The Beast (Borowczyk, 1975): BFI Southbank, NFT2, 8.50pm
This film is part of the 'Scala: Sex, drugs and rock and roll cinema' season at BFI Southbank. The movie also screens on January 16th. Full details here.
Time Out review:
Once upon a time, in the 18th century, a beast lived in the woods of an
aristocratic estate. And this beast, possessed of a giant phallus and an
insatiable lust, set upon the beautiful young lady of the house. But
the lady was of an even greater sexual appetite, and laid the beast to
eternal rest. Two centuries later, the tale of the beast would return in
the dreams of an American heiress contracted to carry the male
descendant of the same crumbling aristocratic family... Borowczyk's
all-out assault on social conventions and repressed desires, an
outrageously ironic blend of French farce and surrealist poetry, can be
seen as signposting both the peak of his sexual fables (Blanche, Immoral
Tales) and his subsequent decline into ephemeral soft porn. Its
shameless shuffling of equine couplings, pederastic priests and priapic
black manservants earns it nul points for political correctness. But
seen from its own amoral perspective, aided by Borowczyk's remarkable
sense of framing and rhythm, La Bête is that rare achievement, a truly erotic film.
David Thompson
Here (and above) is an extract.
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