Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Beast Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 16, 2015

Walerian Borowczyk's "La Bete" a.k.a. "The Beast" (1975) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video/MVD Entertainment Group. 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); three commercials created by the Polish director; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring new writing on the film by Daniel Bird and an archive piece by David Thompson, illustrated with original stills. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A/B "locked".

Lucy Broadhurst

Walerian Borowczyk’s La Bete a.k.a. The Beast was initially conceived as a short story, which was included in the L'Age d'Or Cut of his Immoral Tales. After Immoral Tales was edited by the Polish director -- leaving it the four short stories La Maree a.k.a. The Tide, Therese Philosophe, Erzebet Bathory, and Lucrezia Borgia -- The Beast was developed into a feature film. It was completed in 1975, a year after Immoral Tales.

The film opens up with a long and quite graphic sequence in which two horses are seen mating while their trainer casually observes them from afar. (This particular sequence was one of the key reasons why The Beast was banned for a number of years). Paying attention to the trainer’s facial expression and his body movement and recalling them later on could be quite beneficial.

After the mating sequence, the viewer is introduced to the young and beautiful Lucy Broadhurst (Lisbeth Hummel) and her aunt Virginia Broadhurst (Elisabeth Kaza, Mr. Klein), who are on their way to meet the trainer, Mathurin de l’Espérance (Pierre Benedetti). As requested in her late father’s will, Lucy is to marry Mathurin in a special ceremony that will be blessed by Cardinal Joseph de Balo. She has never met her future husband, but his eloquent letters have convinced her that he is the right man for her. Now she can barely wait to meet him.

Lucy also cannot wait to see her future home. She has read a book by the famous Countess Romilda de L’Esperance (Sirpa Lane) in which she insists that the house is haunted. A lot could change in two hundred years, but was the Countess telling the truth?

There is no other film quite like Borowczyk’s The Beast -- it is shocking but has a great sense of humor, it is poetic but very sarcastic, it is unapologetic but also forgiving. Some of Italian director Marco Ferreri’s more extreme films have similar qualities, but they are meant to engage a specific group of viewers (the intellectuals). The Beast is a bold surrealist dream for the masses. Not everyone gets it, but those who see it rarely forget it.

The original short story is fractured into multiple pieces that appear in different parts of the film. Some of the transitions between the new and the old footage are not very good, but the pacing remains steady.

Though it is easy to tell that some of the explicit sequences were meant to test the viewer’s patience, they are hardly disturbing. On the contrary, Borowczyk’s sense of humor is easily felt in all of them, including in the one in which Countess Romilda de L’Esperance makes a surprising discovery. (Georges Franju's short documentary Blood of the Beasts, which takes its audience on a trip through Paris’ slaughter houses, is a genuinely disturbing film that could be quite difficult to endure).

The cast is quite good. Hummel, Kaza and of course Lane stand out. There are good cameos by Guy Tréjan, who plays Mathurin’s father, and Roland Armontel, who plays a suspiciously kind priest.

Borowczyk shot The Beast with cinematographer Bernard Daillencourt (Immoral Tales, Immoral Women). The original short film was lensed by Marcel Grignon (Is Paris Burning?, Taxi for Tobrouk).

The Beast Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

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/MVD Entertainment Group.

The release is sourced from exactly the same 2K restoration of the film that was initially introduced on Blu-ray in the UK via Arrow Video. 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. 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-A/B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A, Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Beast Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French LPCM 2.0 (with small portions of English and Italian). Pptional 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.

The Beast Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Documentaries -
  
  1. Introduction - a short video introduction by film critic Peter Bradshaw, which was recorded in 2014. In English, not subtitled. (2 min, 1080p).
  
  2. The Making of the Beast - this documentary film focuses on the production history of The Beast. It features archival footage from the production process as well a long new video interview with camera operator Noel Very. n English, not subtitled. (58 min, 1080p).
  
  3. Frenzy of Ecstasy - a look at the original sketches of the beast and designs sent by Walerian Borowczyk to his producer Anatole Dauman. With music and English text. (5 min, 1080p).
  
  4. The Profilgate Door - in this video piece, curator Maurice Corbet introduces some of Walerian Borowczyk's "sound sculptures" and quickly addresses the director's fascination with form and sound. In French, with optional English subtitles. (14 min, 1080p).
  
  5. Boro Bunch - in this video piece, Philippe d'Argila, Florence Dauman, Dominique Ruspoli, Dominique Duverge-Segretin, Noel Very, and Zoe Zurstrassen recall their work with Walerian Borowczyk. In English and French, with optional English subtitles where necessary. (8 min, 1080p).

• Commercials - presented here are three commercial created by Walerian Borowczyk. In French, with optional English subtitles where necessary.
  
  1. Holy Smoke!. Color. (10 min, 1080p).
  2. Tom Thumb. B/W. (2 min, 1080p).
  3. The Museum (2 min, 1080p).

• Gunpoint - this short film was written and directed by Peter Graham and shot and edited by Walerian Borowczyk. In French, with optional English subtitles. (11 min, 1080p).

• Behind Enemy Lines Documentary - in this short video piece, Peter Graham explains how Walerian Borowczyk helped him complete Gunpoint. In English, not subtitled. (6 min, 1080p).

• Theatrical Trailer - original theatrical trailer for The Beast. With printed French subtitles, and optional English subtitles. (4 min, 1080p).

• Booklet - illustrated booklet featuring new writing on the film by Daniel Bird and an archive piece by David Thompson, illustrated with original stills.

• Cover - reversible sleeve featuring Walerian Borowczyk's own original design.

The Beast Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The 2K restoration of Walerian Borowczyk's The Beast initially appeared in Arrow Video's Region-B Camera Obscura: The Walerian Borowczyk Collection. The U.S. release reviewed here is sourced from the same restoration, but it has a few additional supplemental features that were included on the remaining discs in the box set. If you decide to see the film, I encourage you to also see the L'Age d'Or Cut of Immoral Tales, which has the original and, in my opinion, much better short that inspired The Beast. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.