Question on "Brotherhood of the Wolf" (SPOILERS)

[Ash]

!!!!If you haven't seen this film yet then don't read any further because the question I have concerns the beast in it and will ruin the movie for you if read.!!!!!

My question is this:  What the hell was the animal (beast) that was wearing the armor?  They stated that it was brought back from Africa.  The man (villain) with the bad disfigured arm said early in the film that he was attacked by a lion but in the end when the hero strokes the upper eyelid of it I can't tell what it was.  Was it a lion?  Was it a tiger?  Was it a bear?  Oh my!

I have to say that I highly enjoyed this film and have even considered purchasing it for my collection.  It's one of those movies where you just have to let yourself go and take it in for all that it is, which is MANY MANY things!

[Foywonder]

It was a lion in armor that had been specially trained.

Check out this link which is about the actual legend the movie was inspired by. You could still make a really good movie based on the original legend.

http://www.angelfire.com/biz2/bizzareworld/beastofgevauden.html

[Gerry]

Foywonder wrote:
>
> It was a lion in armor that had been specially trained.
>

I've also heard it suggested that it was a giant hyena, but I can't remember for the life of me what the source is.  Personally I prefer the lion theory.

[Anonymous User]

Hyena? No way. Look at the Beast's eyes, teeth and tongue. Look at the golden fur surrounding the eyes in two scenes (the end, and the scene where the Beast backs the woman against the wall in that small house).

Lion.

[Foywonder]

I know its a lion because I read an interview with the director where he specifically said it was a lion. Besides, hyenas don't get that big.

[C Reynolds]

I just watched this film for the first time last night, and it was great. Although the first hour wasn't hugely exciting, it really picked up speed when the beast attacks Gregoire de Fronsac in the barn; highlights for me were:

Gregoire and Manni setting traps for the beast like the end of predator. Naturally the beast is no match for Mark Dacascos' kung fu

Gregoire turning into Rambo and launching a one-man attack on the villain's hideout.

Gregoire and Jean fighting at the end. Jean has a really bizarre sort of wooden sword that splits into pieces that left me open-mouthed the first time he used it.

Despite Gregoire starting to fall in love, he makes a bee-line for the nearest brothel at the first opportunity and sleeps with the most expensive prostitute in the place.

By the way, in a documentary on the DVD, the consultant for the movie says that the beast in the movie is supposed to be a lion, although historically it was more likely to have been a dog-wolf hybrid. One thing that did confuse me was why Jean's arm was deformed. If he was telling the truth early on about his arm being savaged by the lion, why did he claim to have lost the arm through gangrene?

[Anonymous User]

Good question.

One thing that confused ME was that Our Hero is supposed to be a widely-travelled naturalist and taxidermist, yet he's puzzled by the Beast, even when he gets close enough to clearly see what it is.

African lions were certainly known to well-educated and cosmopolitan 18th century Europeans. They appeared in art and stories, in traveller's tales and on royal and noble coats of arms as far north as England.  Yet Gregoire does not seem to know exactly what the Beast is.

[BoyScoutKevin]

The fact that it is supposedly a lion is the biggest problem I have with the film. A lion is a cat like animal, so it withdraws its claws into its paw sheaths; therefore, its tracks would leave no claw marks. A wolf, on the other hand, is a dog like animal, so it cannot withdraw its claws into its paw sheaths; therefore, its tracks would leave claw marks. Therefore, there is no way that the experienced hunters and trackers in the film would mistake the Beast for a wolf.
As for its being a possible hyena, I'll take possible credit for that one. Having posted on some other board or the other, a long time ago, that the beast might have been a hyena. It might not be a hyena, but, I can't accept the fact that it is a lion. Enjoyable film nevertheless. Watch and enjoy!

[Lee]

Really cool flick that I plan on adding to the collection(saw it on the big screen with a nearly theatre). But I think they kinda misstepped by not going with the supernatural angle(assuming it's supossed to be a really huge, tough lion). It's a fantasy for crying out loud, it doesn't need to be 100% realistic!