6.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
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
English
Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (1 BD, 1 DVD)
DVD copy
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
There's something maybe just a bit ironic to the fact that the United States is often perceived as being on the crass side by at least some of its global neighbors, but at the same time, there's a probably undeniably repressed aspect to some elements of American culture that may be due in part to the pervasive influence of what might be called a Puritan streak. In that regard, it may be salient to note the Arrow's UK branch released The Beast , a film which depicts both animal copulation as well as prosthetically "enhanced" bestiality, way back in 2014, but it's only now getting a release by the folks on this side of the pond. The Beast is one of the most notorious films by Walerian Borowczyk, which in and of itself is saying something, and for those wanting a broader look at the Polish director's work, it looks like Arrow UK actually put out a box set of films by Borowczyk called Camera Obscura: The Walerian Borowczyk Collection, which included The Beast. As discussed in one of the supplements included on this release, some previously shot material that Borowczyk was initially planning on including as part of Immoral Tales, but which was later excised, is used here as interstitial material which may or may not be dream sequences.
The Beast is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.67:1. While the back cover of this release offers a generic "new high definition digital transfer of the uncut 98 minute version", it also states there's an insert booklet which, perhaps due to a production error, the review copy I was sent didn't include, and so I can't offer any verbiage on the transfer that may have been included. This is a largely winning looking transfer, and if I'm just slightly less pleased with it than Svet evidently was, it's due mostly to some variances on display that tend to crop up between the previously shot outdoor "beast" material and some of the newer, largely set bound, scenes. Most of the interior sequences offer a nicely robust palette and generally quite commendable detail levels. Things are a bit less consistent in the outdoor material, and there are also a few variations in grain resolution between the two settings. There's no major damage to report aside from some minor wobble during credits. My score is 4.25.
The Beast features an LPCM Mono track in the original French which is generally quite appealing, especially with regard to the bright harpsichord cues culled from the writing of Domenico Scarlatti. There are occasionally goofy sound effects, especially in the beast sequences, which reverberate with decent force. Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly throughout, and I noticed no issues whatsoever with regard to any age related wear and tear. Optional English subtitles are available.
While separated by the space of several years, this US edition of The Beast seems to offer some of the same supplements as the now long ago UK version, along with some other supplements which look to be exclusive to this edition. A bit more information about some of these can be found in Svet's review of the UK edition.
- Introduction by Peter Bradshaw (HD; 1:45) is from 2014, and can also be accessed under the Play Menu.
- The Making of The Beast (HD; ) offers camera operator Noel Very in interstitials as well as silent behind the scenes 16mm footage from the shoot.
- Frenzy of Ecstasy (HD; 4:22)
- The Profligate Door (HD; 13:17) is an interesting piece with curator Maurice Corbet offering a demonstration of Borowczyk's "sound sculptures".
- Boro Brunch (HD; 7:37) features several collaborators who worked with Borowczyk. In French with English subtitles.
- Holy Smoke! (HD; 9:57)
- Tom Thumb (HD; 1:52)
- The Museum (HD; 1:52)
Uptight Americans had probably best not apply to view The Beast, and with tongue planted firmly in cheek I'd also suggest that any potential male audience members (no pun intended) with a bit of anxiety about any size issues stay far, far away from this film, as both real life and pretend animals in the film are seen to be very well endowed in some extremely graphic imagery. This is a surprisingly sweet film, despite its bestiality (and that's another sentence I never thought I'd be writing). Technical merits are generally solid and the supplementary package very appealing for those who may considering making a purchase.
(Still not reliable for this title)
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1974
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