The Beast (3-Disc Special Edition)

Rating:
Summary: should have been left in Immoral Tales
Review: As legend has it, Walerian Borowzcyk originally intended the short version of "The Beast" to be part of his compilation film "Immoral Tales". Due to the nature of "The Beast", it was cut from the original film and put on the back-burner till Borowczyk decided to turn it into a full-length feature. I feel this decision was a poor one. The short version of "The Beast" is the best thing about this film, which essentially tries to pad out the original's 20 minute running time to an hour and a half. This wouldn't be so bad if the padding weren't so boring. Aside from the rose-masturbation scene, which is intercut with "flashbacks" to the short film, there really is not much else that would make this a worthwhile purchase for fans of erotic cinema. The notorious scenes of horse-copulation are distasteful and verge on disgusting for anyone not turned on by beastiality. Instead of this "hype" film, I would recommend you take a look at Radley Metzger's "The Image", another controversial film that actually goes beyond "The Beast" as far as inclusion of graphic content. As an added bonus, all the sex in "The Image" is of the human variety.

Rating:
Summary: Garbage!
Review: I don't know what the director was thinking when he made this film. Who produced it? These guys must have been dropping some serious acid! The horse copulation scene was a bit too much. But the beast copulation scene was nauseating to say the least. The film had absolutely no plot whatsoever. The characters were wooden nymphos with serious psych problems. This film is wierd and one of a kind but the novelty wears off pretty quickly. In other words: AVOID AT ALL COST!

Rating:
Summary: Don't say I didn't warn you...
Review: I understand completely why some people would hate this movie, as is evidenced in the negative reviews. But this is one of those what-you-see-is-what-you-get deals, so I can't understand why these people would look at the cover art, and read the back, which describes, "a beast possessed by a giant phallus and an insatiable lust," and say to themselves, "now that sounds like the feel-good hit of the year!" If "giant phallus" and "insatiable lust" is not something you want to see, then please don't watch this movie, because they aren't fooling around.

The opening scene depicts horses mating, and it's painfully real. I'm not exactly sure why the director wanted to open the movie that way. And like many others have expressed, it's not something I really want to see, sex film or not, but I have to give him props, if only because it must have been very difficult to film! How do you direct animals mating? "Cut! Back up a minute, I'm not believing it!"

The story is an erotic take on the Beauty and the Beast tale. An American heiress, Lucy, travels to Paris to meet with her arranged fiance so that they can marry and produce an heir. The version I saw was a 3 disc special edition with a newly recovered complete version of the film with four minutes of extra dialog. Gee, it's a good thing they found that, because I'm sure that is exactly what fans of this movie wanted to see--more dialog! Lucy finds the diary of the Lady of the house from the 18th century, in which she describes being attacked by a beast living in the woods. And you know what's so special about this beast...

While Lucy is in bed feeling lonely, since she can't marry her new husband until tomorrow, she imagines what happened that day in the woods. We see a woman in a powdered wig being chased by what looks like a guy in a grizzly bear costume with a giant you-know-what protruding out the front of him. It seems that his problem is that he ejactulates over and over again, and never goes limp, hence the "insatiable lust."

Lucy's fiance, Mathuin, is feeling insecure about meeting her, because he feels ugly. He should really relax, because a woman who fantasizes about doing it with a "beast" isn't too particular about physical appearance. He sends a rose to her bedroom, which she makes use of in her nether regions. This didn't look like such a sexy idea to me, what with all the thorns and everything. But she's careful, and only uses the petals. The tight closeups mostly keep everything obscured by the petals, but offer breif glimpses of her womanhood. I appreciated that, just because I could imagine the no-lifers who rent this pervy thing rewinding, freeze framing, and getting more and more frustrated, until they realize they should just have stuck with the back room for their viewing pleasure. They could have their choice of DVD's that don't get convoluted with all the other garbage contained in "La Bete," that us more evolved members of the human race like to call, "story."

While all this is going on, we flash back to the woman in the woods. After being attacked, and taken by force, she changes course, and begins pleasuring the beast in a variety of ways. Her change in attitude is not sudden, and if you watch the actress, you can actually see it happen gradually. If this sounds disturbing, that's because it is. But I find it to be a very interesting reading of Beauty and The Beast. While the fairy tale has become a story of a female who learns to see inner beauty in a male she initially finds hideous, (while being valued mainly for her physical beauty by the male) it can also be interpreted as a story of sadism. A female has an undesirable situation forced upon her until she learns to embrace it.

As I'm watching the beast and the woman perform every sex act in graphic detail, I'm not sure what I'm supposed to think of it. Is it supposed to be funny? Erotic? Scary? Shocking? I don't know. But I've always enjoyed erotic horror movies from the 70's that are neither sexy nor scary for reasons I can't explain.

I'll probably never watch La Bete again. Although I would recommend it, provided you're into this kind of thing, and you know what you're getting yourself into. It's pretty explicit, even by today's standards.

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: 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: 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.

Rating:
Summary: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST vs. Benny Hill vs. Upstairs Downstairs
Review: Well, you can go ahead and start hitting the negative vote button cause I don't understand people's attraction to this movie. A horse with a large wang bangs another horse. Some people walk around an English manor and talk a lot. A whole lot. Stopping only long enough for a woman to rub her delicate part on the foot of a bed.

Finally at the 61 minute mark a woman walking in the woods is chased and attacked by a large wookalar looking creature with a giant dong. She fights him off for a few minutes but finally he gets it his way...and she likes it! They continue on for a while until he falls over dead and she buries him with leaves. The End.

Why all that had to take 98 minutes is inexcusable. This movie shouldn't have run longer than 20 minutes. Plus none of the women were even attractive, so outside of the monster with the spurting unit it's all completely forgettable.

Rating:
Summary: Sexy...Steamy...DEFINITELY NOT FOR KIDS
Review: WOW! Though this DVD is "UNRATED", don't let it fool you. It is "X" rated all of the way...even more so than many 21st Century flicks. Created more than 25 years ago, this foreign masterpiece is steamy, sexy...beautifully edited and should become a period classic. Yes...it is billed as a horror film...but it is an adult experience in erotica, beastiality, and compassion. I really don't want to give the plot away...even though it is simple and explicit. If you were a teenager or young adult in the mid-seventies you will appreciate the erotic approach to this film...flimsy nightgowns, aggressive self-indulgence and gratification...a burning desire...WOW! Buy this DVD for your "ADULT" collection and keep it away from the kids. I believe AMAZON should restrict its sale to adults only. Need I write more??? Buy it...turn down the lights...enjoy. In this genre, whatever it may be, it is a 5. If you have seen this DVD and have other recommendations in its class...please refer them to me. "The Beast" is definitely a charismatic "beast".