The Whip and the Body (1963)
In the 19th century, a sadistic nobleman terrorizes the members of his family. He is found dead, but his ghost soon returns to haunt the residents of his castle.
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This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place
An Exercise In Nonsense
A Masterpiece!
It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
"The Whip and the Body" is an amazingly kinky film--and it surprised me a bit in this regard. It has scenes of sado-masochism, as a female character in the film likes to be beaten before having sex. Because of this you MIGHT wanna think twice before showing this to your kids or grandma.This is a Gothic horror film with a nice ambiance and excellent music--though the same tune is overused a bit through the course of the film. The fun begins when the long-disgraced older son (Christopher Lee) arrives after a long absence. Exactly what he'd done isn't spelled out all that clearly, but you know it resulted in the death of a servant and that he's been disinherited. Soon, Lee is off having fun, beating a member of the family and making love to her...and she likes it! Now you THINK Lee has returned to get some sort of revenge on his family, so I was surprised he took out time for this kinky tryst. And, surprise, surprise, before he can start his plans of revenge, he's stabbed to death! But, through the course of the film, it seems as if he's returned from the dead, and very bad things start to happen...along with some more kinky whippings.The payoff for this tale is pretty good and it's a good film with a nice print. But, it's also a bit uncomfortable watching the kinky stuff, so I certainly can't recommend it without some reservations.By the way, the DVD for this Italian film is dubbed, not subtitled. And, oddly, although you can tell that Lee was speaking English, it's NOT his voice--it, along with the rest, have been dubbed. As for me, I always prefer subtitled.
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. As it should, given that his fiancé (Daliah Lavi) married his brother (Tony Kendall) and is sleeping with his father (Gustavo De Nardo). He has some unusual sexual tastes and preferences, which Nevenka (Lavi) shares.A classic ghost story in a spooky setting with some very good performances. An expected ending did not diminish the enjoyment of the film one bit.
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. Soon he is found dead with his throat slit and soon after he ghost begins to appear as more bodies start to pile up. All the praise thrown on director Bava is certainly needed because it's obvious he could take some mud and make it look wonderful but that doesn't mean all his films turn out great. I think the biggest flaw with this film is the rather weak story, which doesn't really contain any shocks and it's fairly simple to figure out what's going on so in the end, when the climax happens, there's no real shocks. Christopher Lee turns in a terrific performance, even though, for some reason, his voice is dubbed in the English language version. That fantastic look that Lee brings says all we need to know about his character. The supporting cast isn't as impressive but they fit their roles just fine. The cinematography is top notch and the use of lighting is also what makes this film stand apart from others in this era.
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. Keeeping in mind that Italy had only been allowed the by the Church censors to make horror films for the last four years this was a big step so the leisurely pace was self imposed so as not to make anymore waves then necessary.When this got to U.S. shores the whipping scenes were excised and the title was mysteriously changed to What?! causing the film to flag around for a week at a few drive-ins and remain in obscurity until recently.If Freddy Krueger is your main man I'd stay away but for true lovers of Gothic tales and students of the cinema make a night of this moody tale of Ghosts,lust and madness.