L’HISTOIRE DE LA BETE DU GEVAUDAN
In Haute Loire, a mysterious beast, the Bête du Gevaudan, appeared in 1764. Its origins are not known and the reality of this story has been built up through years by the witnesses of many French people passing on the details of how this beast attacked 210 victims, killing 113 of them, leaving 89 of them partly eaten and ignoring 49 people so they could live to pass on their traumatic experience. Somehow, the beast seemed to only target humans over farm animals, many times witnesses reported attacks on humans while cattle were on the same field, which is why this beast took on the name of a “man eating wolf”.
The first attack was a woman attacked by a massive and dark creature but saved by the bulls present in the same field, which charged at the creature. The first victim was on June 30, 1764. A young 14 year old girl was killed near Les Hubacs (Langogne). After a group of seven friends were attacked by this same beast and managed to fight it off by staying close together, King Louis XV heard of the situation and sent professional wolf hunters to take care of this beast. Jean-Charles-Marc-Antoine Vaumesle d'Enneval, his son, and eight Bloodhounds were sent, they group arrived on February 17, 1765. After a few months without any result and still more victims, the king replaced them by François Antoine, harquebus (a rifle) bearer and Lieutenant for this hunt. Our hero ends up finding and killing a 2 foot 7 inch high and 5.6 foot long grey wolf weighting 130 pounds. Once declared as being the feared creature, the beast was stuffed and sent to Versailles where François Antoine was received as a hero. However, another creature quickly appeared and more victims were added to this massacre (12 more deaths to be precise). Jean Chastel was the one who took care of it, becoming the local hero.
This is the very boring story told by Wikipedia. Very accurate, very detailed, lots of names, precise dates, precise geographical keys, details on all parts of the attacks, almost giving colors of the clothing worn by each character in this story. The interesting version with my work crossed into a movie was made very short by the available sources. The most serious sources I found made this beast and mysterious story into a very random and logical boring one. What my sources seem to have tried to make invisible is the story that interests me (and you I am sure).
Jean Chastel, the hunter who killed the second beast in Wikipedia's story, is the one that made me want to go further into crossing stories. After his success in killing the creature, more details appeared about the way things happened. Jean would have been traditionally reading the Bible and praying before starting his hunt, when the beast came into his sight. Jean apparently had time to finish reading and praying before taking his rifle and shooting the beast with one of his home made silver bullets. Wikipedia gives us two arguments to show this situation would have been impossible. First, Jean could not have had time to finish reading since the beast usually attacked on sight... What if Jean Castel wasn't only a great shot but also a fast reader? What if the beast had actually not seen him right away? What if the beast had a poor vision and took a while realizing his next lunch was sitting there reading? Wikipedia’s second argument is that Jean Castel was often seen walking with a large red colored mastiff by his side and this could have been the feared monster trained by Jean himself, then killed to appear as a hero. This would also explain the resistance to bullets by the fact that the beast would be wearing a bullet proof jacket; Wikipedia calls this the “armored hide of a young boar”. Although, scientifically the “silver” bullets that were supposedly used would not have the accuracy nor the appropriate strength to even penetrate human skin.
In the movie “La Bête du Gevaudan” the beast is a dangerous, ugly, humongous, man eating, man trained killing machine. A secret society made this beast to keep the Gevaudan's population under control. Crossing these two versions, Jean Castel could have been the beast's keeper. However we want to see this story, this beast did exist, the victims did die, and the blood was spilled. The History Channel's professionals proved by going to Gevaudan that the beast could not have been just a huge wolf since they don't possess enough biting force to cut through human flesh, but rather that the descriptions available better suit an Asian hyena. The beast is not a large wolf; all the descriptions agree on one thing, the beast was a WOLF-LIKE creature. Wikipedia’s description portrays him with formidable teeth and an immense tails, reddish fur, and an unbearable odor (not sketchable).
THE MOVIE MAKING PROCESS
I have to admit, I did not think making this movie would be my ticket to hell. First I wrote a short story line, then decided it would be a “speed drawing”, story telling movie, then I grabbed a few friends and made them get out every single drop of stupid sounds and voices possible. I shot the videos, lots of them, of me sketching, ripped my hair out, then finally had my friends watch the footage and choose what they would give me. After hours of editing and struggling on Imovie (Mac), the movie is finally done. This movie is my way to see the Beast of Gevaudan story mixed with a little bit of stupidity... Well lots of it, but we had a great time making it and I hope you enjoy it.
No comments:
Post a Comment