La frusta e il corpo

Plot synopsis:
In a nameless Baltic country in the 19th Century, Kurt Menliff (Christopher Lee) arrives at his seaside castle after many years of wondering through Europe. But he is not warmly received for everyone knows that he is a sadist who gets sexual gratification from whipping his lovers. His former lover is Nevenka Menliff (Daliah Lavi), who is now married to Kurt's spineless younger brother Christian (Luciano Stella). Kurt and Christian's father, an invalid Count (Gustavo De Nardo) has never forgiven Kurt for leaving in the first place. The maid, Giorgia (Harriet White Medin) is anxious to get back at him for causing the suicide of her daughter who stabbed herself in the throat after Kurt walked out on her years ago. Nevertheless, Kurt is allowed to stay because he is family.The following morning, Kurt confronts his other cousin Katia (Ida Galli) whom he knows to be secretly in love with Christian. He smugly assures her that he feels her pain, as he is interested in Nevenka. Katia flees from this unwanted revelation. Kurt next enters the large, cavernous living room where his father spends most of the time. Kurt explains that now he has returned home, he feels that he deserves to be next in line to inherit the family estate. But the Count assures him that there is no chance of that happening. "Everything you were to inherit, you forfeited forever", he tells Kurt. "You did it yourself, with your infamy!" Angered, Kurt storms out of the living room.Embittered by this personal defeat, Kurt goes to the beach where he sees Nevenka sitting pensively by the water. He approaches her, and reminds her their past liaisons. They kiss, and then Nevenka recoils, striking Kurt across the face wit her riding crop. He then calmly takes it out of her hand and pushes her to the ground. Cracking the riding crop across her back, he sneers: "You haven't changed, I see. You've always loved violence". He then proceeds to strike her again and again. Nevenka's reactions to being beaten are very subdued and the expression her face suggests sexual excitement. After striking her several more times, Kurt tosses the riding crop aside and proceeds to rape her.After finishing with Nevenka, Kurt returns to the castle where he is confronted by Katia and Christian who ask him where Nevenka is, to which Kurt replies that he has no idea. They immediately know that Kurt is lying when they see him holding Nevenka's riding crop. As it is getting dark, Katia and Christian head out to look for Nevenka, as Kurt retires to his bedroom. Soon after, he is killed when an unseen person stabs him in the throat with a dagger.Meanwhile, Christian discovers Nevenka on the beach, her back covered with welts. After putting Nevenka to bed, Christian sends out for Kurt. The family butler, Losat (Luciano Pigozzi), goes to fetch Kurt, only to discover his dead body on the floor, with the dagger lying beside him. Losat's screams bring the others into the room, where Giorgia is hysterical with joy to see him dead, killed by the same dagger her daughter used to commit suicide.After Kurt's funeral, Christian timidly asks his father if he was responsible for the killing. The Count is enraged by these accusations, and tells his son to leave the living room. Soon after, the entire family unit begins to unravel. The marriage between Christian and Nevenka becomes more strained. Nevenka starts to see visions of Kurt. At one point, his ghost visits her in the middle of the night, whipping her more ferocious than ever.Soon afterwards, the Count is found murdered in the living room in the same fashion as Kurt, with the same weapon. Christian vows to find the killer, and Katia accuses Giorgia, pointing out that she had every motive to kill Kurt. Giorgia admits that she wanted to kill Kurt, but assures everybody that her love for the Count would have made it impossible for her to kill him. Elsewhere, Nevenka's mind becomes more unhinged and each nightmarish vision of Kurt unsettles her ever further. After explaining everything to Christian, even he comes to believe that Kurt may have been behind the murder of their father, and that his ghost is doing all the killing.Christian and Loast unearth Kurt's decaying dead body from the family crypt and burn the remains to try to put Kurt to rest. As they watch Kurt's remains burn, the dead man's sinister laughter rings out. Following a cloaked figured dressed as Kurt, Christian and Loast follow it to the castle where Christian pulls off the hood to reveals none other than Nevenka. At last the terrible truth comes out: Nevenka was the one who murdered Kurt after sneaking back into the castle and sneaking out through hidden passageways. But at her remorse over the crime, coupled by the realization that she really did love Kurt, compelled her to act out as if he is still alive, by dressing in his clothes to complement the illusion. Nevenka even went as far as to whip her self during those nights, and murdered her father as revenge for his ostracizing her love.Nevenka escapes from her husband, stabbing him in the arm in the process, and makes her way back to the crypt. Now really believing that Kurt is alive, Nevenka decides to put a stop to it all by killing him again. Kurt appears to her for a final time where in their final 'embrace' she stabs him, but instead stabs herself in the chest with the dagger, and she falls dead.

