Creature Shop crafts a Beast for "Brotherhood of the Wolf"

Phillip

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A long-running Brotherhood comes to Manila
Courtesy of ABS-CBN News

From the creator of the international hit Crying Freeman comes a spectacular period film made possible by state-of-the-art animatronics, stunning computer wizardry and breathtaking action scenes. Titled Brotherhood of the Wolf, it is based on true events that took place during the reign of Luis XV in France when the Beast of Gevaudan was blamed for the savage deaths of more than 100 people, mostly women and children.

The story starts with brilliant young natural scientist Gregoire de Fronsac being sent to Gevaudan by the king to build a portrait of the Beast, which has been terrorizing the region. Accompanied by his blood brother Mani, an Iroquois Indian he met while serving in the Americas, Fronsac finds the king’s soldiers incapable of tracking the Beast through the densely forested hills of Gevaudan.

Fronsac and Mani enlist the enthusiastic help of an enlightened young noble, Marquis Thomas d’Apcher, who holds a banquet in their honor, where Fronsac meets and falls in love with the beautiful Marianne de Morangias, the daughter of a local aristocrat.

As ever more savage deaths are reported, the locals become convinced that they are the work of the devil. Aided by Mani’s intuitive skills, however, Fronsac begins to build a picture of the Beast. It is not a monster, or a wolf, but probably a more horrifying creature trained to kill in the bloodiest manner.

Meanwhile, Jean-François de Morangias, who is jealous of Fronsac’s relationship with his sister, succeeds in driving them apart. Fronsac takes comfort in the arms of the beautiful but highly mysterious courtesan Sylvia.

After another gruesome killing, Louis XV sends Beauterne, his Lord Lieutenant, to personally supervise the capture of the Beast. Within days, he proclaims his mission a success. The Beast has been killed. When he calls Fronsac to stuff the Beast for display in Paris, the scientist realizes that Beauterne has merely slaughtered a wolf. Nonetheless, he is persuaded to participate in the cover-up. The king cannot allow his authority to be undermined. Officially, the Beast is now dead and everyone can return to Paris.

The following spring, when Thomas informs him that the killings have continued unabated, Fronsac cannot resist returning to Gevaudan in the secret hope of winning back Marianne. But first, he and Mani must fight to the death to expose the devilish secret society that has unleashed the Beast on the region in order to secure the terrified populace’s unswerving allegiance.

Starring Hollywood martial-arts star Mark Dacascos, Brotherhood of the Wolf features popular young French stars Samuel Le Bihan, Vincent Cassel, Monica Bellucci, Jeremie Renier and Cannes’ Best Actress awardee Emilie Dequenne. The Beast was created by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop, whose credits include Babe, Lost in Space and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Dubbed as the “pride of France,” Brotherhood of the Wolf is currently the highest-grossing and longest-running art film in Europe and the United States. Released in the Philippines by Solar Films, it will be shown exclusively at Glorietta, Greenbelt, SM City Manila and SM Megamall on October 30.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/abs_news_body.asp?section=Celebrity&OID=7106
 

Phillip

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Stryder Wolfe,

Thanks for the info. Can you tell us your thoughts on it? What did you think of the Creature Shop's work on the Beast?
 

grail

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that was from the creature shop? wow...just wow. i've been singing the praises of this movie for quite some time now, and now i can do it here too! this movie is facinating...just truly amazing to watch. i highly recommend it to everyone, though it is NOT a kids movie (gore, sex, etc).

the beast itself is fantastic. they did excellent work. there is one scene that i actually they had dressed up a real lion. if that was from the creature shop then i'm truly impressed...
 

Stryder Wolfe

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although you somewhat spoiled part of the movie with the "L" word, there, grail!

Yeah, the beast was very well done. I also thought it was a real beast. The eyes in particular looked amazing! It's hard to describe without giving away a lot of the movie plot as well, but this is a great movie to see. I personally saw it in the original french, with subtitles, and it was so intriguing that I forgot about it being subtitled halfway through. I believe it is available dubbed in English now, which could even heighten the enjoyment...I recommend this film for everyone, keeping in mind Grail's caveat above....
 

grail

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yeah, i saw it in the theater too. and then bought it on DVD. it is dubbed, but you can watch it in french with subtitles if you want.

i only say "lion" because it's the only thing i can think of that's that BIG. it's not supposed to be a lion though, it's a beast. the eyes are what made me think of it though, you're right...
 

Stryder Wolfe

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no, actualy, I'm sure it's meant ot be a lion. They forshadow it in the beginning with the evil guy getting bit by a lion on his leg. Plus you can just tell.
 
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