The Whip and the Body Watch this title and more with Spectrum TV Shop Spectrum's Plans. AVAILABLE ON BLU-RAY AND DVD. [6] The DVD was sourced from a 35mm print of the film. Abstract. [4] The Whip and the Body was released in Italy on 29 August 1963 through Titanus. A vengeful witch and her fiendish servant return from the grave and begin a bloody campaign to possess the body of the witch's beautiful look-alike descendant, with only the girl's brother and a handsome doctor standing in her way. To what end can these erotic hauntings lead? The Whip and the Body is a solid tale of haunting, though Bava is more concerned with the creep factor in the bodice-ripping love triangle than he is jump scares, gore, or your basic bump-in-the-night material. Certificate: GP As she lies on the beach, clothes-torn and wailing with masochistic pleasure, the terrified horse tries to avoid the incoming tide. Prodigal son Kurt Menliff (Christopher Lee) returns to the family castle, ostensibly to congratulate his brother Christian (Tony Kendall) on his recent wedding to Nevenka (Daliah Lavi). The answer for our protagonist, Navenka (Daliah Lavi), is that they can't. He finds that his fiance (Daliah Lavi) has married his brother, as well as having become the mistress of his father. [4] The film grossed a total of 72 million Italian lire. ITALY. in the US; NIGHT IS THE PHANTOM in the UK, etc. More adult in nature than your average horror film of the time, THE WHIP AND THE BODY is a superior erotic ghost story, lovingly presented with the maestro’s grand sense of style and giving genre stalwart Christopher Lee his best role of his 1960s Italian tenure. The credited screenwriters are Ernesto Gastaldi (as Julian Berry), Ugo Guerra (as Robert Hugo) and Luciano Martino (as Martin Hardy). A tourist spends the night in a derelict Spanish villa seemingly held in the supernatural grip of an eccentric butler, who resembles a depiction of the Devil she had seen on an ancient fresco. Even now it remains a profoundly misunderstood film and should be seen in a theater in its complete form instead of on video.J.F. Horror 88 Mins 1963. Starts 11/23/2020 Expires 11/23/2022. Meanwhile, Nevenka married Cristiano (Tony Kendall), Kurt's younger brother. [7], In contemporary reviews, The Monthly Film Bulletin reviewed the 77-minutes English-dubbed version titled Night is the Phantom in 1965. 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. The spirit of a murdered man (Christopher Lee) returns to terrorize people in a castle. The Whip and the Body Movie Rating NR, 1 hr 28 min Movie More Info. (film)" redirects here. 14 rating. Description. svg-play Play. Maestro Bava immediately followed up with The Whip and the Body (La frusta e il corpo), a startlingly original scare show with an unexpectedly adult theme: sadomasochism. Nevena (Lavi) is about to be married when her ex-lover Kurt (Lee), soon to be her brother-in-law, shows up. Since this was the early-'60s, there was, of course, no nudity, but filmmakers found a way around that aspect to display their "perversions". "[4] The film was then later re-released in January 1964. 17 of 21 people found this review helpful. [6] A Blu-ray of the film was released by Kino on December 17, 2013. Now, Kurt is dead but a series of events hints that his ghost has started to haunt the castle for revenge. The Whip and the Body is a gothic horror fantasy that finds Bava at the peak of his visual prowess. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. [4] Gastaldi described that he felt about the story “in terms of a psychological nightmare, in the style of Clouzot's films, but Bava saw in it a baroque and decadent drama, and emphasized such tones beyond belief.”[4][10], From retrospective reviews, Slant Magazine gave the film four and a half stars out of five, stating that the film found "Bava at the peak of his visual prowess"[11] Online film database AllMovie found that Bava's "exceptional visual style helps to lift an otherwise gloomy picture". This version was dubbed in English with none of the actors dubbing their own voices. View production, box office, & company info. (1963). But genuine suspense is maintained throughout. About the Author - Patrick Bromley. [3] Both the American and English versions of the films were heavily edited, in particular having all the whipping scenes removed, causing the film to be incomprehensible. A couple is terrorized in their new house haunted by the vengeful ghost of the woman's former husband, who possesses their young son. Add the first question. The Whip and The Body. Steeped in sadomasochism and lushly photographed in the vivid hues for which the director is known, Mario Bava's THE WHIP AND THE BODY is a Gothic thriller that far surpasses the API Edgar Allan Poe films that it was intended to emulate. Christopher Lee has stated that this is one of his best films. The Whip and the Body is, as far as I can tell, the more obscure and less loved of the two, and yet it is the richer and more thematically complete tale by far. Which is your favorite Christopher Lee villain character? The most overtly sexual and challenging of Mario Bava's gothic masterpieces, The Whip and the Body was released the same year as his far more famous Black Sabbath and was largely overshadowed, largely due to rampant censorship difficulties. [5], A Region 1 DVD of The Whip and the Body was released by VCI on 31 October 2000 with an 88-minute running time. "[9] The review commented on