The Beautician and the Beast (1997)

Director:

Ken Kwapis

Writer (WGA):

Todd Graff (written by)

Release Date:

7 February 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Once upon a time...

Plot:

A New York cosmetologist mistakenly thought to be a science teacher is offered a job to teach the children of an Eastern European dictator.

Plot Keywords:

Dictator | Teacher | Beautician | Castle | Fish Out Of Water

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Fran Drescher	...	Joy Miller
Timothy Dalton	...	Boris Pochenko
Ian McNeice	...	Ira Grushinsky
Patrick Malahide	...	Leonid Kleist
Lisa Jakub	...	Katrina Pochenko
Michael Lerner	...	Jerry Miller
Phyllis Newman	...	Judy Miller
Heather DeLoach	...	Masha Pochenko
Adam LaVorgna	...	Karl Pochenko
Kyle Wilkerson	...	Yuri Pochenko
Tyler Wilkerson	...	Yuri Pochenko
Timothy Dowling	...	Alek
Michael Immel	...	Stage Manager
Tonya Watts	...	Model
Tamara Mello	...	Consuela
Celeste Russi	...	Lupe
Daniel Escobar	...	Hector
Billy Brown	...	Fireman (as Bill Brown)
Jorge Noa	...	Photographer
Carmela Rappazzo	...	Student
Clyde Wrenn	...	Student
Earl Carroll	...	Factory Worker
Vincent Schiavelli	...	Jailer
Marianne Muellerleile	...	Chef
Sparkle	...	Cousin Doris (as R. Sparkle Stillman)
Ed Cambridge	...	Elderly Man
Todd Graff	...	Denny
Gene Chronopoulos	...	Servant
David Shackelford	...	Kitchen Worker
Michael Horton	...	Fairytale Prince (voice)
Jane Jenkins	...	Neighbor at Party (as J.J. Chaback)
Zdenek Vencl	...	Czech Guard
Václav Legner	...	Czech Guard
Leon Silver	...	Vaclav
Stephen Marcus	...	Ivan
Marshal Silverman	...	Tailor
Dana Bednarova	...	Svetlana
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Michael Cella	...	Club Dancer (uncredited)
Dave Ulrich	...	DJ (uncredited)
Sharice Zulo	...	Tenant (uncredited)

Directed by
Ken Kwapis

Writing credits (WGA)
Todd Graff		(written by)

Produced by
Roger Birnbaum	....	executive producer
Fran Drescher	....	executive producer
Todd Graff	....	producer
Peter Marc Jacobson	....	executive producer
Hawk Koch	....	producer (as Howard W. 'Hawk' Koch Jr.)

Original Music by
Cliff Eidelman

Cinematography by
Peter Lyons Collister		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Jon Poll

Casting by
Janet Hirshenson
Jane Jenkins

Production Design by
Rusty Smith

Art Direction by
Steve Cooper

Set Decoration by
Sara Andrews

Costume Design by
Barbara Tfank

Makeup Department
Zdenka Klika	....	makeup artist: Czech Republic
Carol Meikle	....	hair stylist
Kenneth Paul Schoenfeld	....	makeup artist
Faye Woods	....	hair stylist: Fran Drescher

Production Management
Jan Balzer	....	production supervisor: Czech Republic
Alexandra Koch	....	production supervisor
Michal Prikryl	....	unit manager: Prague
Katerina Schauerová	....	production supervisor
David Streit	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Bruce A. Block	....	main title sequence director
Christina Fong	....	second assistant director
Basil Grillo	....	dga trainee
Petr Hartl	....	first assistant director: Czech unit
Craig Huston	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Richard J. Bayard	....	construction coordinator
Mark Lambert Bristol	....	storyboard artist
Susan A. Burig	....	graphic designer
Claudia Gilligan Ivanjack	....	paint foreman
Joseph W. Grafmuller	....	lead man
Tom Ivanjack	....	head paint foreman
Erik L. Nelson	....	property master
Andrew Neskoromny	....	assistant art director
Karel Vanásek	....	property master

