The Beast

aka LA BETE

Hmmm ... this is an oddity. It starts outrageously - plays like a rather tame arthouse pic for half it's length - then goes completely gonzoid for the final act.

It starts in a manner that is not so much promising as perplexing - the credits roll on a black screen to the sound of horses cantering and neighing. The opening scene's action centres on close-up shots of a couple of randy horses in a farmhouse yard. Explicit horse penetration, anyone?! (and the less well-endowed may well develop a penis-envy complex at this point!!)

The film then quickly settles down into a low-key (yet enjoyable) arty period romp, documenting young Lucy's (Sirpa Lane) visit to a French manor. Led there by her Aunt, Lucy is to be wed to the heir of a French aristocratic dynasty. Unfortunately the bearded heir, Mathurin, appears to be three sandwiches short of a picnic ...!

The rest of Mathurin's family are eager to see the wedding go through successfully, aside from his father who believes him to be evil and wishes him dead. Hey, could that have anything to do with the legend of a beast that roams the countryside and rapes young women?!

The motive for the wedding is revealed early on: it is the express wish of Lucy's late father that she marry Maruthin, thus entitling her to her inheritance. Maruthin, you see, is considered to be of impeccable background ... Well, his family seem to know better, and are just as keen to see him marry into money!

Lucy arrives at the luscious chateau and is told of the legendary beast that roams the woodlands outside. Her imagination running wild, Lucy dreams erotic visions of the beast in full rape mode. This being a 70s slice of low-budget exploitation, would it startle anyone to hear that Lucy gets horny and takes a stroll into the woods to meet said beast?!

Oh, who gives a toss about the plot? It was made up on the spot anyway! Extended from an initial 20 minute premise, LA BETE is a bizarrely strange watch that is as impossible to categorise as it is to ignore.

Disregarding the vague 'plot', minor scenes of nudity (the black servant and the white maid steal the limelight here), and Mathurin's untidy hair, it's the final third of this film that you'll want this for. And these are the scenes that have made this film (justifiably) infamous. When Lucy meets the Beast (a lame man-in-ape-suit-with-huge-cock) in the woods, the film suddenly changes direction completely. The lesuirely pace is replaced by jovial music and frantic sex scenes. The arty decor and period attire is replaced by bare flesh covered in showers of bestial semen. The 'plot' disappears completely (though you won't care).

Whilst not wanting to give too much away, I can say that it is understandable why this was banned for so long. It's theme of rape is immediately contentious - even more so when you consider the Beast rapes Lucy, and she appears to grow to like it, going back for more. The amount of sperm on offer (albeit fake) must be a serious contender for the most money shots in one film. And Lane gets drenched. It's funny, not sexy. Which is obviously the way the BBFC saw it too (for a change!).

Originally intended as a short for inclusion in Walerian Borowczyk's superior portmanteau IMMORAL TALES, the director evidently enjoyed the footage he'd shot and the subject matter, so decided to stretch the story to feature length. It shows: the premise wears thin, though the movie does compensate for his slow spots with regular points of titillation (the girl riding the bedknob; Lucy masturbating the beast with her feet).

LA BETE deserves to be seen. As a censorship issue, this is a milestone on a par with STRAW DROGS. But it's also enjoyable. Though too silly to even consider banning in 2002, this will be sure to raise a titter or two, and will drop the jaws of just a few people not quite prepared to see an arthouse French film suddenly degenerate into graphic scenes of spunk-soaked tit-wanks!!

The film is presented in a lovely sharp anamorphic (15:9) transfer with unremovable (though easy to read) subtitles. Occasional snow on the screen is infrequent and not problematic. The audio - French - appears to be Dolby 2.0 (could be wrong, but it sounds very reliable anyway!).

The extras on the disc are so-so. There's an incredibly sparse biography of Borowczyk, plus a filmography that catalogues 38 of his directorial efforts. How comprehensive this is, I honestly don't know. A photo gallery offers 10 or so screen grabs from LA BETE that seem pretty pointless.

The best - though strangest - extra is the inclusion of the short feature LA MAREE (THE TIDE). This is actually the first segment of IMMORAL TALES, so why Nouveaux have chosen to dismember it from the rest of that classic film is baffling. Anyway, it's here in full-frame with non-removeable subtitles (the audio is French mono).It's a nicely shot piece of soft-core eroticism - curiously sexy, in it's own strange way. Basically a boy seduces his young female cousin - she's beautiful - on the beach during one summer afternoon. He coaxes her into performing oral sex on him, while offering a sermon on the nature of the tide - likeining it to his impending climax ... Picture quality for LA MAREE starts off poor (the title screen is full of specks) but picks up quickly and the main feature looks quite attractive.

Nouveaux should be applauded for seeking out THE BEAST / LA BETE in the first place. They've done a nice job here - superior to the US release (which, correct me if I'm wrong, is non-anamorphic and dubbed). It's a worthy addition for anyone with an interest in the history of UK censorship (and highly entertaining too!).

Review by Stuart Willis