Tags: gothic, sadist

Review:
Irresistible and genuine Gothic scares, combined with atmospheric camera-work and breath-taking scenery Welcome to yet another visual masterpiece directed by the greatest horror genius of all time: Mario Bava!
La Frusta E Il Corpo/The Whip & The Body(1963) is an excellent gothic masterpiece that was ahead of its time in 1963 due to the strong imagery of erotic violence.
One theme that regularly occurs in many of Bava's films is the notion of the double that is present in movies like The Mask of Satan(1960), Kill Baby Kill(1967), and The Hatchet for the Honeymoon(1969).
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).
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.
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.
This unrelentingly-creepy tale of obsession and perversion plays like a more-horrific version of _Wuthering Heights_:  cobwebbed crypts, dark castles with secret passages, rotting bodies, muddy footprints, pale faces scowling through windows, love-hate relationships that continue beyond the grave, sea cliffs, turbulent ocean, sunsets, and a very haunting music score.
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!
Giving the film a tragic love story atmosphere, the powerful theme bodes with the lighting to help create a tense and powerful atmosphere, in which Bava allows his actors to inhabit.
Sadistic scoundrel Kurt (Christopher lee), black sheep of the family, returns home to find that absence hasn't exactly made the heart grow fonder: his father (Gustavo De Nardo), brother Christian (Tony Kendall), ex-lover Nevenka (Daliah Lavi) and housemaid Giorgia (Harriet Medin) still find him utterly loathsome.
Unsurprisingly, Kurt winds up being murdered, but even death cannot stop his cruelty...In keeping with its Sadean theme, The Whip and the Body is both a pleasure to behold and a pain to endure: aesthetically, the film cannot be rivalled, with excellent costume and set design, and exquisite direction from Mario Bava, whose camera glides gracefully through pools of coloured light and ominous swathes of shadow to great effect; the story, however, is less impressive, a trite exercise in Gothic cliché, replete with a creepy cliff-top castle continually battered by strong winds and thunderstorms, a raft of morbid characters, all of whom harbour dark secrets, loads of tiresome symbolism, and some ridiculous psychological claptrap.The sado-masochistic nature of the central relationship between Kurt and Navenka (which is surprisingly way ahead of its time) prevents the film from attaining coma-inducing levels, but with extremely long periods where nothing much of interest happens, the film is far from the perfect perverted and poetic love story that its ardent supporters claim it to be.8 out of 10 for the lovely imagery, but 4/10 for the story—so that's an average rating of 6/10..
With Italy being my favorite Horror-producing country, and Gothic Tales and Gialli my favorite sub-genres, it is not surprising that I regard Italian Horror-pioneer Mario Bava, sublime master of the first- and inventor of the second category, as one of the greatest geniuses in the history of Motion Pictures.
Unlike any other Horror director, Bava made most of his films so ingeniously that it is very hard to name favorites, simply due to the fact that this great man's repertoire includes so many flawless masterpieces.
"The Whip And The Body" is the absolute proof that, unlike any other director, Mario Bava had a unique talent of combining beauty and terror in a most mesmerizing manner.