Sound Department
George H. Anderson	....	supervising sound editor
John Bauman	....	cable person
James Bolt	....	sound re-recording mixer
Ed Callahan	....	sound editor
Anne Couk	....	first assistant sound editor
Linda Di Franco	....	foley editor
Ken Dufva	....	foley artist
Richard Bryce Goodman	....	production sound mixer
Anthony Milch	....	sound editor
Sean Rush	....	boom operator
Randy Singer	....	foley mixer
Mike Szakmeister	....	supervising dialogue editor
Renee Tondelli	....	adr supervisor
David F. Van Slyke	....	sound effects editor
Dana LeBlanc Frankley	....	apprentice sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Danny Cangemi	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
John Cornejo	....	digital compositor: Cinesite
Charles Darby	....	digital matte artist
Brad Kuehn	....	visual effects supervisor
Vincent Lavares	....	tape operator: Cinesite Hollywood
Craig Mathieson	....	digital compositor
Mario Peixoto	....	digital compositor
Cristin Pescosolido	....	motion tracking supervisor
James Valentine	....	rotoscope supervisor
Eric Withee	....	digital film technician: Cinesite (uncredited)

Stunts
Maria Doest	....	stunts
Dick Hancock	....	stunt coordinator
Rosine 'Ace' Hatem	....	stunts (as Ace Hatem)
Sonia Izzolena	....	stunts (as Sonia Jo McDancer)
Steven Lambert	....	stunts (as Steve Lambert)
Rita Minor	....	stunts
Frank Moran	....	stunts
Thomas Rosales Jr.	....	stunts
Rick Sawaya	....	stunts
Mary Torres	....	stunts
Brian J. Williams	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Stuart Abramson	....	key grip
Claudette Barius	....	still photographer
Gary A. Beaird	....	rigging key grip (as Gary 'Bullet' Beaird Jr.)
Tony Bendt	....	company grip
Darrin DeLoach	....	assistant camera
Edward Filian	....	grip
Jeb Johenning	....	digital video assist operator
Shane D. Kelly	....	gaffer
Jim McComas	....	rigging electrician
Michael B. Moers	....	second assistant camera
Zdenek Mrkvicka	....	assistant camera
Bruce M. Pasternack	....	camera operator
Andrea Sachs	....	gaffer
Jaromir Simek	....	electrician
Petr Svoboda	....	electrician
Larry Kaster	....	gaffer: second unit (uncredited)

Animation Department
Wincat Alcala	....	animator
Peter Anderson	....	animation clean-up artist
Jane Baer	....	animation producer
Richard Baneham	....	animator
Andy Chiang	....	animation character designer
John Dillon	....	animator
Dindo Dinglasan	....	animation inbetween artist
Greg Fleming	....	inbetween artist
Aidan Flynn	....	animation clean-up artist
Mike Hodgson	....	animation layout artist
Ray Huerta	....	animator
Vesselin Kamenov	....	animation inbetween artist
Holger Leihe	....	animation supervisor
Wantana Martinelli	....	animation inbetween artist
Linda Miller	....	animator
Jim Mondares	....	animation background artist
Tao Huu Nguyen	....	animation clean-up supervisor
Andrew Ramos	....	animation inbetween artist
C.J. Sarachene	....	animation clean-up artist (as Carolyn J. Sarachene)
Lynn Walsh	....	animation inbetween artist
Todd Waterman	....	animator

