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IMDbPro

Le duo de la mort

Original title: Femina ridens
  • 1969
  • R
  • 1h 30m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
Philippe Leroy and Dagmar Lassander in Le duo de la mort (1969)
Witness the ultimate subjugation of a woman to serve the most twisted desires of man in the achingly hip ‘n' horny Femina Ridens, where the kinkiest urges are played to a deadly conclusion…
The beautifully sensuous Dagmar Lassander stars as Maria, the living sex toy of Dr Sayer (Philippe Leroy) who delights in killing women at the point of orgasm. Sayer's prolonged campaign of degradation pushes Maria right to the edge of death but the spell she casts on him will lead to the most extraordinary climax of a lifetime!

Stylish, imaginative and deliciously twisted, this kitschy 60s pop art erotica-fest boasts gorgeous set design, an even more alluring leading lady and a heady desire to please the viewer with increasingly bizarre and dangerous sex games.

Rebuilding The Frightened Woman has been a labour of love but thanks to the work of genre expert Marc Morris the Shameless version of The Frightened Woman runs at 86m 03secs compared to the 83m 25 secs run time supplied by the licensor.

In order to create this new Shameless version they have used a wide variety of source materials that widely vary in quality but they believe that the end result shows off the film in the complete form it has long deserved to be celebrated in including the correct colour palette.

Shameless have kept director Piero Schivazappa informed throughout the process and asked him to watch through it for them and see if he could give it his seal of approval. He kindly sat through it, with script in hand and felt that, "it is as faithful as it can be to the original script", and was very happy to see the film brought back to life in this Shameless version declaring, "This IS the version of my film to watch."

Shameless Screen Entertainment release The Frightened Woman on DVD. The Shameless director approved cut will run at 86m 03secs and is being released uncut by the BBFC for the first time in the UK.
Play trailer1:14
1 Video
99+ Photos
Thriller

A rich man with a penchant for degrading women subjects a female journalist to unpleasant S&M games, but, unbeknownst to him, she's the one who's manipulating him.A rich man with a penchant for degrading women subjects a female journalist to unpleasant S&M games, but, unbeknownst to him, she's the one who's manipulating him.A rich man with a penchant for degrading women subjects a female journalist to unpleasant S&M games, but, unbeknownst to him, she's the one who's manipulating him.

  • Director
    • Piero Schivazappa
  • Writers
    • Piero Schivazappa
    • Paolo Levi
    • Giuseppe Zaccariello
  • Stars
    • Philippe Leroy
    • Dagmar Lassander
    • Lorenza Guerrieri
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.8/10
    1.7K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Piero Schivazappa
    • Writers
      • Piero Schivazappa
      • Paolo Levi
      • Giuseppe Zaccariello
    • Stars
      • Philippe Leroy
      • Dagmar Lassander
      • Lorenza Guerrieri
    • 22User reviews
    • 45Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    The Frightened Woman
    Trailer 1:14
    The Frightened Woman

    Photos119

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    + 115
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    Top cast13

    Edit
    Philippe Leroy
    Philippe Leroy
    • Dr. Sayer
    Dagmar Lassander
    Dagmar Lassander
    • Maria
    Lorenza Guerrieri
    Lorenza Guerrieri
    • Gida
    Varo Soleri
    • Administrator
    Maria Cumani Quasimodo
    Maria Cumani Quasimodo
    • Sayer's Secretary
    Mirella Pamphili
    Mirella Pamphili
    • Streetwalker
    Manlio Dalla Pria
    • Politician
    • (uncredited)
    Salvatore Furnari
    Salvatore Furnari
    • Dwarf
    • (uncredited)
    John Karlsen
    John Karlsen
    • Manservant
    • (uncredited)
    Gennarino Pappagalli
    • Passerby
    • (uncredited)
    Osvaldo Peccioli
    • Politician
    • (uncredited)
    Filippo Perego
    • Politician
    • (uncredited)
    Karen Valenti
    Karen Valenti
    • Musician on the Train
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Piero Schivazappa
    • Writers
      • Piero Schivazappa
      • Paolo Levi
      • Giuseppe Zaccariello
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews22

    6.81.6K
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    Featured reviews

    lazarillo

    The less that is sometimes more

    A young journalist, kind of a tame 60's Euro version of a feminist, finds herself kidnapped by a deranged male artist. He shows her photographs of a number of a women he claims to have killed, and promises to do the same to her when he's finished having his way with her. She seems to develop a case of Stockholm syndrome and soon becomes his willing playmate. But at the end neither of the them turns out to be what they initially appear (to give you just a hint, this movie is alternatively called either "The Frightened Woman" and "The Laughing Woman"). The plot of this movie resembles both the earlier film "The Collector" and the later "The Story of O", but it is very different from either. It also somewhat resembles the contemporary Japanese "pinku" movies, but is much more tame. Like other Italian movies released by Radley Metzger's Audobon Films (i.e. "La Matriarca)it kind of resembles one of Metzger's own films as well, but it is really its own unique creature.