the technical elements of the film, stating "superb" cinematography but that the script had "many preposterous lines, and is far to cluttered with cliches such as screams in the night, hurried chases and mystery lights in the crypt. Menliff is later found murdered, but the locals believe his ghost has returned to haunt the castle for revenge. After the announcement of the servant Losat, the nobleman Kurt Menliff returns to the castle of his family at the seaside to congratulate his brother Christian Menliff for his marriage with his former lover Nevenka. Since this was the early-'60s, there was, of course, no nudity, but filmmakers found a way around that aspect to display their "perversions". [7] The Blu-ray contained a Tim Lucas audio commentary and theatrical trailers. [4] The film poster was to be destroyed and condemned the chief press officer at Titanus to three months on probation. On the next days, the members of the family suspects of each other while Nevenka is haunted by the ghost of Kurt. A cleaver-wielding bridal designer murders various young brides-to-be in an attempt to unlock a repressed childhood trauma. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Kurt feels the hatred and the fear of his father Count Menliff and the servant Giorgia, who blames him for seducing and killing her daughter, and indifference from his cousin Katia. [1], The film's sadomasochistic theme caused trouble with censors in Italy. RUNNING TIME: 86 min. On the next days, the members of the family suspects of each other while Nevenka is haunted by the ghost of Kurt. The lead role would seem perfect for Barbara Steele, but it went instead to the exotic Dahlia Lavi. She loves it and they end the session making love. [1] A 77-minute version titled What! 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. The next day Kurt is found dead and Daliah soon begins experiencing nightly flagellations at the hands of his ghost. [4] The film was declared that it contained "several sequences that refer to degenerations and anomalies of sexual life. Title: An industrialist invites his colleagues and their wives to relax on his private island so they can exploit the monetary value of one of the guests' revolutionary resin formula, but a killer within the group disrupts the proceedings. A mystery novel-loving American tourist witnesses a murder in Rome, and soon finds herself and her suitor caught up in a series of killings. The Year of Magical Drinking: Mads Mikkelsen and Thomas Vinterberg on ‘Another Round’. The film is about Kurt Menliff (Christopher Lee) who is ostracized by his father for his relationship with a servant girl and her eventual suicide. Our editors have rounded up their most anticipated horror movies of the year. A sexually potent tale contrasting with API’s Edgar Allen Poe adaptations, The Whip and the Body ain’t The Pit and the Pendulum. Horror. Until video (with somewhat faded color) it was impossible to see in its original form. It is certainly one of the most brilliantly bizarre horror films ever made. REVIEWED BY: Dr Lenera, Official HCF Critic The ghost of a sadistic nobleman attempts to rekindle his romance with his terrorized, masochistic former lover, who is unwillingly affianced to his brother. The film opens with the silhouette of a rider on the beach at sunset. On the same night, Kurt is killed under curious circumstances, with the same dagger Tania had committed suicide with. Though the giallo genre is often known for its reliance on graphic violence, Bava’s film is … He follows her to the beach and whips her savagely. Was this review helpful to you? A sumptuous visual masterpiece dripping with sadomasochistic eroticism, The Whip and the Body is the most beautiful of all Bava’s films. He later returns to reclaim his title and his former fiancée Nevenka (Daliah Lavi) who is now his brother's wife. The review noted that the film contained a "strong, witty script and one of the finest casts the Italian director ever worked with" resulting in "a solid horror film that works on multiple levels. Sumptuous and erotic, THE WHIP AND THE BODY infuses horror with beauty, sex and tragedy as only the gothic horror maestro Bava can. of Variety noted that "for sophisitcated audiences, the gothic-novel atmosphere and trappings of secret passages, muddy footprints from the crypt and ghost lover, probably will draw more laughs than gasps. "[9], In 1970, screenwriter Ernesto Gastaldi stated that the film disappointed him. However, Kurt had an affair with Tania, the daughter of Menliffs' servant Giorgia (Harriet Medin), and Tania committed suicide because of Kurt's prospective marriage. He later returns to reclaim his title and his former fiancée Nevenka (Daliah Lavi) who is now his brother's wife. Check out our editors' picks for the best movies and shows coming this month. Kurt feels the hatred and the fear of his father Count Menliff and the servant Giorgia, who blames him for seducing and killing her daughter, and indifference from his cousin Katia. Best Selling in DVDs & Blu-ray Discs. These movies, which emerged from Continental Europe in astonishing numbers between the 1960s and the 1980s, inject sadomasochism into horror, blending sex and violence in an unsettling fashion rarely seen in Anglo-American genre cinema. [1] Bava took care of the cinematography for the film while his regular camera man Ubaldo Terzano is credited as the cinematographer. 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