting Because it is already staging: there comics, storytelling, dramaturgy, all common language starts to aggregate. At the same time the storyboard is Intended to anticipate the reality of shooting and Constraints. This is the moment When everything falls into place it is at the heart of the staging of the project. 
valid Drawing a scene purpose it May Also invalidate and because icts full rewrite. Often This happens with Christophe. French translation of the storyboard is "storyboard." It really is this:. the graphic writing For a very visual director like Christopher, this is an optimal shape in Photo of His intentions. What I Discovered about Silent Hill Is That the tray there is a large table with the agenda, displayed page by page. And When A storyboard is turned up, we put a broad red marker above. It is gratifying to see That you-have a practical value on the set ... "

Thierry Ségur

Your participation on the movie Mainly Concerns the creature design?
Essentially, yes. The design of the Beast and Tadums, plus two or three other projects like stone statues ... I was working on the reboot of Total Recall When Christopher contacted me.

How he presented HAS His Version of the tale?
I thought he wanted to do a modern version of of Beauty and the Beast as Red Riding Hood or Snow White and the Huntsman , thesis-have movies Recently revived day old well-known tales. He Told me right away: "I want to stay very classic, I want the movie to be what it shoulds be a timeless tale for all the family."It time immediately appealed to me.

A classic approach is extended to the Beast?
An approach That extended Throughout the world he created. It was obvious I was not going That approach to the beast in terms of superhero a little weird. He Showed me pictures, arts François Baranger concept, All which further routed me the script (in my art, images speak louder than words) Christophe ... Told me later That I 'Review: had a tendency to create graphics in mythological content. In terms of horror, I'm not fascinated by the hideous creatures , I like drawing stylish monsters. So I Quickly Realized what he wanted, and I started to draw.

Patrick Tatopoulos

"I chose to make the wreck Scanline Plans Because They Had signed the picture I have of 300 Zack Snyder: the sinking of the Persian fleet at the bottom of the cliffs. Leonidas looks vessels breaking on the reef, while striking violently ... An amazing flat. INITIALLY, I wanted a similar sequence with boats thrashed on the rocks by a huge background blade, All which shatters. And Then the reality of numbers caught up with us too expensive! There, I Said to myself: this is not a realistic vision That Will dominate, the purpose symbolic vision. How to register image of a shipwreck as prologue to what Will Follow? And I thought this underwater cliff with sea anemones That retract When grazed by sinking gold coins. This picture announces the garden of the Beast , roses, rich robbers Will try to loot ... A sort of poetic transposition of what Will Follow. This is an underwater shipwreck plan something That HAS Perhaps ever seen. The camera travels through schools of fish, and back along the cliff to . reach the recessed boat on the rocks 
It is Often Said That special effects Prevent us from telling the stories -. sometimes this is true Many movies are Constantly obscured, clouded by the rate of special effects shots That Fall on us ... On the Contrary, I think we can use the SFX to create "clips", literally - that are moving or stationary They. Plans That Contain So Many Details That They synthesize an Entire sequence. Underwater shipwreck map is a good example, as the wreckage returned to Port and dockworkers are emptying. Again we can speak of a Summarized sequence captured in a single shot! It's a way as any to return to the essential quality of American cinema of the 40s. When we watch a movie by John Ford, in general it Does not need more to him a plane to catch the gasoline of a scene! Where other filmmakers needed Would Have 5-6, he finds a way to make one. In my opinion, for reduce the number of plans for reduce It was not the story, deploy goal INSTEAD. "

Christophe Gans

There is also this little preview available online of one of the French book releases and although I'm not completely clear on which book this is (it appears to be one of the novels based on the film), the preview is pretty and worth sharing: you can see it HERE.

If anyone has found out further information for any English speaking zone, please do share! We're all dying to see this film - imperfect reviews and all. 

Italian poster featuring Vincent Cassel