    With the possible exception of Metzger's "The Punishment of Anne" (which I've never seen) this might be the best version of a B-and-D/S- and-M film. (Granted, that's not saying much). This movie works as a B-and-D fantasy because it really explores the relationship and the ever-shifting nature of power between the dominant and submissive partner, and also because, even more importantly, it STAYS at the level of fantasy. In America they are so nervous about this subject for some reason that it is actually illegal to tie someone up in a hardcore porno movie. This may not be such a bad thing though because in countries like France and Germany, which have no such compunctions, the introduction of a hardcore footage into a B-and-D plot creates a jarring realism so at odds with the psychosexual fantasy that the whole thing, far from being exciting and disturbing, is mostly just silly and stupid. (There are also, of course, plenty of people who actually live this "lifestyle", but the less said of them the better).

    The much more subtle, even tame approach really works here (for me). I especially enjoyed the pop-art set design and the kind of Freudian obsessions that were big in those days (i.e. one of the artists sculpture's looks like giant vagina dentata). The movie really doesn't get much more racy than Dagmar Lassender dancing around in an unraveling paper dress (but then again you ought to SEE Dagmar Lassender dance around in an unraveling paper dress), or more violent than some of the slide photographs the artist shows of his previous murder victims(which may not be genuine). I'm sure this arty and rather mild movie will disappoint both the serious porn addicts and the truly perverted S-and-M/bondage freaks, but for all of us curious (but not THAT curious) Euro movie fans it's a pretty decent way to go.
    9christopher-underwood

    a visual and aural delight

    It could not have come from a different country nor from a different time. This movie simply oozes psychedelia influenced late 60s Italian cinema. So, pseudo serious and sexually free. Sumptuous settings and dreamy music make this a visual and aural delight. Plus we get the lovely Dagmar Lassander, surely at her very best looking. The kinky goings on make for a wild ride and if the romps amidst the Mimosa towards the end seem overlong it is but another rather charming trait of the time. You were probably expected to split those few minutes between the screen and your girlfriend and it does of course herald a twist in the proceedings. It might have been better if Philippe Leroy didn't look quite so odd with his fraying red hair and twisted facial expression. He does well though and has many silent moments where Dagmar is cavorting and he has to show a mixture of love and hate. Not an ordinary narrative film by any means but for those who like that something different, this is certainly that.
    7Coventry

    Go get 'em, Tigress!

    Shameless Screen Entertainment is a relatively new and British (I think) DVD-label, specializing in smutty and excessively violent cult movies – mostly Italian ones - from the glorious eras when everything was possible, namely from the late 60's up until the mid-80's. The label's selection feels like a crossover between the oeuvres of "Mondo Macabro" and "No Shame" (they probably even borrowed the name of the latter) and they already released some really rare sick Italian puppies like "Ratman", "My Dear Killer", "Killer Nun", "Phantom of Death" and "Torso". "The Frightened Woman" was completely unknown to me, but since fellow reviewers from around here, whose opinions I hugely value, described it as one of the greatest and most mesmerizing psychedelic euro-sexploitation movies of its era, I didn't hesitate to pick it up. This is a very weird film and probably not suitable for about 99% of the average cinema-loving audiences. If you're part of that remaining 1%, however, you're in for a really unique treat. The style, atmosphere and content are similar to Jess Franco's "Succubus" and Massimo Dallamano's "Venus in Furs", yet they're both widely considered as classics whereas "The Frightened Woman" is virtually unknown. It's all a matter of profiling and good marketing, I guess. The story revolves on a literally filthy rich doctor (he lives in a gigantic secluded mansion, owns multiple old-timer cars and has a very impressive collection of artsy relics including a life-size mannequin doll replica of himself) with a bizarre and slightly offbeat attitude towards women. He considers them a threat for the survival of the male race and thus spends his days kidnapping, humiliating and sexually abusing random he picks up from the street. Dr. Sayer then abducts the ambitious journalist Maria with the intention to completely crush her female spirit, but he slowly falls for her. Just he starts to believe in actual love, she strikes back with a vengeance. This really isn't for everyone, but if you can appreciate moody & sinisterly sexy ambiances, bizarre scenery toys and psychedelic touches that seem utterly implausible and surreal, you can consider this one a top recommendation. It's slow, stylishly sleazy and totally bonkers… Shameless Entertainment, all right!
    7andre-71

    has to be seen and rated in its time

    From today's point of view it is quite ridiculous to rate this film 18 (or X in the US). The film has a sexual, yet sublime erotic story to tell, but the pictures are rather innocent. Throughout the movie you feel and see the spirit of the late 60s and early 70s in the fashion, the dialogues and the typical experimental cinematography and lighting. And this is exactly the part that makes it worth seeing.
    7The_Void