Casting Department
Shannon Dunn	....	extras casting

Music Department
Geoff Alexander	....	orchestrator
Pete Anthony	....	orchestrator
Brent Brooks	....	music editor
Andy Brown	....	music contractor
Cliff Eidelman	....	conductor
Vic Fraser	....	music preparation
Greg Knowles	....	orchestrator
The London Metropolitan Orchestra	....	music performed by
Paul Mottram	....	orchestrator
Jonathan Rees	....	orchestra leader
Jay B. Richardson	....	music editor
Patrick Russ	....	orchestrator
Liz Schrek	....	music coordinator
Graham Walker	....	music production supervisor
Toby Wood	....	assistant scoring engineer (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Mike Fenster	....	transportation captain
Jiri Husak	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Rachel Aberly	....	publicist
Kerry Bailey	....	production assistant
Michael Barnes	....	financial legal services
Paula Bonhomme	....	production assistant
Francie Brown	....	dialect coach
Barclay Crenshaw	....	production assistant
Zdenek Fiala	....	location manager
Cecily Gambrell	....	production assistant
David 'Cajun' Guilbeau	....	crafts services
Katerina Lahodova	....	production coordinator
Larry Madrid	....	animal trainer
Ken Martin	....	assistant: Ken Kwapis
Susan P. McCarthy	....	production coordinator
Pavlina Prikrylova	....	production assistant
Debbie Silverman	....	production assistant
Russell Steele	....	assistant production auditor
Jiri Tichacek	....	assistant accountant
Dennis Todorovic	....	production assistant
Diane Ward	....	assistant production coordinator
Michael Williams	....	production coordinator
Wendy Goldfisher	....	payroll accountant (uncredited)
Jack E. Herman	....	extras set coordinator (uncredited)

Production Companies

• High School Sweethearts
• Koch Company
• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1997) (USA) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (2000) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Argentina Video Home (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (Argentina) (VHS)
• CIC Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• CIC-Taft Home Video

Other Companies

• AFM Lighting  lighting equipment
• London Metropolitan Orchestra, The  orchestra
• Milan Records  soundtrack

MPAA:

Rated PG for some mild language and sensuality.

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Chile:TE | Peru:PT | Singapore:PG | UK:PG (video premiere) | USA:PG (certificate #34952) | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Greystone Park & Mansion - 905 Loma Vista Drive, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Company:

High School Sweethearts

Trivia:

Early in development, Fran Drescher planned the movie to be a spin on The King and I (1956), titled "The King And Oy" but legislatively faced the problem that FOX owned the rights. Therefore, she decided to pay homage to Beauty and the Beast (1991) instead.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the president is talking about him slaughtering a cow, a woman appears in the background behind Joy between shots.

Quotes:

[Pochenko gestures to hit Katrina]
Joy Miller: What are you doing?
Boris Pochenko: You do not understand
Joy Miller: Oh no? You have the temper of an eight year old, your own children are scared to DEATH of you! And you hit girls! Tell me when I'm getting warm!
Boris Pochenko: This whole thing is none of your business!
Joy Miller: You know maybe you're right. Because even if you can't see that doing the right thing even when you have nothing to gain, is what makes you... a mench, and decent, and civilized! I can't have anything to do with you
Boris Pochenko: They boy will remain in prison, it's none of your business
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)

Soundtrack:

Isn't It Romantic

An adorable romantic comedy

This is such an adorable movie. Fran Drescher absolutely blew me away, I had no idea she was so talented -- in this movie she absolutely shines!! Her character "Joy Miller" is the Nanny all over again...but this time she has been hired (mistakenly) to teach the four children of a eastern-European dictator. She has amazing comic timing and plays well of off co-star Timothy Dalton, who is a wonderful President of Slovetzia, the tiny (made-up) country that most of the movie takes place in. He is at once a pompous and loveable character...his transformation from Beast to Man is a delight to watch. The plot is a mixture of "The Sound of Music," "The King and I," "Beauty and the Beast," and a kind of twisted Cinderella...but it all meshes together for an endearing (though very predictable) movie. A change from Tim Dalton's usual dramatic/spy movie genre...who knew he could be so funny? But he is, and the movie is adorable and I would highly recommend this if your a fan of Fran Drescher, Tim Dalton or romantic comedies in general!!