Helga, She Wolf of Spilberg (1977)

Fantastic!

As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Vicious warden Helga (a fierce and fiery portrayal by the scrumptious Malissa Longo) runs the castle penitentiary Stilberg for female political prisoners with an iron fist. Stubborn and recalcitrant new inmate Elisabeth Vogel (a winningly spunky performance by ravishing redhead Patrizia Gori), who's the daughter of a rebel leader, runs afoul of Helga after she finds herself incarcerated in Stilberg. Elisabeth eventually plots to escape from Stilberg in the wake of becoming fed up with being on the receiving end of Helga's endless cruelty and perverse sexual desires.While the plot certainly has all the right sordid stuff when it comes to on the money entertaining exploitation fare, alas Patrice Rhomm's pedestrian direction lets the trite and meandering narrative plod along at a tediously slow pace and totally bungles the climactic attack on the prison by a band of rebel soldiers. Moreover, this film quite simply doesn't go far enough with its scuzzy premise and hence delivers more sizzle than steak. Fortunately, H.L. Rostaine's low-rent script contains just enough sex, rape, whippings, torture, cat fights, and lesbianism to ensure that this movie passes muster as a decent slice of Eurosleaze schlock. In addition, there's a pleasing plenitude of bare distaff flesh on display. Jacques Marbeuf contributes a spot-on slimy turn as disgusting old lecher Doc. The cruddy dubbing provides a wealth of unintentional laughs: One gal speaks with an overdone Southern drawl while another boasts an annoying Bronx whine. Daniel White's varied score alternates between swinging jazz and thudding prog-rock. A strictly okay time-waster.

Having fallen into slight disfavor with the tyrant in charge of a totalitarian regime, "Helga" (Melissa Longo) is sent to a castle somewhere near the town of Spilberg to take charge of a labor camp for female political prisoners. Needless to say she is quite ruthless as she not only takes advantage of the prisoner's labor but also their bodies when they are finished working. Then one day, much to her delight, a new prisoner named "Elisabeth Vogel" (Patrizia Gori) is captured and because she is the daughter of the head revolutionary in the country, Helga becomes obsessed in her desire to possess her. Now rather than reveal any more of this movie and risk spoiling it for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this was a standard Women-in-Prison film which suffered due to its apparent low budget as both the acting and the sets were clearly second-rate. Additionally, as far as the actresses were concerned only the aforementioned Melissa Longo and Patrizia Gori were all that attractive. Be that as it may, those who enjoy this particular type of film might find this one somewhat interesting but even so it's nothing to get excited about. Slightly below average.

In an un-named banana republic, where a Nazi-style regime rules by force, sadistic lesbian bitch Helga (Malisa Longo) is assigned her dream job as governor of a women's prison, where she uses her position of power to satisfy her sexual urges; the inmates are also abused by the prison doctor (Jacques Marbeuf), who keeps the guards in alcohol in exchange for sex with the women of his choice. New inmate Elisabeth Vogel (Patrizia Gori) quickly catches the eye of both Helga and the Doc (must be the non-standard-issue knee high leather boots she wears), but being the daughter of a tough rebel soldier, she is determined to resist… Ilsa, Elsa, Greta, Helga: what's in a name? This forgettable entry in the Nazisploitation/Women in Prison genre(s) does little to distinguish itself from similar tawdry fare, offering up the expected full frontal nudity from a bevy of attractive women, repeated forced sex, and torture-lite. Sounds like the recipe for a fun time, but the repetitive and plodding plot ensures that tedium soon sets in, while the unconvincing stock bird-song which accompanies every external scene eventually becomes irritating in the extreme.

Not much to say about this low budget "Ilsa - She Wolf of the SS" rip-off. the women are pretty and seriously degraded just like in Ilsa. If you are familiar with the Women In Prison genre, there are no surprises here. The plot follows the same formula. The inmates suffer violence in various stages of undressed humiliation.Only 2 things to note: 1. for some reason, there is no Nazi regalia like in Ilsa, but new and original fascist-type uniforms for the guards. I guess the film makers had some sort of moral qualms about using historically genuine authoritarian imagery, yet, they had no problems inflicting simulated torture on nude women.2. The lead Malisa Longo is no Dyanne Thorne. Marisa Longo is a softer beauty with less charisma than the hardened queen of WIP films, Dyanne Thorne. However, Malisa Longo was in many more films than Thorne, including other WIP films, like Salon Kitty and Captive Women 4. Longo also worked several times with soft core auteur Tinto Brass.If you have seen all the Ilsa movies and the rest of the more famous WIP and Nazi dominatrix films, you won't go too far wrong with Helga - She Wolf of Stilberg.