Winter/Spring 2025-26

BEAUTY & THE BEAST (La Belle et la Bête)

(1946, France, 96 min., 35mm, French with English sub-titles); Directed by Jean Cocteau

A collaboration between the CinéClub de Montréal and the C. G. Jung Society of Montreal

A commentary by Montreal psychologist Mathieu Langlais will follow the film.

Sunday, Jan. 25

6:30 p.m.- 9:30 p.m.

Concordia University

Cinéma de Sève

1400 boul. de Maisonneuve O.

(Métro Guy-Concordia)

Box office opens at 6 p.m.  

Admission: $10 Students/Seniors: $8

Forty-five years before the Disney version of this tale by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, Jean Cocteau directed this first-ever film adaptation. Far more than a simple re-telling of the tale, this is actually one of the most ingenious and innovative films ever made.

    Belle (Josette Day) is a young woman from a family of good fortune who, following tragic events at sea, loses her entire fortune. Her father (Marcel André) is unable to accept her new state of poverty and worries about his ability to continue supporting his twelve children. On one stormy evening while riding the path home on horseback, he gets lost in a forest and stumbles upon the castle of the Beast (Jean Marais). Drawn to a beautiful rosebush in the garden he plucks a single rose with the intention of bringing it to his daughter, Belle. That small act infuriates the Beast who then threatens to kill the father but spares his life in exchange for the hand of one of his daughters. Wanting to save her father, Belle flees to the castle of the Beast on an enchanted horse. Upon arriving she is repulsed by the cat-faced creature but ends up spending much time with him. Daily, the Beast asks her hand in marriage and every time, she rejects him. Gradually she begins to know the beautiful delicate inner soul of the Beast and has a growing affection for him.

Both an adaptation of European folklore and a metaphor for class struggle as well as a critique of arranged marriage, Cocteau’s film is above all, a technical marvel. Bathed in Gothic ambiance filled with sets that are both enchanting and terrifying, its luxurious musical score complements it well. What distinguishes it from other cinematic works of the 1940s are the costumes, special effects and makeup which, unlike the cold modern computer-generated equivalent, makes you truly believe what you are seeing.

MATHIEU LANGLAIS is a psychologist since 1977 with a private practice in Montreal. He has a degree from Université de Sherbrooke and learned psychotherapy and psychoanalysis at the Montreal General and the Jewish General Hospitals.

He studied Jungian psychology at the Jung Institute in Zürich and through the Inter-Regional Association of Jungian Analysts in Montreal. Other studies include Archetypal Psychology (Patricia Berry), Bioenergy (Luc Morissette) and the Feldenkrais Method (Joseph Dellagrote). He teaches in Québec and Switzerland, specifically in Art Therapy in Lausanne.

His professional interests revolve around working with dreams, images, and the interdisciplinary treatment of psychosomatic illnesses.

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The Trickster: Friend or Foe

A Lecture by Artemis Papert of Montréal

Saturday, Feb. 21

11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. (ET)

Members: $15; Non-Members: $20

Students/Senior Members: $10

This will be a ZOOM event.

Registration Link: TBA

For Info please call (514) 971-8664

Men and women are growing increasingly distant. This lecture argues that our current relational landscape reflects a profound societal upheaval. If we view human history as a 24-hour clock, women have been legally ‘free’ for only a few minutes–a recent emancipation that profoundly reshapes how we relate as a species and in our intimate partnerships. This paradigm shift, anticipated by C. G. Jung a century ago, is still very much in motion. 

      While women have achieved significant outer freedom through social and legal independence, they now grapple with intense inner pressures. They face the challenge of being emotional caretakers for their partners while simultaneously living up to an ideal of modern womanhood, all without compromising their femininity. Conversely, men are called to move beyond historical collective personas, yet seem adrift in finding a new way forward. If women’s journey has been an outer push for a place in the world, Jung suggested that for men, the essential path will be an inner one - "needful feminine insight into their own psyche." 

      These fundamental changes bring forth complex dynamics that create significant friction in today’s relationships, particularly as they clash with the need for individuation. Ultimately, we are not merely experiencing growing pains, but standing at the threshold of a challenging, yet transformative, New Era of relating. 

David Pressault is a Jungian analyst with a rich background in the arts. After a 20-year career as a professional dancer and choreographer, during which he founded and led his own dance company, he transitioned into the field of Analytical Psychology. He completed his training at the Ontario Association of Jungian Analysts in 2012.