This is no exaggeration, but merely the only proper description of how visually overwhelming this dream-like Gothic masterpiece is.Horror-icon Christopher Lee, as far as I am concerned one of the greatest actors ever, gives a brilliant performance as one of his most haunting and sardonic characters here.
I do want to say though, that "The Whip And The Body" is a unique and fascinating mix of Gothic Horror and S&M love-story.
I love the work of Mario Bava, but I am not going to get carried away and say this is his best film.
Bava is probably my favorite of the Italian horror directors (Blood and Black Lace is the picture above all other giallo that I recommend to the curious) and I respect the knowledgeable devotion of Tim Lucas and others, but this film is severely overrated.That said, as a casual popcorn rental Whip could be entertaining for some of it's imagery (though hardly Bava's best for composition or color as some are incredulously claiming).
La Frusta E il Corpo/The Whip and the Body(1963) proved the capabilities of Mario Bava to do a film that was both technically brilliant and emotionally three dimensional.
The performances turned in by Christopher Lee and Daliah Lavi are some of the finest in a Mario Bava film.
La Frusta E il Corpo/The Whip and the Body(1963) is an excellent gothic period piece that was ahead of its time due to the strong imagery of erotic violence.
Mario Bava's ten best films are Blood & Black Lace(1964), Rabid Dogs(1974), The Whip & the Body(1963), Lisa & the Devil(1972), Kill Baby Kill(1967), Bay of Blood(1971), Mask of Satan(1960), Black Sabbath(1963), Hatchet for the Honeymoon(1969), and Planet of the Vampires(1965).
The story of The Whip & the Body(1963) would be modernized in a later Mario Bava film, Shock(1977).
My acquisition of this one was almost as tortuous as the movie's own release/distribution history (due to various censor boards worldwide): the first copy I purchased (in tow with Bava's subsequent effort BLOOD AND BLACK LACE {1964}, upcoming in my ongoing tribute to the Maestro) would not access the Bonus Features on my Pioneer DVD player (the same was true of that "Giallo" landmark); I took it out on VCI, who promptly issued me replacements, plus one freebie disc from their back catalogue in apology (for which I chose the 1961 Best Actor Oscar-nominee THE MARK)but the package got lost in transit, so I voiced another complaint, which saw them sending out additional copies at their own expense – and this time around, all went well, including playback!
As for the movie itself, with the sadomasochistic relationship at its centre (a veritable case of "amour fou" virtually unprecedented in genre cinema!), it showed a definite maturity in Bava's themes (in this sense, it is arguably the most dense psychological study in the realm of Italian Gothic Horrors) – perhaps inspired by Riccardo Freda's similarly-eyebrow-raising depiction of necrophilia in THE HORRIBLE DR.
The irreproachable casting of Daliah Lavi (who followed this with a no-less-demanding role in the same year's little-seen IL DEMONIO) and Christopher Lee (easily the most satisfying of his many European ventures, despite the actual brevity of his appearance here!) results in ample sensual and dramatic fireworks (beautifully capped by the concluding shot of a lash slithering, almost in spite of itself, as it burns) – given greater validity by the passionate strains of Carlo Rustichelli's score (cues from which were reprised in the ultra low-budget KILL, BABYKILL!
The trouble is, he is soon murdered by a mystery assassin and to make matters even more complicated he subsequently seems to return from the dead as an evil spirit.Like the other Gothic horror films directed by Bava, this one's strength isn't so much in its story as in its presentation.
(Christopher Lee is haunting and the handsome Daliah Lavi reminds me of Barbara Steele) At least as good as the Hammer Film Productions!
Whatever Mario Bava does, he made in high level, this psychological horror movie will be explained over this point of view, if you try to understand the whole story all happenings no make sence, when you put a little subjective factor all things fit together plenty, Bava engenders a perfect plot leaving fake clues behind to try to puzzle the eager audience, the dark photography masterfully applied in the entire picture is delightful glomy, further Daliah Lavi played an ambiguous character let with a bit sense of masochism as shown in some insinuate scenes!!!Resume:First watch: 2011 / How many: 2 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.25.
