Walerian Borowczyk films now on BFI Player

The Beast (La Bête, 1975)

• Watch The Beast on BFI Player
• Watch Immoral Tales on BFI Player

In Sight & Sound magazine’s round-up of the best DVD/Blu-ray releases from 2014, one title won hands-down: Camera Obscura: The Walerian Borowczyk Collection. Released in a limited edition of just 1,000 copies, this collection of films by the Polish surrealist, who specialised in representations of eroticism, quickly went out of print – second-hand copies are selling on Amazon for over £300.

However, two of the best known features from the collection – The Beast (1975) and Immoral Tales (1974) – are available to watch now on BFI Player for £3.50 each.

The Beast (La Bête, 1975)

The Beast is Borowczyk’s most outrageous film (there’s a lot of competition), which narrowly avoided prosecution on obscenity charges when it was shown at the Prince Charles cinema in London. It tells the story of an American heiress haunted by the tale of the lady of an aristocratic estate in the 18th century and her sexual relationship with the title character. Even today, it still retains its power to shock, not least for its prolonged erotic dream sequence involving – well, it would be cruel to reveal its content, but it’s certainly not for the easily offended.

Immoral Tales (1974)

Sexual anthology Immoral Tales, meanwhile, provoked controversy at its UK premiere at the London Film Festival, owing to its scenes of incest, bloodlust and religious ecstasy. Its reputation has grown over the years, and it made our list of 10 great films about sex.