Rating: 
Summary: Sexy beast?
Review: If the name "Walerian Borowczyk" doesn't ring a bell, don't feel inadequate. I am a self-professed film geek, and I had never heard of this obscure Polish director until I purchased this 3-disc limited edition of "The Beast" on a whim. Billed as an 'erotic' updating of "Beauty And The Beast", this 1974 gothic soaper mixes the unsettling sexual pathos of "Equus" with the bestial Freudian imagery of "The Company of Wolves". I think it is significant to note that this film was released the same year as "Emmanuelle"; it utilizes a silmilar soft-focus Bob Guccione style of eroticism. The first hour of the film may try your patience, with it's poor-man's "Upstairs Downstairs" intrigues set at a crumbling French manor; but it is basically padding leading up to the film's infamous (and 'controversial', according to package notes) erotic dream sequence/frolic in the forest that takes up the final 20 minutes. Some reviewers have referred to this portion of the film as 'hardcore', but since the sequence in question stars a prosthetic about as 'realistic' as Mark Wahlberg's "Boogie Nights" enhancement, as well as other, er, 'special effects', can this he technically defined as 'pornographic'? (Discuss.). The 2004 limited edition (10,000 numbered copies) features a director's cut, a 'newly discovered' slightly longer version, and a third disc of interviews and 'making of' featurettes. Good widescreen transfer; audio is somewhat sloppily dubbed (on both French and English tracks) although I suspect this might be inherent on the master. Obviously not for all tastes, but an interesting curio from less inhibited times [...]
Rating: 
Summary: I'm still laughing
Review: If your buying this movie for the sex. Unless you like a lot of laughing don't bother. A far better movie from Walerian is Immoral tales. This movie is quite explicit. But what was Walerian thinking of. Two horses mating for about 10 minutes, did we need to get that explicit. The beast looks like a bear and well what a great capacity for sex, hovever it does kill the poor fella in the end out of exhaustion. I think you should leave this one alone. unless your into collecting movies from directors.
Rating:
Summary: Not what I thought it would be!
Review: It wasnt that erotic of a movie at all. It was about a women who goes into the woods for whatever reason and meets a beast. At first she finds the beast scary but by force begins to have [relations] with the beast. She has [contacts] with the beast so much the beast dies... Maybe I missed the point, but it was not what I thought it would be! has anyone seen Baise Moi?
Rating: 
Summary: Delivers much more than expected.
Review: Okay, the first, what, 15 minutes is spent watching horses copulate. Not quite my cup of tea, but the rest of the film is.
Anyone who gives this film a low rating obviously was not aware of the director's genre. As a euro-sleaze film, it delivers up the goods way better than most others in its class. W. B. (the director) finally goes where his "Immoral Tales" failed, and by that I mean filming an erotic sequnce to completion (and boy did The Beast complete himself....many many times). It's actually quite hilarious how the beast just has to find whatever it can to rub itself against. But the beautiful lady it gets to have its way with--and the lady fantasizing the whole thing while explicitly romancing the flower--make this an erotic winner. Excellent quality picture for its age, as well. If you're into nude women and just-short-of-porn behavior, it doesn't get any better than this. This is the definitive Euro-sleaze title. Like I always say, if American actresses went this far it would be a much better world. This sort of film is--or was--apparently the norm across the water, while this is hardcore compared to what we call erotic over here.
Rating:
Summary: Very well made erotic-themed film
Review: Saw this years ago in a theatre - so glad it's out on DVD. The film is really excellent - well- edited and shot - somewhat dated in look, but excellent. Still very erotic as well.
Rating:
Summary: Silly
Review: Some of the outdoor scenes in this movie are nice. However, the beast of the title looks totally fake and this doesn't contribute to the mood. Music is misplaced Scarlatti. Penderecki would have been a much more interesting choice.Nearly all the indoor scenes are stilted and unimaginative. For an supposed artist, Walerian Borowczyk doesn't know much about composition, framing and lighting, much less camera movement. Also, the soundtrack has been stripped of its French dialogue (it's not even an option on the DVD), and the English dubbing job is as shoddy as such things usually are. Watch this if you're curious, but don't buy it.
Rating:
Summary: One of the greatest films by one of the greatest filmmakers
Review: Ten je jeden z nejlepsich filmu z jeden nejvetsi filmari v evropsku - 'La Bete' ma tajemstvi, smesnost a absurditu, je taky poeticky, podvratny, 'sexy' a je krasne natocen...Musite dnes koupit ten film! (Jestli dovedete mluvit cesky, pisu ten recenzent v cesky, abych obtezoval anglicke nebo americke ctenare, a taky abych zlepsil muj cesky.)
Rating:
Summary: campy in the style of andy warhol
Review: the movie was immediately attention getting. there are some sex scenes that were ok but the star and the original madam of the castle were really the reason for the film. the basic theme still exists today but not in the extremes presented here. but the beast is so funny that I had to laugh a lot at first. Well worth the purchase!!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: VERY RUDE.....BUT LUDICROUS AS WELL!
Review: This is seriousley naughty stuff.The sex sequences are very graphic,almost hardcore,but the beast in the title is laughable effects looking like a cross between a gorilla and bear suit.It also begins with a sequence of two horses mating witch is fairly disgusting,but no different to what you see on Natural history programs everyday i suppose.The weird story revolves aruond a family in a country mansion where in the past a female owner of the manor,the lady or whatever,ventured into the nearby woods and began having sex with a monster that lurks in the woods eating lambs etc.There is other stuff going on,but the when the sex started was the only time i was really paying attention.LIke i say,the beast is fairly ridiculous and the sex not really'erotic' but i have never really seen anything like this,so it gets five stars just for being so surreal and daring to do what it does.You can see why it is a cult film.Picture is good,sound passable but the dvd is empty bar just the film.But it is worth a look.
Rating: 
Summary: What a piece of garbage
Review: This is truly one of the worst movies ever made. It was not daring and provocative more gross and pointless. The dubbing
made the dialogue stupid. The plot was just plain idiotic.
It was as erotic as a hangover. Add to that several scenes
of horse copulation and this is one of the worst movies
of all time. Don't buy this it will only annoy you and make
you sick. A complete piece of garbage. It got one star only
because I couldn't give a lower rating.
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