Death of course is a kind of mild hindrance in a Gothic horror, so shortly afterwards Lee's ghost starts appearing everywhere...so far so normal, right?It would be your standard Gothic horror if Lee didn't like whipping the crap out of his old girlfriend Daliah Lavi.
This being a Mario Bava film the cinematography is probably better than any film of it's time, with every frame looking like some demented oil painting.
This just adds to the atmosphere, however, as does Lee's huge, hunky, evil frame.Bava always found some angle to make his films stand out from others and although I wouldn't put this among my personal favourites of his films, it's another example of him being way ahead of his time, and a true master of Italian cinema.
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.
Christopher Lee gives one of his finest performances as sadistic Kurt Menliff, who derives pleasure from whipping his lover, played by Daliah Lavi.
Having seen a few of Mario Bava's movies, "La frusta e il corpo" (alternately called "What!?" and "The Whip and the Body" in English) was a bit of a disappointment just because much of the movie was kind of slow.
To me it seems the colour in lighting is not used with any greater scheme other than making everything look beautiful and colourful, but being a fan of "style over substance" (which is nonsense really, if style is not substance in a film then what is?) I can dig it.All in all, The Whip is a love story masqueraded in a traditional Gothic horror film that will not be to everyone's taste but those with an appetite for an almost hypnotic film drenched in a morbid, dreamlike atmosphere need look no further..
Perhaps a year or so later I saw Blood & Black Lace which I thought was one of the best horror movies I'd ever seen due to the clever plot and great cinematography.
And the music score is exquisite (but played much too often).Seriously--do YOU want to see a 19th century S&M love story shot like a horror film?
Old, but the film's deliciously morbid atmosphere and superb use of lighting quickly attest that the director here can really be none other than Italian master Mario Bava.
His third horror masterpiece in four years, following the seminal works "Black Sunday" and "The Evil Eye," "Whip" tells the story of Kurt Menliff, a sadistic brute who returns to his father's moldering castle by the sea in a nameless, timeless land and renews his sadomasochistic relationship with sister-in-law Nevenka...even after he himself is murdered!
Suggesting nothing less than an Italian Gothic version of a Harlequin romance as written by the Marquis de Sade, "Whip" features impeccable acting by Christopher Lee as Kurt (one of his best roles, he long maintained, despite the fact that he is offscreen half the time) and Israeli actress Dahlia Lavi (who I've never seen look more beautiful) as the masochistic, lash-loving Nevenka.
This is a very good early film with Christopher Lee who portrays in this film a very evil man who loves to cause troubles an simply enjoys giving one particular young pretty woman a whipping on her back after tearing off her blouse.
Using the pseudonym of John M Old The Whip And The Body is disguised to look like an American Co-Production and it almost succeeds except that you can tell that Lee's menacing Shakespearean Voice is replaced with a decent substitute and that it looks entirely too pretty to be a horror film from the States.While Corman was getting praise for his cheap but artily lensed Poe adaptations and their Freudian twists Bava ups the ante and makes a better looking and cheaper film with the screens first full fledged S And M love affair.
The twisted relationship between the characters played by Daliah Lavi and Christopher Lee whips the film into action, but then takes a back seat to a more ordinary ghost story.
The slow slithering camera follows characters down dark corridors toward some strange sound, the violence is explicitly erotic ("you always loved violence!" Christopher Lee says as he whips a hot 60s babe.)the female lead is quite convincing in her fear, and in her orgasmic squirming and whimpering.) The compositions are exquisite, and just about every shot looks like a gothic 19th century painting.
The plot is perfectly, nightmarishly confusing in the best sense, as if the film is itself a castle in which you get lost.P.S. Don't be disappointed when Christopher Lee gets killed in the first 20 minutes....he comes back!!!.
