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The Beast

Original title: La bête
  • 1975
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 38m
IMDb RATING
5.7/10
5.9K
YOUR RATING
Sirpa Lane in The Beast (1975)
Trailer for The Beast
Play trailer1:01
2 Videos
99+ Photos
FrenchPsychological DramaSupernatural HorrorDramaFantasyHorrorRomance

In order to inherit a fortune a young woman agrees to marry a young man. She soon discovers that his family harbours a dark past involving a monstrous beast.In order to inherit a fortune a young woman agrees to marry a young man. She soon discovers that his family harbours a dark past involving a monstrous beast.In order to inherit a fortune a young woman agrees to marry a young man. She soon discovers that his family harbours a dark past involving a monstrous beast.

  • Director
    • Walerian Borowczyk
  • Writer
    • Walerian Borowczyk
  • Stars
    • Sirpa Lane
    • Lisbeth Hummel
    • Elisabeth Kaza
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.7/10
    5.9K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Walerian Borowczyk
    • Writer
      • Walerian Borowczyk
    • Stars
      • Sirpa Lane
      • Lisbeth Hummel
      • Elisabeth Kaza
    • 70User reviews
    • 129Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos2

    The Beast
    Trailer 1:01
    The Beast
    The Beast OFFICIAL TRAILER
    Trailer 1:00
    The Beast OFFICIAL TRAILER
    The Beast OFFICIAL TRAILER
    Trailer 1:00
    The Beast OFFICIAL TRAILER

    Photos99

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    Top Cast17

    Edit
    Sirpa Lane
    Sirpa Lane
    • Romilda
    Lisbeth Hummel
    Lisbeth Hummel
    • Lucy Broadhurst
    Elisabeth Kaza
    Elisabeth Kaza
    • Virginia
    Pierre Benedetti
    Pierre Benedetti
    • Mathurin de l'Esperance
    Guy Tréjan
    Guy Tréjan
    • Marquis Pierre de l'Esperance
    Roland Armontel
    Roland Armontel
    • Priest
    Marcel Dalio
    Marcel Dalio
    • Duc Rammendelo
    • (as Dalio)
    Robert Capia
    • Roberto
    Pascale Rivault
    Pascale Rivault
    • Clarisse de l'Esperance
    Hassane Fall
    Hassane Fall
    • Ifany
    Anna Baldaccini
    • Théodore
    Thierry Bourdon
    • Modeste
    Marie Testanière
    • Marie
    Stéphane Testanière
    • Stéphane
    Jean Martinelli
    Jean Martinelli
    • Cardinal Joseph
    Mathieu Rivolier
    Mathieu Rivolier
      Julien Hanany
      • Director
        • Walerian Borowczyk
      • Writer
        • Walerian Borowczyk
      • All cast & crew
      • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

      User reviews70

      5.75.9K
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      Featured reviews

      8EVOL666

      Heart-Warming Tale Of A Woman F!cking A Rat-Bear...

      OK...this one's a weirdy....Honestly, I can't tell you all the inner plot-points of THE BEAST, cuz I started losing interest when nothing happened during the first 45 or more minutes - but just wait, it definitely does "pick up"...

      The plot involves something about a monster in the woods that some French aristocrat chick screwed back in the day. Eventually you see "THE BEAST", which looks like a guy dressed in a giant rat-bear costume with a horse cock attached to it. The scene takes place with the aristocrat woman running around the forest looking for a lost sheep. The sheep ends up dead and the woman gets scared. THE BEAST pops up, rapes the chick and shoots 400 gallons of spunk all over her. Eventually the chick starts to enjoy the beast's "attention" which results in some pretty novel simulated sex scenes, including an unnervingly erotic foot masturbation scene where the woman jerks the beast off with her feet while the monster shoots more huge loads everywhere (yeah, I've got a twisted foot-fetish - so sue me....)...The whole film is told in flashbacks and long-winded dialog scenes that tended to be a bit tedious. A "shocking" but predictable ending concludes this extremely strange film...

      THE BEAST is a film that I find kind of hard to rate. The cinematography itself is quite eye-catching and the sets, costumes and locations are elaborate. The plot is a little convoluted and seems to take it self awfully seriously for what ends up being such an unintentionally hilarious film about a chick boning a rat-bear. A good bit of tits, ass, and hairy 70's French bushes to help make up for the dull first half of the film. I have to honestly say, that if it weren't for the graphic scenes of the BEAST spackling all over the willing maiden, this film would have been a real bore - that is unless you like dull dialog and some graphic horse sex (the beginning has a VERY up-close and personal scene of two horses boning, including a pulsating and spunk covered female horse vagina...YUM!!!). But the BEAST sex scene is so strange and such a refreshing change from the rest of the film, that I have to say that those scenes alone make up for what otherwise would have been a real snoozer. I have to recommend this one to anyone who thinks they've seen it all - the BEAST rape really is out-there and something to be witnessed. Also recommended to any fans of 70's/80's sleaze films - this one ranks pretty high with them. Worth a look for you sick rat-bear beastiality lovers out there (like me)...8/10
      4Galina_movie_fan

