The Whip and The Body (1963) - Mario Bava
Scene from The Whip and The Body (1963) - Mario Bava [Amazon.com]
Scene from The Whip and The Body (1963) - Mario Bava [Amazon.com]
Christopher Lee in
LaFrusta e il corpo / The Whip and The Body (1963) - Mario Bava [Amazon.com] [FR] [DE] [UK]
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La Frusta e il corpo / The Whip and The Body (1963) - Mario Bava
A classic by horror maestro Mario Bava, The Whip and the Body, could suitably be described as a Sadean love story. It is “Sadean” in that it details a sexual relationship wherein sexual activity between the couple does not revolve around genital intercourse. In fact, sexual activity is almost completely replaced by violent behaviour. Made in 1963, the film was ahead of its time, with its portrayal of a woman's immersion into a world of sadomasochistic fantasy, four years before Buñuel's own Belle de Jour. The film is set in a Gothic castle, the family home of the Menliff's, whose eldest son, Kurt (charismatically played by Christopher Lee) has returned home to reclaim both his title and his ex-lover Nevenka (Daliah Lavi), who is now married to his brother, Christian (Tony Kendall). --Lindsay Hallam, Jan 2004, http://www.sensesofcinema.com/contents/04/30/whips_and_bodies.html
Mario Bava
Mario Bava (July 31, 1914-April 27, 1980) was an Italian director and cinematographer who is remembered as one of the greatest names of the golden age of Italian horror movies. In 1960 he directed one of the first Italian gothic horror movies of the 60's: La Maschera del demonio (Black Sunday) which made a star out of Barbara Steele. His excellent use of light and dark in black and white movies is simply beautiful. Likewise his use of colors in color films like: I Tre volti della paura (Black Sabbath) (1963) and La Frusta e il corpo (The Whip and the Body) (1963). Bava directed what is called the first italian giallo movie Sei donne per l'assassino (Blood and Black Lace) (1964). --http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Bava [Dec 2004]see also: Italian horror - Mario Bava - 1963
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