La frusta e il corpo

As I slowly get to watch more Mario Bava movies my enthusiasm for his extraordinary body of work grows and grows. I was already hooked after watching 'Black Sunday' for the first time, but after subsequently seeing 'Kill, Baby...Kill!', 'Planet Of The Vampires', 'Black Sabbath', 'Diabolik' and 'Lisa And The Devil' (and others) I was convinced that he's THE most underrated director of the Fantastic. Now I've watched 'The Whip And The Body' three times and listened to Tim Lucas' informative DVD commentary I'm almost ready to bow down and worship Bava like a god! This is such a fascinating movie... Visually it's stunning, as to be expected, Bava being a top cinematographer before turning to directing. The subject matter is still provocative, but forty years ago it must have been scandalous! In fact the movie was heavily censored and when eventually released in America given the lousy title 'What'. Christopher Lee counts this among his favourite roles and it is essential viewing for his fans. He plays Kurt Menliff, an evil sadistic nobleman returning to his family home after hearing his younger brother has wed. Lee's family has disowned him after a scandal concerning a servant girl he seduced who subsequently suicided. His father the Count despises him, the dead girl's mother, who still works for the Count, curses him, and his brother's new bride Nevenka (Daliah Lavi) fears him. Kurt and Nevenka have a past, not only that, a complicated sadomasochistic relationship. The whipping scenes between the two actors were a bit too much for the censors to handle back in the day, and while they aren't all that explicit, they are still unsettling even today. Lee and the stunning Lavi (best know to most people for her later appearance in the star-studded Bond spoof 'Casino Royale') make a truly unforgettable couple. Many people regard 'The Whip And The Body' as Bava's single best movie. I wouldn't go that far myself, but it's definitely one of his very best films, and is sure to impress anyone who has enjoyed his other pictures. Ghost story, murder mystery, psychosexual character study, whatever you want to call it, it's a highly original movie that will stay with you for a long time. Newcomers to Bava are still best to start with 'Black Sunday' in my opinion, but this movie comes with my highest recommendation.

"The Whip and the Body" is an amazingly kinky film--and it surprised me a bit in this regard. It has scenes of sado-masochism, as a female character in the film likes to be beaten before having sex. Because of this you MIGHT wanna think twice before showing this to your kids or grandma.

This is a Gothic horror film with a nice ambiance and excellent music--though the same tune is overused a bit through the course of the film. The fun begins when the long-disgraced older son (Christopher Lee) arrives after a long absence. Exactly what he'd done isn't spelled out all that clearly, but you know it resulted in the death of a servant and that he's been disinherited. Soon, Lee is off having fun, beating a member of the family and making love to her...and she likes it! Now you THINK Lee has returned to get some sort of revenge on his family, so I was surprised he took out time for this kinky tryst. And, surprise, surprise, before he can start his plans of revenge, he's stabbed to death! But, through the course of the film, it seems as if he's returned from the dead, and very bad things start to happen...along with some more kinky whippings.

The payoff for this tale is pretty good and it's a good film with a nice print. But, it's also a bit uncomfortable watching the kinky stuff, so I certainly can't recommend it without some reservations.

By the way, the DVD for this Italian film is dubbed, not subtitled. And, oddly, although you can tell that Lee was speaking English, it's NOT his voice--it, along with the rest, have been dubbed. As for me, I always prefer subtitled.

Whip and the Body, The (1963)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Christopher Lee plays a sadistic nobleman who returns home to terrorize his family after leaving home years earlier after forcing his girlfriend to commit suicide. Soon he is found dead with his throat slit and soon after he ghost begins to appear as more bodies start to pile up. All the praise thrown on director Bava is certainly needed because it's obvious he could take some mud and make it look wonderful but that doesn't mean all his films turn out great. I think the biggest flaw with this film is the rather weak story, which doesn't really contain any shocks and it's fairly simple to figure out what's going on so in the end, when the climax happens, there's no real shocks. Christopher Lee turns in a terrific performance, even though, for some reason, his voice is dubbed in the English language version. That fantastic look that Lee brings says all we need to know about his character. The supporting cast isn't as impressive but they fit their roles just fine. The cinematography is top notch and the use of lighting is also what makes this film stand apart from others in this era.

A Gothic tale of depravity and horror with some exquisite scenery to enjoy along with perfectly selected music.

Kurt Menliff (Cristopher Lee) has been banished from home, and when he returns, fear sets in everywhere. As it should, given that his fiancé (Daliah Lavi) married his brother (Tony Kendall) and is sleeping with his father (Gustavo De Nardo). He has some unusual sexual tastes and preferences, which Nevenka (Lavi) shares.

A classic ghost story in a spooky setting with some very good performances. An expected ending did not diminish the enjoyment of the film one bit.

After the announcement of the servant Losat (Alan Collins), the nobleman Kurt Menliff (Christopher Lee) returns to the castle of his family at the seaside to congratulate his brother Christian Menliff (Tony Kendall) for his marriage with his former lover Nevenka (Daliah Lavi). Kurt feels the hatred and the fear of his father Count Menliff (Dean Ardow) and the servant Giorgia (Harriet White), who blames him for seducing and killing her daughter, and indifference from his cousin Katia (Isli Oberon). On the next afternoon, the sadistic Kurt meets Nevenka riding a horse alone on the beach and whips the masochistic woman and makes love with her. Late night, Nevenka is missing and everybody is seeking her while Kurt is stabbed in the neck with the same dagger that Giorgia's daughter was murdered. On the next days, the members of the family suspects of each other while Nevenka is haunted by the ghost of Kurt.

"The Whip and the Body" is a stylish and one of the best features of Mario Bava that uses a magnificent cinematography, lighting and shadows and a classy soundtrack. The acting is great and the only problem is that the Ámerican DVD is awfully dubbed in English, without the synchrony of the movements of the lips with the speech. However, I have just watched this movie again in a Brazilian DVD spoken in Italian. The truth about the supernatural story is not difficult to be guessed what is happening by an attentive viewer. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "O Chicote e o Corpo" ("The Whip and the Body")

Note: On 01 October 2014 I saw this movie again.