      How Beauty defeated the Beast

      Another variation and improvisation on the famous and beloved children tale, La Bete (1975) aka The Beast tries to imagine (in very graphic and what may seem offensive and disturbing but in reality rather silly and comical way), what actually happened between Beauty and the Beast? I am amused by many reviews and comments that seem to look too deeply into this movie. I would not go so far as saying that it is a serious and dark exploration of such subjects as sexual frustration, longing, fulfillment, or satirical criticizing of the catholic Religion. I would not even call it a horror-erotic movie. It's more of the parody on all genres it touches or mentions even though it's got some shocking moments in all departments that sure will stay in your memory.

      The long (way too long) scene between an Aristocratic young woman and the supposedly horrifying but the most laughable I've ever seen in the movies creature with truly impressive...well anatomy, is set to the clavichord music of Scarlatti and is hysterical. My husband and I both laughed out loud at the exaggerated details of the encounter. The moral of the scene is - beauty can and will defeat the monster. The question is - who is the target audience for the film? For an erotic picture, it is too verbose; for an art movie - it's got too many jaw-dropping scenes of sheer madness and I'd say an abrupt ending. IMO, the film creator did not mean for it to be a serious drama. As a parody of art house/horror/erotica, it is funny and certainly original. Have a good laugh and try not to look for some deep meaning. This story of the curious Beauties and the lustful Beasts certainly is not recommended for co-viewing with the children. The opening scene that may shock an unprepared viewer much more than the infamous scene of bestiality can be successfully used On Discovery channel for the program like "In the world of animals - mating habits and rituals of horses".
      senatekill

      Great film - but shocking

      now this movie was certainly something out of the ordinary. i am not a porn person, but this is the closest thing to porn i have seen that is not porn!. the first hour carries on and you don't know what is going on, lots of sex scenes and given that its the 1970s man these girls are good looking. then a girl goes off to the woods and gets 'raped' by a beast. well rape is not the word because the last half an hour of the film is about her and the beast having lots of sex and it shows the male organ of the beast if you know what i mean and the fact that it shows the beast ejeculating is pretty sick but that is what its all about. i reccomend this movie for all the people that love sick movies such as salo, cannibal flicks, and sexual perversion jess franco films.

      cheers
      8Tom-275

      This movie is wayyyyyyy out there!!

      Youth, sexuality, and the French countryside -- one of the more unique films you're ever going to see. If you can see it that is, no mean feat considering how hard it is to find copies of it (a combination of scarcity and censorship.) It's sometimes erotic, sometimes disgusting, and occasionally funny. A trifle boring also in the middle, but all in all you can't call yourself an aficionado of bizarre film until you've seen this one at least once.
      cwarne_uk

      Unique

      This is the only film I have ever seen which attempts to mix a fairy tale, a sort of comedy of manners and faked explicit bestiality. It is quite nicely filmed but appallingly acted. The climax (ah hem!!) is according to taste either hilarious, repulsive or erotic(????). Watch it if you are (a) a pervert (b) have an insatiable curiosity about the wilder extremes of film (c) a strong stomach. In todays homogenised marketplace it at least deserves it's place as a one of a kind gem. NB not suitable for (a) children (b) born-again christians (c) first dates.

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      Related interests

      Jean-Pierre Léaud in The 400 Blows (1959)
      French
      Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
      Psychological Drama
      Daveigh Chase in The Ring (2002)
      Supernatural Horror
      Naomie Harris, Mahershala Ali, Janelle Monáe, André Holland, Herman Caheej McGloun, Edson Jean, Alex R. Hibbert, and Tanisha Cidel in Moonlight (2016)
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      Horror
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      Romance

      Storyline

      Edit

      Did you know

      Edit
      • Trivia
        Actor Bryan Pringle once took a date to a screening of The Beast (1975) in London. She was reportedly "appalled by his taste in films."
      • Quotes

        Priest: Spring is the cause of our excitement. We, frail humans, we are like animals, we suffer the laws of nature. Alas!

        Pierre de l'Esperance: Happily, we have this intelligence, this heavenly gift, which enables us to fight our instincts.

      • Alternate versions
        The film was rejected for UK cinema in 1978 by the BBFC and released on video in 1988 (as "Death's Ecstasy") with around 9 minutes of distributor pre-edits. It was finally passed completely uncut for cinema and video in 2001.
      • Connections
        Edited from Immoral Tales (1973)

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      FAQ13

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      Details

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      • Release date
        • April 15, 1977 (United States)
      • Country of origin
        • France
      • Languages
        • French
        • Italian
        • English
      • Also known as
        • Death's Ecstacy
      • Production company
        • Argos Films
      • See more company credits at IMDbPro

      Tech specs

      Edit
      • Runtime
        • 1h 38m(98 min)
      • Sound mix
        • Mono
      • Aspect ratio
        • 1.66 : 1

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