The Beast – Arrow Academy (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: France, 1974
Director: Walerian Borowczyk
Writer: Walerian Borowczyk
Cast: Lise Danvers, Fabrice Luchini, Charlotte Alexandra, Paloma Picasso, Pascale Christophe, Florence Bellamy, Jacopo Berinizi, Lorenzo Berinizi, Philippe Desboeuf, Marie Forså, Sirpa Lane

Release Date: September 8th, 2014
Approximate Running Time: 98 Minutes 21 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono French
Subtitles: English
Region Coding: Region B (Blu-ray)/Region 2 PAL (DVD)
Retail Price: OOP

"Lucy Broadhurst (Lisbeth Hummel) is due to inherit a substantial fortune, but on condition that she marries the son of her late father's best friend. But Mathurin de l'Espérance (Pierre Benedetti) seems more interested in his horses than in his bride-to-be, and when Lucy finds out about the story of his 18th-century ancestor Romilda (Sirpa Lane) and brings her to life in one of the most outrageous dream sequences in cinema history, we begin to realise just how bizarre Mathurin's bloodline truly is." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "The master was produced by Argos Films. The film was transferred and restored from the original 35mm camera negative. The picture was graded and restored in High Definition. All work was carried out at Scanlab under the supervision of Isabelle Raindre of Argos Films."

The Beast comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 37.9 GB

Feature: 26.8 GB

The source used for this transfer looks excellent. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, Image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic. That said, the short film The True Story of the Beast of Gevaudan, which is featured as a dream sequence in this film, was shot by a different cinematographer; this footage is on par with the rest of the film. When compared to Goto, Isle of Love’s previous home video releases, this transfer is a substantial upgrade and easily the best Goto, Isle of Love has looked on home video.

Audio: 4.5/5

This release comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in French with removable English subtitles. There are no issues with distortion or background noise, and the more ambient aspects of the soundtrack are well represented. Also, dialog always comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 54 seconds, LPCM mono French with removable English subtitles), an introduction by film critic Peter Bradshaw (1 minute 45 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an animated short film directed by Borowczyk titled Venus on the Half-Shell (4 minutes 40 seconds, LPCM mono French with removable English subtitles), a segment titled Frenzy of the Beast which documents the beast’s design and an unmade sequel (4 minutes 20 seconds, English text), a documentary narrated by cameraman Noël Véry titled The Making of The Beast (57 minutes 53 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), reversible cover art, and a 32-page booklet with (limited to first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Lucy’s Love written by Daniel Bird, an essay titled Venus on the Half-Shell written by Michael Brooke, Contemporary Reviews, an essay titled That Hairy Monster written by David Thompson, an essay titled The BBFC and The Beast written by Craig Lapper, and information about the restorations.

Included with this release is a DVD that has the same content as the Blu-ray included as part of this combo release.

Summary:

Directed by Walerian Borowczyk, an animator turned provocative filmmaker whose notable films include Blanche, Goto, Isle of Love, Story of Sin, and The Margin.

The narrative revolves around an American heiress named Lucy who travels to France to meet her future husband. While waiting for her wedding day, Lucy has a vivid dream where a beast has a sexual encounter with one of her husband’s ancestors. Will she be able to forget these things she has dreamed of, or have they aroused a desire that has always been hidden deep within her?

The Beast was originally conceived as part of Walerian Borowczyk’s anthology film Immoral Tales under the title The True Story of the Beast of Gevaudan. From there, Walerian Borowczyk took the original short film and expanded it into a feature-length film.

Very few films grab your attention with their opening moments like The Beast does. It opens with the sound of horses getting ready to copulate while credits appear over a black backdrop. Then, once the first images actually arrive, they are of a male horse who pursues and then mounts his female prey. This scene, like the dream sequence that happens later on, is not for the faint of heart, as we are shown in graphic detail the mating process of horses.

From a narrative stand point, things are actually straight forward, and when the notorious dream sequence finally arrives, it is told in such a way that it effortlessly blends into the story at hand. Everyone’s intentions and desires are made crystal clear.

Though the beast only appears in the flesh in the protagonist's dreams after she reads a diary from a descendant that lived where she was staying two hundred years before, In her reality, when she pleasures herself as she imagines the beast ravaging her ancestor, she is also at the same time unlocking her own beast, her repressed sexual desires.

Performance-wise, outside of the two leading ladies, Lisbeth Hummel and Sirpa Lane (Beast in Space), none of the other cast members leave a lasting impression. These other performances are mere pawns in the grand scheme of things. And of the two leading ladies, Hummel gets much more screen time and is thus given much more to do. That said, she gives a better-rounded and thus more satisfying performance. Also, there is a real growth in her character that is lacking in the rest of the characters. And despite the fact that her presence is only limited to one sequence in which her character never utters a word, in the end, it is Lane’s performance that the majority will remember.

Most of Walerian Borowczyk’s films are laced with black humor, and The Beast is an adult fairy tale in which eroticism plays a key role. One must not undervalue the importance that humor plays in The Beast.

Walerian Borowczyk has a distinct visual eye that is lyrical and lucid. Everything about The Beast is done with the utmost care, and each scene is beautifully photographed. Ultimately, The Beast is a truly unique film from a one-of-a-kind artist.

The Beast gets a definitive release from Arrow Academy; highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer