The Bride and the Beast

1958

Action / Adventure / Fantasy / Horror / Mystery

4
IMDb Rating 3.4/10 10 765 765

gorilla

Plot summary

When Laura and Dan get married, she's more interested in Dan's gorilla. It's revealed through hypnosis that she was Queen of the Gorillas in a previous incarnation.

Director

Adrian Weiss Photo
Adrian Weiss

Top cast

Eve Brent Photo
Eve Brent as Stewardess
Charlotte Austin Photo
Charlotte Austin as Laura
Ray Corrigan Photo
Ray Corrigan as Spanky
Trustin Howard Photo
Trustin Howard as Soldier
720p.WEB 1080p.WEB
718.69 MB
1280*714
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 18 min
Seeds ...
1.3 GB
1920*1072
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
1 hr 18 min
Seeds ...

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by Red-Barracuda 3 / 10

Ed Wood strikes again

Well, all I can say is Ed Wood strikes again. Like Orgy of the Dead, this is another movie where he wrote the screenplay. And, as per usual, the results are exceedingly strange. This one is about a woman who falls in love with a gorilla called Spanky because it transpires that she was an ape in a previous life. Well of course, she was. This one sets the scene well initially with some deeply strange early sequences, with our leading lady looking in that dreamy way into her gorilla dreamboat's eyes. But then our heroes relocate to Africa to check out stock footage and oh my goodness, they check out a LOT of stock footage. So much in fact that the film grinds to a halt as we watch giraffes running away from Landrovers and tigers kicking about (oh yeah, there are tigers in this stock footage Africa my friends). Things do perk up by the end though when Spanky the monkey returns and we have more human-ape love action. Its often borderline unwatchable but its also exceptionally wrong-headed , so naturally its one to endure.
Reviewed by Bofsensai 2 / 10

Borderline Bestiality B*ll*x, er, Balderdash!

