Walerian Borowczyk's most notorious and controversial film wildly re-works the classic Beauty and the Beast story into a fairy tale strictly for adults. Bestial dreams interrupt the venal plans of a French aristocrat attem... more »pting to save a crumbling mansion by marrying off his deformed son, Mathurin, to a insatiable American heiress, Lucy. Yet Mathurin seems more interested in his horses than in his bride-to-be, and when Lucy finds out about the story of his 18th-century ancestor Romilda's (Sirpa Lane) relationship with the titular beast it sparks to life one of the most outrageous dream sequences in cinema history. A huge hit in France that was extensively censored and banned elsewhere, The Beast broke new ground in explicitness and remains a truly startling experience even today. SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS: New high definition digital transfer of the uncut 98-minute versionUncompressed Mono 2.0 PCM AudioOptional English subtitlesIntroduction by film critic Peter BradshawThe Making of The Beast: camera operator Noel Very provides a commentary on footage shot during the film's productionFrenzy of Ecstasy, a visual essay on the evolution of Borowczyk's beast and the sequel that never was, MotherhoodThe Profligate Door, a documentary about Borowczyk's sound sculptures featuring curator Maurice CorbetBoro Brunch, a reunion meal recorded in February 2014 reuniting members of Borowczyk's crewCommercials by Borowczyk: Holy Smoke (1963), The Museum (1964) and Tom Thumb (1966) Gunpoint, a documentary short by Peter Graham produced and edited by Borowczyk (11:04) Behind Enemy Lines - The Making of Gunpoint (5:16) Theatrical trailerReversible sleeve featuring Borowczyk's own original poster designIllustrated booklet featuring new writing on the film by Daniel Bird and an archive piece by David Thompson, illustrated with original stills« less