The Beast - US Blu-ray Review - Arrow Video

Walerian Borowczyk's most notorious and controversial film

Released by: Arrow Video
Release Date: September 15, 2015 (US)
Production Year: 1975
Region Code: A
Running Time: 1:38:21
Audio: French LPCM Mono 2.0
Video: 1080p (1.66:1 Aspect Ratio)
Subtitles: English

THE FILM - [ 3 / 5 ]:

Originally turned down flat by the British Board of Film Censors and initially released exclusively in London in a version heavily cut by its nervous distributor, The Beast is Walerian Borowczyk’s most notorious film, although it’s much wittier and more playful than its subject matter might suggest. More exploitation than horror, the film wildly reworks the classic Beauty and the Beast story into a very adult fairy take, a parody of pornographic tropes and an assault on notions of 'good taste'. 

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 realize just how bizarre Mathurin’s bloodline truly is.

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

This is the full uncut version of the film that is based on the short film, "La Bête" that appeared on the "Immoral Tales" Blu-ray, also from Arrow Video. 

AUDIO - [ 4.5 / 5 ]:

There is one audio option on this Blu-ray and that is a French LPCM Mono 2.0 track. The audio sounds terrific on this release. I thought the dialogue, sound effects and score all sounded terrific and maintained a good volume level. The components of dialogue, sound effects and score were balanced well. I did not notice any problems such as drop outs or hissing in the audio. English subtitles are also included. 


VIDEO - [ 4.5 / 5 ]

"The Beast" roars on to Blu-ray in the United States thanks to Arrow Video. The film has received a new high definition digital transfer featuring the uncut version of the film. "The Beast" is presented in 1080p with a 1.66:1 Aspect Ratio. The video quality looks amazing. The colors look strong and natural without any artificial boosting of the contrast. Black levels look great as do skin tones. Film grain looks very good with a thin layer present throughout. Fans may be surprised by the large amount of fine detail present in close ups. Even in non-close ups, the film displays a very good sharpness. The high video quality makes it that much more enjoyable when looking at objects such as furniture, buildings, clothing and so on. There are a few instances of white specks and a scratch, but they are very seldom. 

SPECIAL FEATURES - [ 4 / 5 ]:

DOCUMENTARIES:

• Introduction by Peter Bradshaw (1:45) - When playing the film, viewers have the option to watch the film with an introduction by film critic, Peter Bradshaw.
• The Making of "The Beast" - (57:56) Camera operator Noël Véry provides a commentary on footage shot during the film’s production. This documentary offers an interesting look behind the scenes of the film. You get to see Walerian Borowczyk staging scenes, exactly the way he wanted them to be shot and also instructing the actors how they should perform in their scene. Apparently the role of Lucy was originally to be played by Jeane Manson, but she had to be replaced after she disappeared for three days shortly after filming began. Fans of the film or director Walerian Borowczyk should enjoy this documentary. 
• Frenzy of Ecstasy (4:22)  - A visual essay on the evolution of Borowczyk's beast and the sequel that never was, Motherhood. 
• The Profligate Door (13:17) - A documentary about Borowczyk’s sound sculptures featuring curator Maurice Corbet. Some of the creations remind me of old toys with the noises that they make. (In French with English subtitles)
• Boro Brunch (7:37) - This featurette is of a reunion dinner with some crew members that worked with Borowczyk. This was filmed in 2014 and organized by camera operator Noël Véry. (In French with English subtitles)

COMMERCIALS - Three commercials that Borowczyk made during his career.

• Holy Smoke! (1963) (9:57) - The animation style reminded me of "Monty Python's Flying Circus." The story is about a man smoking a cigar, talking about the 'good old days' of cigars and society. 

• Tom Thumb (1966) (1:52) - A mix of animation and live action. This is an advertisement for pasta. (In French with English subtitles)   
• The Museum (1964) (1:52) - This too is a mix of animation and live action. It is an advertisement for the same company and pasta product as "Tom Thumb." (In French with English subtitles)

Gun Point (11:04) - A documentary short produced and edited by Walerian Borowczyk. The anti-hunting short film was directed by Peter Graham. 

