8/9/10



Jean Marais
Beauty and the Beast (1946)

"For my mask we went to Pontet, an elderly gentleman, a real genius, one of those men who make you realize that one can be passionately in love with one's work, whatever it might be. He devoted a great deal of thought to how the mask could be given the look of my own face, and not interfere with its mobility. He made a cast and worked on it endlessly. I often went to see him with Moulouk and the dog taught us things: the uneveness and shagginess and spottiness of the fur that made it seem so alive are due to Moulouk. M. Pontet made my mask like a wig, hair on a webbing base, but in three parts--one down to the eyes, a second as far as the upper lip and the third to the base of the neck…it took me five hours to make up---that meant 13 hours a day at the studio. Because of the fangs attached to my teeth, all I could eat was mush, and that by the spoonful. Between takes, I scarcely dared open my mouth lest the makeup become unglued; no one understood what I said, and that exasperated me."