The Whip and the Body

Director: Mario Bava Mario Bava

Overview

Marred by controversy at the time of its release, this horror fantasy from Italy's legendary horror director Mario Bava centers on the twisted desires of a nobleman's son (Christopher Lee). Lee is ostracized by his father for his dalliances with a servant girl (who later commits suicide), but is allowed to return to the fold by his brother, whose lovely wife (Dahlia Lavi) immediately becomes the object of Lee's mad lust. Lee is later found murdered, along with several other victims from the surrounding village, leading superstitious locals to believe that Lee's evil spirit has returned to destroy them; the twist ending reveals the real evil at work. The kinky, sadomasochistic relationship between Lee and Lavi raised more than a few censors' eyebrows, leading to some harsh cuts.

Product Details

Release Date:	12/17/2013
UPC:	0738329123024
Original Release:	1963
Rating:	NR
Source:	Kino Classics
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:27:00
Sales rank:	50,330

Special Features

Audio commentary by Tim Lucas, author of Mario Bava: All the Colors of the Dark; Theatrical trailer; Original trailers of other Bava films

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Daliah Lavi	Novenka
Tony Kendall	Christian Menliff
Christopher Lee	Kurt Menliff
Isli Oberon	Katia
Harriet White	Giorgia
Dean Ardow	Count Menliff
Alan Collins	Losat
Jacques Herlin	Priest
Ida Galli	Actor
Harriet Medin	Actor
Haniet White	Giorgia
Carlo Rustichelli	Composer

Technical Credits

Ernesto Gastaldi

Ugo Guerra

Luciano Martini

Luciano Martino

Mario Bava	Director
Ernesto Gastaldi	Screenwriter
Ugo Guerra	Screenwriter
Luciano Martini	Screenwriter
Luciano Martino	Screenwriter
Federico Magnaghi	Producer

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- The Whip and the Body
1. Kurt Is Back [:09]
2. Lover Of Violence [7:39]
3. Dagger [9:44]
4. Funeral [9:01]
5. Stormy Night [9:27]
6. Haunted [9:34]
7. Death In The Family [9:45]
8. The Scream [7:52]
9. Believing In Ghosts [7:56]
10. Open Casket [6:24]
11. Chapter 11 [9:19]

Menu

Disc #1 -- The Whip and the Body
   Play Film
   Chapters
   Trailers
      The Whip And The Body
      Black Sunday
      A Bay Of Blood
      Baron Blood
      Lisa And The Devil
   Set Up
      Audio Options
         Italian
         English
         French
      Commentary By Tim Lucas, Author Of Mario Bava: All The Colors Of The Dark
      English Subtitles
         English Subtitles: On
         English Subtitles: Off

Editorial Reviews

Combining spooks, slayings, and sadomasochism, director Mario Bava's La Frusta E Il Corpo was a controversial film upon its release in 1963 and remains a disturbing, curious effort. Bava's exceptional visual style helps to lift an otherwise gloomy picture and makes its deliberate pacing easier to bear as the story of two families haunted by evil deeds plays out. Add in a strong, witty script and one of the finest casts the Italian director ever worked with, and the result is a solid horror film that works on multiple levels. Christopher Lee is highly effective in the role of a man so evil he manages to return from the grave to inflict his pain. In one memorable sequence, Lee's hands are used to terrifying effect as they appear out of the dark like spidery, ghostly claws leering towards his victim. The exquisite Daliah Lavi is solid opposite Lee as his ex-lover, a woman who married his brother (Tony Kendall) but still yearns for the whippings that Lee's character so gleefully doles out. Technically, the film crackles with Bava's signature style in everything from perfect lighting (notice the scene in which Lavi's frightened eyes are framed in moonlight as she hears footsteps heading toward her door) to creepy sound effects and brilliant camerawork that accentuates the performances of the cast. The haunting romantic soundtrack that fills the entire film was performed by Carlo Rustichelli, who scored other Bava films including Blood and Black Lace. To avoid tipping off American audiences to the film's Italian trappings, many of the cast and crew had to adopt American names, with Bava credited as "John M. Old."

All Movie Guide