Tale as old as time...

This post is part of Nathaniel's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" series in which the participants must post a single image from a movie he or she deems as the "best shot" for any particular reason.

This week's film is the Disney classic Beauty & the Beast which will be celebrating its 20th anniversary later this year. I must have seen this film dozens of times when I was younger which was quite evident when I was re-watching the film today and I was mouthing every single dialogue and song lyric as they happened. Sadly, it has been awhile since I last saw the film and so I felt I needed to watch it again in order to make a more informed decision regarding my "best shot." That backfired.

From the moment the film opened with those exquisitely beautiful stained glass windows explaining the Beast's backstory, it was like I was a little boy again. I then proceeded to yell "Bonjour!" during the first song, to cower the first time we see the Beast, to sing-along at "Be Our Guest," to swoon at the majestic ballroom dance sequence, to hold my breath as Belle declares her love to her dying prince... and then before I knew it, the film was over and I honestly forgot to pick a "best shot." And really with a film as visually decadent as this, it's not a surprise that I can't pick one scene, because they're all good.

So I'm going to just go with the obvious and pick a scene from that ballroom sequence:


For me, this scene/shot is all about the grand windows and the unbelievably clear and starry night acting as the backdrop to one of the best scenes in all of cinema. And really I have nothing else to add, because look at that shot again. Just breathtaking.