Even though the story slips into the routine at times, it also is above average; progressive, serious, entertaining and even extremely ballsy for the 1960s in that it dares to romanticize sexual violence and sadomasochism.Christopher Lee (who considers this one of his best films) is perfectly hateful as Kurt Menliff, a cold-eyed sadist who returns home to his family's seaside castle after being banished years earlier.
This is undeniable-proof that Mario Bava was one of the best horror-directors of all-time.
A film like The Whip and the Body has to be watched-repeatedly to truly-appreciate, and it gives-up secrets with each-viewing.
But that doesn't mean it's touching like other love stories you see in heartbreak magazines, no, it's not touching; but it definitely is heartbreaking.On an eerie twilight-lit coast somewhere in Italy, estranged aristocrat Kurt Menliff(Christopher Lee) returns to the family castle, where several years earlier, he drove the daughter of the family maid; Tania, to suicide with a dagger.
However, his father agrees to let him stay, grudgingly.The Waltons they are not.However, when away from prying eyes, it turns out that family member Nevenka(Dahlia Lavi, playing pretty much the same type of role you'd expect to see Barbara Steele in)is still very much in love with Kurt, so, alone on the beach, he expresses his gratitude the only way he can: He savagely attacks her and starts beating her senseless with a whip!!!!!
This is where the film's horror element comes into play: What if Kurt isn't dead?
The fact that a truly beautiful romantic tune(later re-used in several Bava films)plays during Nevenka's fantasies makes for a morbid bit of humor.
Still, typical top-notch direction from Bava, the usual gorgeous cinematography and use of color, along with a moving performance by Lavi and a brief, but unforgettable turn by Lee as Kurt(dubbed in some scenes and not in others) make this more than worth your time.But what gives the film it's lasting power is the disturbing fact that there are men like Kurt, and many women in positions like Nevenka(willingly or unwillingly)in real life who suffer and inflict suffering daily, many of whom cannot even get out of the web of abuse they are in if they have the chance, and some of whom cling to it.
And knowing this goes on is more horrifying than anything in any of Bava's more straightforward horror films.Truly ahead of it's time and certainly not for everyone, 'Whip' is a great exploration of many of Bava's recurring themes like the destruction of a family, deceptive appearances(Christopher Lee has never been more handsome), obsession, and ultimately, what Bava called his greatest fear: That of someone alone in a room confronting the darkest aspects of themselves.
Mario Bava once again creates a poetic, moving film; a Gothic chiller with plenty of atmosphere (the use of shadows here to evoke fear figures predominantly, even more than in Bava's other work) and with a romantic, tragic love story at its centre.
The film has the usual Bava trappings; a remote castle, full of empty rooms full of shadows, characters who are not heroic but indeed flawed, a heavy feeling of nostalgia, and of course supernatural occurrences, and a character who may or may not be dead.Good performances are given by all of the cast members, especially Lavi as the tormented Nevenka, who hates herself for enjoying the whippings that Kurt gives her.
The doomed romance between Kurt and Nevenka is touching, despite the masochistic basis for the relationship; you get the feeling that the pair really are deeply in love with each other.Of course, Bava couldn't make a film without it being controversial, and the sadistic scenes (of whipping) are a typical trademark of his; powerful, yet important, it's not just violence for violence's sake.
Daliah Lavi plays Nevenka, whipped and seduced by Lee's Kurt, and possibly then haunted by him after he has been stabbed.
As much as I love Italian horror, I have never been too keen on the films of Mario Bava, who is often considered the grandfather, guru, and all-superior being behind the genre/subculture.
"The Whip and the Body" is an excellent entry from Bava (I'd go so far as to say it's his best work, based on the few films I've seen by him), who merges his signature style (specific color schemes, spooky set decoration, a period setting) with a surprisingly rich story line.
(spoilers) The cruelty of love never dies in Mario Bava's sado-masochist gothic ghost story.
Nevenka's(Daliah Lavi) forbidden love for her brother-in-law, Kurt(Christopher Lee), transcends even death because she desperately desires the pain he inflicts on her.