The Beast (La Bete) (1975) On Blu-ray

DESCRIPTION:

Product Description

Walerian Borowczyk s most notorious and controversial film wildly re-works the classic Beauty and the Beast story into a adult fairy tale.

Bestial dreams interrupt the venal plans of a French aristocrat attempting to save a crumbling mansion by marrying off his deformed son, Mathurin, to an American heiress, Lucy. Yet Mathurin 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 her true relationship with the titular beast it sparks to life one of the most outrageous dream sequences in cinema history.

A huge hit in France that was extensively censored and banned elsewhere, The Beast broke new ground in erotic cinema and remains a truly startling experience even today.

SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS:

• New high definition digital transfer of the uncut 98-minute version
• Uncompressed Mono 2.0 PCM Audio
• Optional English subtitles
• Introduction by film critic Peter Bradshaw
• The Making of The Beast: camera operator Noël Véry provides a commentary on footage shot during the film s production
• Frenzy of Ecstasy, a visual essay on the evolution of Borowczyk s beast and the sequel that never was, Motherhood
• The Profligate Door, a documentary about Borowczyk s sound sculptures featuring curator Maurice Corbet
• Boro Brunch, a reunion meal recorded in February 2014 reuniting members of Borowczyk s crew
• Commercials by Borowczyk: Holy Smoke (1963), The Museum (1964) and Tom Thumb (1966)
• Gunpoint, a documentary short by Peter Graham produced and edited by Borowczyk (11:04)
• Behind Enemy Lines - The Making of Gunpoint (5:16)
• Theatrical trailer
• Reversible sleeve featuring Borowczyk s own original poster design
• Illustrated booklet featuring new writing on the film by Daniel Bird and an archive piece by David Thompson, illustrated with original stills

Review

The most outrageous erotic fantasy ever committed to film --BFi