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Walerian Borowczyk is a film maker with extremes. He can make us laugh with his absurd sense of humor, repulse us with his grotesque visuals, or dazzle us with his vivid and artistic imagery. Cult Epics has assembled three of the late directors films in a beautiful boxset: The Beast, Love Rites, and Goto: Island of Love.
These categories are broken down by each film. To view the individual reviews, please scroll to the bottom of the page and click the respective link.
FILMS-
The Beast- The Beast begins with Lucy, an American heiress to her fathers fortune, driving to a French mansion, embedded deep in the heart of the woods. However, her inheritance is conditional, and theses conditions have 48 hours to be met. First, she must marry Mathurin, the son of Pierre, a failing French Aristocrat. Second, the ceremony must be given by the Cardinal, who is Mathurin's uncle. These conditions make a set of problems: Mathurin is a sloven, bumbling man, who is anything buy Aristocratic, and the absence of the Cardinal, who has yet to show up, claiming he must provide "religious council" for some pour soul. After arriving, Lucy (still waiting on the Cardinal) begins to have lurid dreams about a Duchess. The Duchess follows a lamb into the forest, only to witness it being devoured by a large creature, reminiscent of a boar and a bear hybrid; this creature is The Beast, and precedes to chase the Duchess in an attempt to have sex with her. Who or what exactly is The Beast? And will these dreams affect Lucy more than she can imagine?
As I mentioned earlier, this film is infamously labeled at hardcore, which it is not. This is really unfair to the film, because it is very much an art film, not something you would see on 42nd street. This is not a porn film, nor is it a version of Beauty and the Beast. To categorize this film is nearly impossible, as it truly is one of a kind. John Waters once stated "art should mean dirty". I couldn't agree more. So drop all the rumors of this being XXX, and enjoy this erotic little art film. 8/10.
Love Rites- Huge starts his day like normal, leaving his flat to catch the metro. Today, however, something unusual happens; he sees Myriam. Aboard the metro, simple flirtation turns into intrigue. Miriam waits for Hugo after he misses his chance to exit with her, enticing his curiosity. When the two finally meet, Myriam reveals she is a prostitute; and while the two wander around the town, she reveals the sadistic cruelty she has endured at her family and clients hands. Hugo is aroused by this story, and when the duo finally make it to her flat, his brutish lust unleashes it's self. One thing Hugo didn't count on was Myriam reaction to this degradation; and by the time he realizes what arouses her, it could be too late.
This film has so much talking, but in a good way; never getting old and constantly keeping your attention. The first half is the couple talking and wandering around the city, while the last half is nothing but a long sado- erotic sex scene. To describe the ending would ruin this movie, since the a dialog driven story ends with such a shocking twist. This is most definitely a Borowczyk films, combining incredible artistic shots, erotic situations, and oddball humor. Love Rites can best be summed up as a Venus fly trap love story with cinematography by Bergman and dialog by Tarantino. 9/10!
Individual Reviews- The Beast, Love Rites
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