by Linda Kay
English Title: The Beast
Directed by: Walerian Borowczyk
Synopsis: Lucy Broadhurt (Lisbeth Hummel) must marry the less then desirable Mathurin (Pierre Benedetti) in order to inherit a fortune, but the secrets contained within his father’s mansion and its strange inhabitants would make one question whether any amount of money would be worth such a match in this erotic horror film.
Cat Burglar (Scene Stealer): A luxuriously furry Snowshoe patterned cat lives in the large home and is greeted by Lucy and her Aunt Virginia (Elisabeth Kaza) upon their arrival.
Later in the film Clarisse (Pascale Rivault), sister of Mathurin, brings Marie (Marie Testanière) and Stéphane (Stéphane Testanière), the children of a friend, to the house to take part in the baptism of Mathurin and the wedding ceremony. As they speak to the priest (Roland Armontel), Marie holds the cat which is trying desperately to get out of the child’s arms.
Closer to the end of the film when shocking truths are revealed, the cat scurries down a hallway and exits the picture.
Final Mewsings: Seeing how things were going it’s no wonder the cat beat a hasty retreat!
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