Marquis Mathurin going to marry Lucy, a wealthy American heiress. The bride arrived in an old castle, hidden from prying eyes in a virgin forest, knows nothing about the carefully hidden family secret that has become a curse of a noble family. It turns out that two years ago the Marquis Romilda, her great-grandmother of the groom, guilty with forest monster.
The head of a failing French family thinks that fate has smiled down on him when the daughter of a wealthy man agrees to be married to his son. The daughter and her aunt then travel out to the French countryside to meet with the family, unaware that a mysterious 'beast' is stalking the vicinity.
"La BĂȘte" is based on the short story "Lokis" written by Prosper MerimĂ©e. Lucy Broadhurst (Lisabeth Hummel), an American heiress betrothed to the son of an impoverished Marquis, arrives at the family's crumbling chĂąteau and learns of a mythical ursine beast purported to prowl the nearby forest. It is fabled that a former lady of the house (Sirpa Lane) once engaged in perverse sex with the creature and Lucy finds herself consumed by dreams of the incident.
"The Beast" is an art-house mix of surreal horror, explicit sleaze and porno. There's implied bestiality, assault and perversion in the priesthood, copious fake ejaculate smeared on bared breasts, masturbation with a rose and, most graphic of all, the eponymous beast toying with incredibly big phallus. Still this genuinely erotic film is wonderfully photographed and tasteless. The women here are stunningly beautiful and they are naked most of the time. Overall "La BĂȘte" is a visual feast. Whether it be from the fetishistic attention to detail, or the visual motifs pregnant with information, Borowczyk's masterpiece should be watched with care and attention. A must-see for fans of European cult cinema.
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