    Curious sixties sexploitation flick

    The Frightened Woman is a curious piece of Eurocult, much along the same lines as the films that Jess Franco was churning out around the same time. The film very much captures the feel of late sixties to early seventies European cinema and the atmosphere is definitely the film's best asset. It's lucky that the film will to appeal to fans of this sort of film too, as the idea behind the central plot line is pretty damn ridiculous! I'm not sure if there was some sort of paranoid science related thing happening in Italy in the late sixties, but films like this and the bizarre Giallo Death Laid an Egg suggest to me that something was going on... Anyway, our lead character, Dr. Sayer, has somehow got it into his head that women are taking steps to eliminate the need for men, and so he kidnaps a young lady named Maria. It turns out that he actually does this sort of thing all the time, and has got into the habit of killing his partner every time he has sex. However, things take a turn for the unexpected when Maria convinces him to change his ways.

    Naturally, the entire film is really rather pointless; and while The Frightened Woman isn't exactly a thrill ride, there's still some interest. The speeches from the lead man are interesting in a completely nonsensical sort of way. The acting is typically trashy, although the leads; Philippe Leroy and Dagmar Lassander give decent leading performances considering the type of film. The majority of the film centres around the forced relationship between the two central characters, and this is somewhat the film's downfall. The problem is that what they're doing isn't always all that interesting; and the relaxed flow of the film means that it can become a bit dreary at times. The locations are good, however, and the bachelor pad in which most of the action takes place is a good representative of the period in which the film was made. As a 'battle of the sexes', it has to be said that The Frightened Woman veers more towards femininity, which is odd considering the way that women are usually treated in Eurocult cinema. Overall, I wouldn't recommend anyone going out of their way to find this film; but if you're a fan of trashy Jess Franco stuff, you might just like this too.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Dagmar Lassander said this was her personal favorite among her movies.
    • Goofs
      When the train passes, full of musicians playing woodwinds, they are all seen blowing their instruments almost 10 seconds before a single saxophone is heard on the soundtrack, and then the musician's fingering doesn't match the sustained notes heard.
    • Quotes

      Voice over Loudspeaker.: [in typically bright, matter-of-fact announcer's voice] Aries, with Mars on the ascendant, tends to produce a homosexuality. If you were born on one of the last days of the month, these inclinations towards inversion will be confined to the subconscious. Taurus, with Venus on the ascendant, will favor narcissism and masturbation. The tranquilizing influence of the full moon at the moment of birth channels the onanistic instinct toward extroversion. Gemini, with Mercury on the ascendant, will emphasize masochism and sadism. If you were born during the early morning hours, your tendency will be towards masochism, with a sublimation of the sadistic urge. Cancer, with the Moon on the ascendant, highlights necrophilia. However, as the subject will rarely find occasion to indulge in this practice, most Cancerians will be drawn to scopophilism as a satisfying alternative. If the moon was in the first quarter at the time of birth, these tendencies will be manifested in a perfectly straightforward way. You have been listening to "Sexual Aberrations and the Stars."

    • Alternate versions
      The initial 1998 UK Salvation video was cut by 16 secs by the BBFC to remove photographic shots of women being tortured, though the later re-release mistakenly featured the uncut version. The 2008 Shameless DVD was fully uncut and featured an extended version with additional footage.
    • Connections
      Featured in Eurotika!: So Sweet, So Perverse (1999)
    • Soundtracks
      Femina Ridens
      Written by Giulia De Mutiis (as DeMutiis), Piero Schivazappa (as Schivazappa) and Stelvio Cipriani (as Cipriani)

      Sung by Olympia

      With the participation of Alessandro Alessandroni's Cantori Moderni Di Alessandroni (as Alessandro Alessandroni's 'Modern Singers')

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    FAQ13

    • How long is The Laughing Woman?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 4, 1969 (Italy)
    • Country of origin
      • Italy
    • Language
      • Italian
    • Also known as
      • Jeu d'amour, jeu de mort
    • Filming locations
      • Italy(Exterior)
    • Production company
      • Cemo Film
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 30 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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    Philippe Leroy and Dagmar Lassander in Le duo de la mort (1969)
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