6.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Once upon a time in the 18th century a beast lived in the woods of an aristocratic estate. And this beast, possessed of a giant phallus and an insatiable lust, set upon the beautiful young lady of the house. Two centuries later, the tale of the beast would return in the dreams of an American heiress contracted to carry the male descendant of the same crumbling aristocratic family and their secret.
Starring: Sirpa Lane, Lisbeth Hummel, Elisabeth Kaza, Pierre Benedetti, Guy TréjanForeign | 100% |
Horror | 72% |
Drama | 44% |
Erotic | 27% |
Other | 5% |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.67:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
French: LPCM 2.0 Mono
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region B (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 3.5 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Walerian Borowczyk's "La Bete" a.k.a. "The Beast" (1975) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; introduction by film critic Peter Bradshaw; the documentary film "The Making of The Beast" (2014); the Polish director's short film Walerian Borowczyk's "Venus on the Half Shelf" (1975); and more. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".
"I like forests and animals."
Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Walerian Borowczyk's The Beast arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Arrow Video.
Exclusively resorted in 2K, the film looks wonderful in high-definition. Excluding some extremely light flicker that I noticed in the every beginning, the image is beautifully balanced and pleasingly vibrant. Virtually all of the close-ups boast very good depth, while the outdoor footage has excellent fluidity (including the dream sequences from the original short film -- see screencaptures #3 and 9). Contrast levels remain stable throughout the entire film. Color reproduction does not disappoint -- there is a good range of beautiful organic colors. There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments. Finally, there are no serious stability or transition issues. Also, large debris, cuts, stains, damage marks, and scratches have been removed as best as possible. To sum it all up, this is a wonderful organic presentation of The Beast that will likely remain the film's definition presentation on the home video market. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French LPCM 2.0 (with small portions of English and Italian). For the record, Arrow Video have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. They appear only where English isn't spoken.
The film does not have an elaborate soundtrack (only very small portions of pieces composed by Domenico Scarlatti are occasionally heard). There are, however, different nature sounds and noises that effectively enhance the film's unique atmosphere. The dialog is stable, clean, and well balanced. There are no pops, cracks, hiss, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report in this review.
Walerian Borowczyk's The Beast has earned a reputation that is well deserved -- it is an utterly outrageous film that has to be seen to be believed. If you are ready to experience it, I encourage you to also see the L'Age d'Or Cut of Immoral Tales, which has the original short that inspired The Beast. In my opinion, the short is more effective than the feature film. Arrow Video's new release of The Beast is a revelation. It represents a massive upgrade in quality over Cult Epics' old DVD release and more than likely will remain the film's definitive presentation on the home video market. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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