The Whip and the Body
(La frusta e il corpo, 1963)

Mario Bava

Italy / France

91 min, color, English

Review © 2006 Branislav L. Slantchev

This is supposed to be one of the most controversial films that Bava ever made; what, with all the scandalous sadomasochism and the decidedly disturbed and sexually aggressive female lead. Although the film is so tame as to qualify for family fare these days, I have to say that some of the subversion of the original message comes through. And the stunning gothic visuals only serve to make it even less obtrusive and therefore far more acceptable.

This is the warmest welcome I have had	Poisoned tea?

Christopher Lee delivers one of his most unforgettable roles as Kurt Menliff, the prodigal heir to Count Menliff (Gustavo De Nardo) who used to be the favorite son only to fall from grace and get summarily dispossessed of his heirloom. The circumstances surrounding Kurt's departure from the manor are murky and have to do with the suicide of the daughter of caretaker Giorgia (Harriet Medin). One thing is clear: Giorgia blames Kurt of that death and keeps the knife with which the suicidee did the deed so that she could plunge it into Kurt on some suitable occasion. One could say she is monomaniacal.

This couple needs marriage counseling... lots of it	Gratuitous shot of Daliah Lavi

When Kurt arrives on a stormy night (don't they always?), the tension is quickly ratcheted up by the somewhat stiff welcome by Kurt's brother Christian (Tony Kendall) and his beautiful wife Nevenka (Daliah Lavi). What's worse, the voluptuous vixen of a wife casts some rather ambiguous glances in Kurt's direction. One immediately gets the feeling that there are "things" between these two, and probably not of the wholesome variety either. To complete the cast, there's the somewhat sharp-sculpted Katia (Ida Galli) who obviously pines after Christian, leading the latter to stretch the meaning of his marriage vows.

The controversial flogging on the beach scene	Nevenka discovered unconscious

Kurt loses no time and on the very next day accosts Nevenka on the beach, where we quickly learn just what sort of relationship these two had indulged in. Although frequently lambasted as sadistic, the scene with Kurt whipping the writhing Nevenka is a lot more equivocal. For one, it is quite clear that she rather enjoys the experience, and that Kurt is actually somewhat of a sucker for pleasing her in that way. I think that the reason for the censorship (this scene often ended on the cutting floor of some vigilant family values purist) is the aggressive female sexuality that Nevenka uses to manipulate Kurt into giving her whatever she wants rather than the supposed degradation of the female by a dominant man.

The end of Kurt	Typical Mario Bava moody lighting

Things only go downhill from there. On the same night, Kurt is stabbed to death by an unseen assailant in his study. Bava then veers from gothic horror to supernatural drama before returning back to psychological drama. Nevenka becomes the central character as she is obsessed with Kurt whom she believes to be haunting the manor. She sees him in nightmares that become disturbingly real as his shadowy figure appears to deliver what the bad girl really wants and what her proper husband would be horrified to know she needs, even if he could muster to will to deliver it.

Nevenka waits in the dark	Down to Kurt's crypt

Another scene with Nevenka wreathing in ecstasy as the whip leaves bloody marks on her bare back should drive the point home. She is not the helpless victim of Kurt's abuse and we begin to wonder about the real reason of his early departure, not to mention the poor woman's suicide that was its ostensible cause. Was it that Kurt and Nevenka got themselves into a forbidden relationship that threatened to expose their "unnatural" urges? Maybe Kurt tried to play it safe with a regular girl and it only backfired when she died? Did she really commit suicide? Why would anyone kill Kurt?

Obligatory gratuitous shot of Daliah Lavi	Nevenka trying to stop Kurt...

As a story of female passion, The Whip and the Body is probably right on the mark, but as a story of one person's obsession with another it is even better. Nevenka is simultaneously attracted to Kurt and repulsed by her need for his "treatments." She wishes to be Christian's wife who behaves with appropriate decorum, and yet she cannot command her body to obey when the siren call of the other beckons. She knows full well that this will split the family even further apart, that it will make everyone unhappier still, and yet she is powerless to stop it. The only way out, it would seem, is to remove the source of her temptation.

Obligatory spoiler warning!

...but not succeeding very well	Weird servants: no horror movie would be caught without them

And so she kills Kurt, hoping that this would free her from the urges she cannot control. But it is too late, for the struggle between her passion and the demands of acceptable behavior have taken the toll and her mind is hopelessly confused between reality she hates and fantasy she abhors. The phantom lover appears yet again, with frightening physicality, and Nevenka slides further into a world where only shame remains, until that shame is itself replaced by fear. She knows her husband suffers too because his own love for Katia is denied by the same norms that stifle her. In this reality, everyone suffers because everyone denies strenuously the acts that would make them happy. Only one final escape remains as Nevenka turns on herself, killing her fantasy, she kills her reality as well.

Nevenka attempts to sic her hubby on the rival	Gothic architectural detail

Beautifully filmed with Bava's gorgeous look that relies on long shadows and the play of light on objects, The Whip and the Body is stunning to watch even today. It has an unmistakable air that reminds one of Poe, and the skillful use of widescreen composition enhances the interaction between stranded characters and architecture that is almost an actor by itself. Frequent flooding with color light adds to the sense of unreality and dreaminess that carries the experience into the realm of the mythical. Romantic in the extreme despite the S&M scenes, the film lingers with the haunting performances of Christopher Lee and Daliah Lavi. Not to be missed.

Obligatory bizarre shot of Christopher Lee	Nevenka must face her own demons

The VCI DVD is mediocre at best. It is far better than the murky VHS tapes I have seen, but the video transfer leaves a lot to be desired. Presented at the OAR of 1.85:1, the letterboxed picture is too dark and lacks detail in the shadows. Given how much of the action takes place in the dark, this is a serious disadvantage. The colors are a bit flat, which really detracts from any Bava film, but this one especially so. I listened to the English mono soundtrack mostly because it's clear that this is the language most of the characters speak even though some purists recommend the Italian with English subtitles. With all those films with international casts it's sometimes hard to tell which soundtrack is the "original." Apparently, the English one has some sound effects that are missing in the Italian. There's a feature-length commentary with Tim Lucas but I did not listen to it (will probably buy the book when he actually finishes it). The other extras are standard fare: galleries, talent files, trailers, direct access to the soundtrack, and (unusually) the original title sequence for the U.S. release. At $25, this DVD is too expensive for what it offers. Look for the new anamorphic Italian releases of Bava films instead.

March 12, 2006