Behind Enemy Lines Documentary (5:16) - A short featurette about the making of "Gun Point." I enjoyed the story of how Peter Graham was able to get the footage by being a bit sneaky in regards to actual reason he wanted the footage for his short film.

Theatrical Trailer (4:02)

Reversible cover - Includes Borowczyk's own original poster design.

Illustrated booklet - Features new writing on the film by Daniel Bird and an archive piece by David Thompson, illustrated with original stills

IN CONCLUSION:

This Blu-ray and DVD Combo Pack from Arrow Video has superior Audio and Video quality. There are some nice special features included also. If you are a fan of this film or of Boroczyk's work, then you should enjoy this release. The subject matter won't be appealing to everyone, but if you enjoy exploitation films, or sexploitation to be even more specific, this will probably be right up your alley. "The Beast" has a bit more lighthearted humor to it at times, as opposed to similar genre films that are often more grim and vile in tone. Arrow Video has once again put out another fantastic product.

OVERALL - [ 4 / 5 ]



 

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Immoral Tales - (US) Blu-ray Review - Arrow Video

Walerian Borowczyk's first erotic feature, Immoral Tales presents a veritable cavalcade of depravity: cosmic fellatio, transcendental masturbation, erotic fairy tale, blood-drenched lesbianism and papal incest.

Released by: Arrow Video
Release Date: September 15, 2015
Production Year: 1974
Region Code: A 
Running Time: 1:43:08 Theatrical / 2:05:25 Original 
Audio: French LPCM 2.0 Mono
Video: 1080p (1.66:1 Aspect Ratio)
Subtitles: English


THE FILM:

"Immoral Tales" is a French anthology that tells four or five (depending on which version you watch) stories, each delving further back in time, as if to suggest that the same issues recur constantly throughout human civilization, whether involving notorious historical figures like Lucrezia Borgia and Erzsébet Báthory, or present-day teenagers. Capitalizing on the relaxation of censorship laws, "Immoral Tales" would transform Walerian Borowczyk's image from brilliant but obscure avant-garde artist to one of Europe's most confrontational filmmakers when it came to trampling on sexual taboos. 

The Blu-ray and DVD Combo Pack contains two versions of the film. In the theatrical cut there are four stories, "The Tide," "Thérése Philosophe," "Erzsebet Bathory," and "Lucrezia Borgia." In the original five-part conception also known as "The L'age d'or cut," the short film "La Bête" AKA "The True Story of the Beast of Gévaudan," that was later expanded into Borowczyk’s feature length film "The Beast," is also included.

The Tide - This story involves 20 year old André (Fabrice Luchini) and his 16 year old cousin Julie (Lise Danvers). André demonstrates his control over Julie by continually giving her orders. He takes her to a secluded beach where he plans to make use of his lurid intentions. The sound of waves crashing is put to good use in this film as it coincides with the actions of the young couple. The cinematography is terrific with the countryside and ocean, both looking gorgeous. 

Therese Philosophe - This tale is about young Therese (Charlotte Alexandra) who has been unjustly punished. She is to spend three days and three nights locked in her bedroom. But instead of contemplating her punishment, Therese's mind strays and she begins to have sexual fantasies involving objects in her bedroom. She eventually loses control and gives in to temptation. Unfortunately she later crosses paths with a vagrant who cannot control his urges when he sees Therese.
  

La Bête - This is the story of The Beast of Gévaudan, that is spreading fear in the Massif Central region of France. A young woman (Sirpa Lane) ventures in to the woods after her lamb and encounters the ferocious beast. After running through the never ending woods trying to escape the monster, the beast eventually catches up to its prey. However, the beast does not kill her. Instead, it proceeds to rape her. The story does not end as one might expect.

