SG Leonardo DiCaprio attacked by grizzly bear

It is the film that everyone predicted would win DiCaprio that elusive Oscar for Best Actor. But early screenings hit headlines for far more shocking reasons.

DiCaprio probably didn't help matters when he spoke of the "intimacy of both man and beast" in the controverisal scene. Early audiences were left shocked and disturbed by the graphic scenes in his new film where a grizzly bear attacks the actor's character, Hugh Glass.

SG Is this the moment a grizzly bear mounts Leonardo DiCaprio?

The furore concentrated on the moment when teh bear appears to mount DiCaprio from behind and somehow it took on a sexual element. Rumours and accusations spread like wildfire on the internet and threatened to overshadow the artistic merit (and promotional campaign) of the prestige project The studio was forced to issue an urgent statement when a shocking story broke on the internet. “The bear flips Leo over and thrusts and thrusts during the explicit mauling,” said one report. “He is raped – twice.”

SG The start of the attack

"The bear flips Glass over on his belly and molests him– dry humps him actually," wrote another after seeing the film. The internet exploded, with one site even going so far as to declare "DICAPRIO RAPED BY BEAR IN MOVIE." And now DiCaprio himself has made comments which will only fuel the flames of controversy. SCROLL DOWN TO WATCH THE SHOCKING TRAILER WITH THE ATTACK

SG

DiCaprio made the incendiary comments while praising the achivements of the film's director, Alejandro González Iñárritu. "What he achieves cinematicallyis something that I think is very ground-breaking, and that is the ability for an audience to be in a sort of very raw, violent, savage bear attack, yet feel the intimacy of both man and beast. "You feel the sweat, and the heat coming off the animal. "It's almost like he awakens other senses within you as an audience member, and you feel like you're some voyeuristic animal watching something that you shouldn't be watching."

SG

The Revenant is based on Michael Punke's 2002 novel of the same name and inspired by the life of frontiersman Hugh Glass (c. 1780–1833). Our clip from the trailer shows the terrible moment the grizzly bear throws Glass down and climbs on top of him. Ravaging, rampaging grizzlybears are not all that Glass has to deal with, though. Tom Hardy turns in another terrifying performance as the nasty John Fitzgerald. His despicable acts set Glass on a course of vengeance that fuel this blood-soaked film. UPDATE: SCROLL DOWN FOR THE OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM THE FILM STUDIO ABOUT THE CONTROVERSIAL SCENE

The horrific attack is described in vivid detail in the original book. "The grizzly dropped to all fours and was on him. Glass rolled into a ball, desperate to protect his face and chest. She bit into the back of his neck and lifted him off the ground, shaking him so hard that Glass wondered if his spine might snap. He felt the crunch of her teeth striking the bone of his shoulder blade. Claws raked repeatedly through the flesh of his back and scalp. He screamed in agony. She dropped him, then sank her teeth deep into his thigh and shook him again, lifting him and throwing him to the ground with such force that he lay stunned— conscious, but unable to resist any further. He lay on his back staring up..."

Leonardo DiCaprio in pictures Wed, July 26, 2017 Leonardo DiCaprio's life and career in pictures. Play slideshow FilmMagic 1 of 29 Leonardo DiCaprio in pictures

OFFICIAL FOX STUDIOS STATEMENT: The makers of The Revenant, Fox Studios, have been forced to issue a statement about the alleged rape scene in the film. “As anyone who has seen the movie can attest, the bear in the film is a female who attacks Hugh Glass because she feels he might be threatening her cubs,” a Fox spokesperson said. "There is clearly no rape scene with a bear.” The studio is already on the defensive about the project after another early reviewer controversially declared that the extreme violence and brutality throughout made it unsuitable for female audiences. With DiCaprio one of the few film stars who is as big a draw for women as men, any negative advance press like this will be a huge concern for the studio.

GETTY This is what a grizzly bear having sex ACTUALLY looks like...

The sight of DiCaprio bloody and battered in The Revenant is a far cry from his suave and fragranced turn as Gatsby in The Great Gatsby or even his plucky hero Jack, who scrubs up rather well in Titanic This is just the latest shocking film from the former teen heartthrob. Di Caprio will laso be seen soon in the horrific story of America's most prolific serial killer, HH Holmes. The gruesome details of THAT stomach-turning true story are beyond belief.

SG Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy in The Revenant