Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Immoral Tales Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 5, 2022

Potter Stewart entered the lexicon of unforgettable phrases when, in reviewing a case about pornography that came (no pun intended) before the Supreme Court, the Justice famously intoned, "I know it [i.e., pornography] when I see it". It might have been interesting to see Stewart's take on Walerian Borowczyk's Immoral Tales, which serves as both a kind of precursor and companion piece to The Beast, which Arrow brought out in tandem with this re-release. In fact, one of the segments in Immoral Tales, a film whose very title may hint at its status as a kind of portmanteau, was actually excised from this film and became the genesis for an expanded version seen in The Beast. And if Justice Stewart were to find Immoral Tales "questionable" in terms of being pornography, it would probably be the vignette built around a treatment of the Beauty and the Beast folktale, though anyone expecting either Jean Cocteau's lyricism or Disney's sweetness and light (Lumiere?) may be downright shocked by depictions of beastly, um, excitement that are unabashedly graphic. The Beast was removed from Immoral Tales after it caused something of an uproar, and so this disc offers two versions of the film, one with four sections which was screened theatrically, and the original five part escapade which includes a very amorous beast having his way with a damsel, if not exactly in "distress" then at least occasionally, um, surprised by what happens.

For those who may have read my The Beast Blu-ray review from a few months ago, it may be apparent that I try to have a sense of humor about films with such prurient content, but vis a vis that particular segment and/or later "expansion", there's no question that those who are easily shocked or offended will probably be most put off by the sheer audaciousness of some of the imagery. Some of the actual on screen depictions in the rest of the segments (the only ones that made it to the theatrical version) may not be quite so overt, but that's not to suggest that the actual content of these segments is any less provocative.

In just one example of how Borowczyk is kind of amazingly able to combine a "poetic" (if probably too self aware) ambience with a pretty "standard issue" sexual fantasy, one need look no further than The Tide, the piece that opens Immoral Tales. Some quick voiceover alerts us to the fact that André (Fabrice Luchini) is four years older than his 16 year old cousin Julie (Lise Danvers), and that makes her susceptible to following his orders, which perhaps unsurprisingly then gives way to an extended sequence on a secluded beach where André encourages Julie to give him oral sex which he claims will be "timed" (so to speak) to the rhythm of the tides that are rippling next to them. It's a daring premise, to say the least, but what's actually kind of interesting aside from any titillation factor is how (relatively?) chaste Borowczyk keeps the actual imagery.

The same probably can't be said for some of the three other "theatrical cut" segments, and Therèse Philosophe, Erzebet Bathory and Lucrezia Borgia all feature unashamed frequent nudity and some probably eyebrow raising plot elements. Perhaps it's best to quote Arrow's somewhat cheeky descriptions on the back cover, which offers that the film "presents a veritable cavalcade of depravity: cosmic fellatio, transcendental masturbation, blood drenched lesbianism and papal incest". And that's the version without the insanely well endowed monster in the woods having his way with a woman.

Note: Svet is a much more ardent fan of the film than I apparently am, and for his thoughts you can head over to his Immoral Tales Blu-ray review from 2015.

Immoral Tales Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Immoral Tales is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.66:1. This is the rare Arrow release that I've handled that doesn't include an insert booklet with information on the transfer, and so only the "new high definition digital transfers for two versions of the feature" comment on this release's back cover will have to suffice as ostensible "technical data". As has so often been my mantra through the years, "different reviewers means different opinions", and so I'm scoring this just slightly lower than Svet did in his Immoral Tales Blu-ray review from 2015. Both of the bookending sequences, The Tide and Lucrezia Borgia, looked the best (by far at times) to my eyes, and Svet mentions the vibrancy of Lucrezia Borgia in particular. The palette is much more nicely suffused in these sequences than in Therèse Philosophe in particular, which suffers a pretty noticeable downgrade in image quality (see screenshot 19 for just one example). That segment suffers from a curiously blanched palette, to the point things are almost devoid of color, and a diminution of detail. It seems a bit curious to me that it would be this segment, which appears in both versions, rather than The Beast, which was (per the above) excised, that would exhibit this kind of variance, but that said, The Beast also doesn't quite match the nicely suffused and generally well detailed look of The Tide and Lucrezia Borgia (see screenshot 4). Grain can be quite heavy at times, as can probably be made out in several of the screenshots (see the sky in screenshot 9 for an example), but resolves without any major issues. There's occasional minor age related wear and tear that can be spotted.

Immoral Tales Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Immoral Tales features an expressive LPCM Mono track (mostly) in French, and while dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout under a rather wide array of filming conditions, for Early Music lovers like yours truly, it may be the use of some of Guillaume de Machaut's memorable "tunes" that provides some of the most consistent interest. There's some surprising depth to some of the sound design, particularly in The Tide, but all of the segments provide good clarity and no issues with regard to damage. Optional English subtitles are available.

Immoral Tales Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Theatrical Cut (1:43:08) and The L'age d'or Cut (2:05:25) can be accessed under the Play Menu. Per the above, the Theatrical Cut offers four stories, while the L'age d'or Cut offers the quintet including The Beast.


• Introduction by Daniel Bird (HD; 5:14) is actually a text driven (rather than narrated) piece, which includes some kind of funny reactions to the original London Film Festival screening, which resulted in outrage.


• Love Reveals Itself (HD; 16:42) features audio of production manager Dominque Segretin and camera operator Noel Very. In French with English subtitles.


• Obscure Pleasures (HD; 1:03:15) is an interview with Walerian Borowczyk, filmed in 1985 for the UK's Channel Four Visions documentary series. For some reason, this was never broadcast per a note on the disc. In French with English subtitles.


• Blow Ups (HD; 4:43) is a kind of cool look at Borowczyk's fine art.


• Trailer (HD; 2:18)

Additionally, a DVD Copy is included.

Immoral Tales Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I actually liked the four other segments in Immoral Tales significantly more than either The Beast (as it is in the L'age d'or Cut included on this disc) or The Beast. There's a curious poetry to Borowczyk's vision that is unabashedly intelligent and at times darkly humorous, but which still "goes for the gusto" in terms of both sexual content and imagery. The result is most definitely not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but Arrow provides a release with generally secure technical merits and excellent supplements. For the brave (and/or foolhardy, as the case may be) at least, Recommended.