Erzsebet Bathory - Here we have a story about Countess Elisabeth Bathory (Paloma Picasso). The countess, along with her squire Istvan (Pascale Christophe) and a soldier, visit the villages and settlements of Nyitra County, Hungary. There, young virgin girls are rounded up, to be taken home with the countess. Once they arrive, the girls bathe one another and are left nude. Countess Bathory concocts a drink and serves it to the girls. What follows next is a mass of wild girls first pawing at the countess and then at one another with an eruption of violence and ultimately, betrayal. 

Lucrezia Borgia - In this final tale of depravity, Lucrezia (Florence Bellamy) and her husband Giovanni Sforza travel to visit Lucrezia's father, Pope Alexander VI (Jacopo Berinizi) and her brother, Cesare (Lorenzo Berinizi). You will quickly learn that there is no love lost between Lucrezia's father and her husband. Following a nefarious deed, we see that Lucrezia, her father and brother, share a bit too much love for one another in the form of a ménage à trois. In the final scene of the film we see a baby, a product of incest, being baptized. 

AUDIO:

This Blu-ray comes with one audio option, a French LPCM 2.0 Mono track. I thought the track was excellent. Whether it is the sounds of crashing waves, erotic moans or the accompanying score, the audio track does a wonderful job. Throughout the entire film, the balance of dialogue, score and sound effects remained very stable. I did not encounter any negative issues with the audio. Optional English subtitles are also included.

VIDEO:

"Immoral Tales" comes to Blu-ray courtesy of a new high definition transfer thanks to Arrow Video. The film is presented in 1080p with a 1.66 Aspect Ratio. Some stories may look better than others, but the film looks outstanding. I thought the colors were rich and natural looking. Blood certainly has a crimson appearance. Skin tones look very natural from Julie's pink lips in "The Tide" to the milky white skin of the abducted girls in "Erzsebet Bathory." The amount of fine detail present in some of the close ups is amazing for a film over 40 years old. Black levels look fine as well. The grain looks great throughout the film. I did not notice any problems whatsoever with the video quality. 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

Introduction by Borowczyk expert Daniel Bird (5:14)

Love Reveals Itself (16:42) - Production manager Doninique Duvergé-Ségrétin and camera operator Noël Véry discus the the films production. Noël Véry talks about using a special camera mount for Boroczyk's films and even gives a demonstration. The pair talk about the casting for the film, including the fact that Isabelle Adjani was approached for the role of Julie in "The Tide," but she declined. There are some interesting details offered in this featurette. I was surprised to learn that the blood used in a certain scene, was real pigs blood. More surprising is that after the scene was shot, the blood was used to make black pudding. (In French with English subtitles)

Obscure Pleasures: A Portrait of Walerian Boroczyk (1:03:15) -  This is a newly edited archival interview with Walerian Boroczyk that was filmed for the UK's Channel Four "Visions" documentary strand in 1985, but never aired. Mr. Boroczyk discusses his interest and foray in to the field of animation. Periodically, snippets of animation are played during the interview. The conversation next shifts to sex in cinema during which, clips from various films are displayed. Walerian Boroczyk also talks about his interest in painting and makes a comparison to film-making. Fans of Boroczyk will most likely find this interview more interesting than I did, simply because other than this film, I am not very familiar with his work. He was very open and honest in this interview which anyone can appreciate. (In French with English subtitles)

Blow-Ups (4:43)  - Viewers are given a glimpse at some of Walerian Boroczyk's art, including his prize-winning lithographs and poster designs.

Trailer (2:18)

Reversible sleeve featuring Borowczyk's own original poster design

Illustrated booklet containing new writing on the film by Daniel Bird and an archive piece by Phillip Strick

IN CONCLUSION:

The subject matter of "Immoral Tales from Arrow Video may not appeal to everyone, but this Blu-ray looks and sounds fantastic.  There are a number of good extras included as well. This release also contains a DVD for added value. Fans of Walerian Boroczyk or those interested in exploitation films should consider purchasing the film. Arrow Video has done a fine job and fans should be extremely pleased with this release.  

OVERALL: 4.5 / 5

 

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