If bestiality is your bag (like e.g. A la Borowczyk's 'La Bete') this is unmissable; if it's not, this is probably UNWATCHABLE! (Well, except for some great eye emoting from sultry Charlotte Autry rare appearance*.)Ok, so, if you've not seen the film, below is a synopsis of thrill you could be in for if you choose to (still) watch; if you have (already seen the film), then you know that yes, this is (well?) known as an utter clunker, being it's out of the notorious poor filmaker reputation Ed D Wood oeuvre - although here only written by him (plus with the director, A. Weiss: you can try guess which bits when you watch); but that's where the rub - (of an angora sweater? Which, in Ed Wood fetish fame, the heroine herein shall de rigueur sport) - comes in; for it's surely a borderline bestiality disgraceful inference, preceding by some 20 years that which would be more salaciously put up on the screen by Walerian Borowczyk in his seventies 'La Bete / The Beast'!Really; you have to watch patiently right through to the end to be affronted by this, which means you must go through what drags this tale down to complete dross clunker, in the mid section, when the 'main' character newly-weds go off to Africa for their honeymoon, so becomes a mostly stock footage wild animals romp: although even half of that (so now quarter of a short run film, anyway) becomes a tiger hunt: yes, in Africa - no, NOT India (despite the appalling white, black faced 'native''s (Johnny Roth as 'Taro'!) accent character .. hmm.) Oh and plus non native to pumas, too, and .. well whatever bits of wild animal film stock the director Weiss could pilfer, presumably .. But note that: it's the couple's honeymoon jaunt which takes us back to the all essential to setting the plot scenes outset: the splendidly authoritative looking Charlotte Autry* as Laura, is 'just married' (it's stated on their open top sports car!) to 'hairy' - (wait, this aspect of his character IS important) - Dan (Lance Fuller), and smoulders delightfully as taken to new hubby's abode on her wedding day, wherein he just oh so routinely invites her down to the basement where he just happens to have a gorilla caged (as you do, as a great white hunter?). But no matter, for intrepid Laura (Charlotte), is not in the least phased, rather, indeed, ah, 'affected' because she becomes somewhat entranced (check those emoting eyes of hers!) by 'the beast' (geddit? It's in the title init, oh, and well, she's a new 'bride', isn't she: ah hah ..!)But this becomes NOT surprising because it transpires, she seems to feel an affinity with gorillas, which latterly hubby's easily and conveniently on hand regression hypnotist chum (William Justine as Dr. Reiner) uncovers that she was - get ready for this leap o faith - a gorilla in a previous life (read that again: Wood wrote it.) So, back to the all important honeymoon setting night scene, in which - being an Ed wood script - of course, comely Charlotte is attired in an angora top in her betrothal night's - separate .. - bed and so, decorumly, hands off one another, off to slumbering they soon go:but, downstairs, caged gorilla has been so, ah aroused, it (he) finds it (he!) can break free from - (well, clamber through) - the at least all the while having been erstwhile effective enough, before comely 'bride', ah, well, yes, came by, solidly confining bars: (amazing what overwhelming lust can do, huh?) to enter the marital chamber; so, yup, you've seen that before as somewhat akin to the original Mary Shelly Frankenstein plotline (tut tut, rip off plagiarism, Ed!); but, astonishingly, dear Charlotte remains resolutely unphased, as no doubt flattered by the escapee's appearance / determination, so stands in front of it, so to give us viewers the gorilla - (er, actually it's a guy in a costume: Crash Corrigan apparently) - back on to camera so to lead to - now get ready, famed shock scene - he rips off her virginal white nighty!S'truth: oh, you 'beast', why would it do THAT (what is it's 'intentions'?!) Ah, but fortunately, hero hubby is up (from bed; keep ya mind on the plot development, please) and rightly protective, not of the beast he's just happened to have down in his home basement for however long, but, and in making an instant no doubt most difficult instant choice, which to 'save', rightly, preferably so, of his new 'bride's safety, decorum: after all, think: no doubt from his point of view he now sees his, no doubt, blushing bride, completely STARKERS - (although, all inferred; we the (lustful 'male gaze') viewers see NOTHING! Boo!) Oh and incidentally, the angora sweater presumably already discarded for the night, too ..Ok, ok, so, well of course, hubby Dan so shoots the beastly blighter: crashing through the upstairs landing railings, he / it's left for dead: literally so for the rest of the evening, presumably, whilst newly betrothed now 'beastily' aroused couple, er, settle back down for ... bed = sleep, well, of course, this is a nineteen-fifties film.Ok, so now warning: you've soon got to sit tight through the interminable wild animals stock footage, before returning to the shockingly transgressive theme set up here, when in the last nail biting reel of the shortish film run, shock (disgusting!) horror, ANOTHER gorilla (remember, the first was SHOT STONE DEAD) now turns up to, what, 'kidnap' Charlotte: - or rather offer a supporting hairy armed lift up as actually, as when confronted with this new 'beast' she's shown (directed?) to first cast an eye over to hairy bare chested hubby washing up in the jungle camp, and then back to (guy in) gorilla (suit!) and .. chooses to preferably clamber into its (his?) strong hairy arms; oh and significant, essential plot costuming note to foreshadow the upcoming stunningly shocking end INFERENCE (only! It was 1950's!) is that she is conveniently back in another 'virginal' white nighty (well, see the poster!): and all good in continuity because she has indeed only just awoken from a campbed primordial jungle dream in which Weiss surely directed her to imagine, emote, her bridal night deflowering - (or I just desperately read far too much into these dross offerings!): well, so's anyway, point is, so attired and held, off they go, her clinging demurely to his strong hairy arms, gazing - expectantly? (Ah, perish the thought ..., Ed!) - into its eyes, nary a terrified - so, as would usually par for the abducted by beast trope - scream to her predicament, to gorilla cave 'home'; and surely NOT just incidentally, thus in effect carrying Charlotte over the cave entrance threshold a la standard tried and tested expectation of any new hubby expected to do with his new bride, over their new home threshold (ok, have I laboured that metaphor enough?); but ah hah, now well, dear viewer, do recall since human hubby Dan did NOT do at his home at the outset ... (rather, recall, t'was straight to 'come see my caged gorilla, my dear' ...**)Then, oh my good grief orgy word, what's this?We get to be shown, TWO other gorillas enter the 'home' cave!!! (What?!)Wherein Charlotte has been 'laid' (gently, reverentially) onto a flat, er, well, bed-(like!) rock ... soon after, cut scene back to cave entrance exterior where OUT, both those new - just visiting? - gorillas now soon exit (stage right!), one jumping and thumping his chest as gorillas are wont to do to demonstrate, I believe, er, triumph over .... (ah, gonna leave that INFERENCE), but in any case, more like how teenage lads might whoop it up having just, ah, 'scored' in you surely know what stakes. (IN THE CAVE? Good Grief almighty, Ed!) Ok, you may reason I accept, this is pure salaciousness on my ('male gaze'!) watching behalf, but my shout out question would then be: so why did the two gorillas come over to 'visit' then? (Why put them in Ed? Damsel in distress trope de extremis!!)Ah, but never fear though, coz white hunter hubby, duty bound - eventually (!) - bounds (!) to the rescue of his NEW wife (reminder, HIS 'The Bride' of the title, right?) in distress: ah, but is she?For the lady ('bride'!) doth protest and thus needeth a strong fifties manly 'come to your senses, wench'** slap across her, Charlotte's, face - and so male assertively so, she's left out cold on the, ah, bed(!)rock: thus, 'protectively', male rival like, now comes a human vs primate, er, 'beast' tangle for rights to 'Bride' (look, it's in the title, innit?!) but this 'beast' also knows how to attempt to strangle its opponent, so ..well, hey, come on, if you decide to watch through this, I'm not then gonna spoil the end for you; you'll have to watch it through to find out is sultry Charlotte (it's alliteration, innit?!) rescued and returned to newly wedded domestic bliss, or .. well, surely it could not be any other .. INFERENCE ... could there be, really, as ....?! Well, NO! Coz that would be ILLEGAL (Ed!)Dreadful clunker, but with a bookended 'I can't believe it' set up and resolution storyline INFERENCE (only).(So, extant the central stock footage bit; I loved it!)* for if you do watch, in an alluring performance by early singing cowboy cinema star, Gene Autry's daughter (Charlotte) in her penultimate film appearance, which was a pity because she had the stature and appearance to make a stunningly wonderful sultry - tough dealing, film noir casting like - dame look to wallow in / die by.** And, no, that's not the literal dialogue given; it's mine; coz to get another fun (point to watch) aspect out of it, is to shout out at the screen all your own preferable lines (that's how I got through it!)
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