Lane was discovered by British photographer and film-maker David Hamilton, who was known for his soft focus and grainy style erotica.

She worked with Roger Vadim, who spoke of her as the next Bardot (perhaps not without reason).

She made her debut in the English film Fluff (1974), directed by Robert Paget.

She had a relationship with Gilles Raysse, a business manager.

She died of HIVAIDS at the age of 46 in Formentera, Spain in 1999.

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She was reportedly appalled by his taste in films Eroticism sex is one of the most moral parts of life Walerian Borowczyk Born in Poland in 1923, Walerian Borowczyk displayed a penchant for the fine arts early in life, studying painting in Krakow and eventually moving into Lithography.

The Beast 1975 Sirpa Lane Movie Posters Before

As a young man, he designed a series of award-winning movie posters before dabbling in the cinematic arts himself, turning out animated films in Poland and France (he emigrated to Paris in 1959, where he would spend the remainder of his days).

In the late 1960s, Borowczyk made the leap into live-action, and many of his subsequent films, which centered on sexuality, could have played simultaneously in both the arthouse cinemas and adult movie theaters of the day.

Lauded by some critics as a genius and denounced by others as a smut-peddler, Borowczyks output never failed to stir up controversy, and 1975s The Beast proved to be one of the most controversial of his career.

A once-proud family, the lEsperances have fallen on hard times as of late, and need this marriage to keep them afloat financially.

Hoping it will lure the Cardinal to his house, Pierre sends for the village Priest (Roland Armontel), asking him to baptize Mathurin as soon as possible.

But the rumors that the lEsperance family was cursed 200 years earlier when their ancestor, Romilda, was raped by a wild beast are more than idle gossip, and should the true nature of this curse be revealed, it would surely destroy any chance of a marriage between Mathurin and the lovely Lucy Broadhurst.

The Beast 1975 Sirpa Lane Full Display In

Borowczyks affinity for merging art and pornography is on full display in the opening scene of The Beast; immediately after a title card featuring a quote by Voltaire ( Troubled dreams are, in fact, a passing moment of madness ), were treated to a close-up of an erect horse penis, and watch as two equines (with Mathurin looking on) have sex with one another.

Though shocking, this scene is but a prelude for the promiscuity to come, and there are times when Borowczyk even presents the couplings in a humorous light.

Throughout the movie, the secret trysts between the lEsperances butler Ifany (Hassane Fall) and Pierres daughter Clarisse (Pascale Rivault) are constantly (and inadvertently) being thwarted by Pierre himself, who calls for Ifany time and again to assist with whatever crisis hes dealing with at the moment.

Seeing as the two have never met, the dim-witted Mathurin is afraid that Lucy might reject him, a fear thats fueled by the conniving Rammaendelo, whose sole aim is to prevent the wedding from taking place (Mathurin is Rammendelos caretaker, and without him around the old man is convinced hell be tossed to the wayside).

As for Lucy (who is treated as if she was a delicate flower by both her Aunt and Pierre lEsperance), her passions are ignited soon after her arrival at the lEsperance estate when she finds pictures depicting acts of bestiality hidden in a drawer.

The most scandalous moments in The Beast, however, are the dreams that Lucy experiences several times during her stay in the country.

As mentioned above, the scenes that make up these sequences were lifted from Borowczyks 1972 short film, also titled The Beast, in which a maiden (presumably, in this case, Pierres ancestor Romilda, played by Sirpa Lane) is chased through a forest by a wild beast, whose erect penis spews semen with every step it takes.

The beast catches the maiden and has his way with her, an eventuality that, by all appearances, is as pleasing to the victim as it is her attacker.

It was due to explicit imagery such as this that The Beast, even in a heavily edited form, was refused classification in the UK by the BBFC (when it was shown at Londons independently-run Prince Charles theatre, the Director of Public Prosecutions tried to get the film banned outright under the Obscene Publications Act).

Yet as startling as The Beast can be, it is also quite beautiful, with Borowczyk making great use of his surroundings (the movie was shot entirely on-location).

In addition, The Beast serves as an effective critique of the French aristocracy, whose outward sophistication masks inner desires every bit as licentious as those of the lower classes.

To my surprise, The Beast is not the first Borowczyk picture Ive seen during this challenge of mine; back in June of 2012, I reviewed his 1978 film Behind Convent Walls, which I described as a rare blend of European Art-House cinema and exploitation sleaze, calling it a shining example of both.

This sentiment is equally as fitting for The Beast, a gorgeous, evocative motion picture that has now piqued my curiosity.

From here on out, I want to watch as many of Borowczyks movies as I can lay my hands on.