Prichards12345 It's pretty clear that director Mario Bava took a leaf from Roger Corman's Edgar Allan Poe films, for Corman's Gothic look is faithfully replicated in a shimmering and lushly coloured period piece. There are some similarities of plot, too - particularly from Pit And The Pendulum. It's mostly left up to the viewer to decide if the return from the grave of Christopher Lee's Byronic villain is just in Nevenka's imagination or real. The end could be read as her lapsing into madness - or is she really possessed? Daliah Lavi plays Nevenka, whipped and seduced by Lee's Kurt, and possibly then haunted by him after he has been stabbed. Lavi is superb - just as she was in The Demon, an Italian pre-Exorcist movie about an exorcism which actually has a "Spider Walk". Lavi is astonishing in that movie and she's just as good here. Lee's greenish and ghostly appearance at a window, appears to have been modelled on Peter Wygarde's in The Innocents, but this stately Gothic hangs together extremely well. Bava directs with a moody and atmospheric hand, and the film is beautifully lit.I avoided seeing this for a while as I assumed it was an over the top S&M flick. Glad to discover I was wrong! Yep there are a couple of flagellation scenes, but these too, are somewhat poetically handled. I watched the English dubbed version, so I don't know if the original Italian film is more graphic.I enjoyed this movie; it's slightly heavy going in places, but like Corman's early Poe films it's all in the aid of mood. Stylish and memorable.

TheFinalAlias They say that the most timeless cinema is that of the heart, and here, Italian horror maestro Mario Bava; a director famed for the elements of Gothic romance seen in his work; has crafted one of the world's most strange and terrifying love stories.Yes, for that is what this film, so often called a horror film is at it's core: A love story.But that does not mean for a second that the 'love' it conveys is not a terrifying one. In fact, it may be the most disturbingly poignant of all of Bava's films, as even today it recounts a lifestyle that puts to shame anything that can be accomplished in a giallo film in sending a chill down one's spine, mostly because, it happens every day in real life in some shape or form. Only the era is different.A film that describes something like that is truly timeless. 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. The details are never explicitly explained on how Kurt's treatment drove her to suicide, but they become chillingly clear quite soon. Of course, it's not just the maid who bears a grudge against Kurt, but his entire family, his father has disowned him, his brother Christian despises him and his former betrothed can't wait to dismiss him. 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 would be disturbing enough, except for the fact that, and this becomes clear quicker than you'd think; Nevenka LOVES it. And as Kurt says 'You've always loved violence', it becomes clear this is something Nevenka has had a fetish for for a long time and not just tolerance for an abusive man she thinks she can change; this is how she gets off, and Nevenka continues to fantasize about Kurt day and night.Even after he turns up dead with the same dagger Tania killed herself with jammed in his throat. Kurt's beatings were an addiction she can't live without, what will she do now that he's dead? This is where the film's horror element comes into play: What if Kurt isn't dead? And if he is, who stabbed him? Everyone in the household is a suspect. And things begin to get even more complicated when more and more members of the household turn up dead. Is it Kurt? Tania's ghost? As Christian investigates, the answers begin to grow more and more disturbing.'The Whip & The Body' is on the whole, a rather grim affair, with the truly sordid subject matter contrasted with the beautiful coastal setting and fairy tale castle. 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. The film will also likely bore many viewers expecting a giallo-type of film(as I've seen this referred to as a giallo or proto-slasher in some circles since it involves a hidden killer using a knife) with it's long passages of silence and talkiness(not to mention that Christian is the blandest hero in a Bava film I've ever seen). 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. It may not scare you, it may not even grab your attention, but this film is one of the most haunting pieces of celluloid you will ever see. It's a strange mix of 'Psycho', 'Wuthering Heights' and the relationship between Kurt & Nevenka feels like a prequel to 'The Innocents'. All in all, it's worth seeing.Enjoy, if you can.~

chaos-rampant Around the time that Black Sabbath came out in 1963, Sam Arkoff, the president of AIP Pictures (who distributed Bava's films in the States) invited him over to work as a studio director for them. But whereas Alfred Hitchcock, who did the same switch from Europe to Hollywood, was working for mega-producer David O. Selznick, Bava would be thrown in with the same people who did I Was a Teenage Werewolf. There's a difference in class right there. Due to his limited knowledge of English, Bava never made the jump. Who knows what might have come out of this potential career stateside? Would he become as widely known as Hitch? Probably not. He might still be horribly underrated and only regarded as god among film buffs and other film-makers (like Tim Burton) but he's slowly getting his due. The one thing we can be sure about is that gems like The Whip and the Body wouldn't have happened if Arkoff had managed to lure him under the AIP roof. That would be a damn shame.So what if it starts of kind of erratic and uneven, with staged performances, stilted lines and paper-thin characterization? Mario Bava is a cinematic giant for good reason: his visual prowess. And surely and slowly The Whip and the Body sets into motion.How can I best explain The Whip's charm? Around the 20 minute mark, for reasons my subconscious would have a hard time explaining, I got up from my movie-watching armchair and laid down half-drunk in my bed, which still has a perfect view of the TV screen. I don't generally do that, even when I'm half drunk (which is a lot of the time). But therein lies The Whip's power: it's not a film that makes you sit down and take note. It's not about following the plot (a simple Gothic horror story with strong supernatural and romantic overtones). No, it's all about submerging yourself in the visual realm that Bava creates for you. It's about slipping in a dreamlike state and letting the colours and baroque atmosphere wash over you.Bava's use of colour is similar to Black Sabbath. Cyan, magenta, orange, red, purple, nothing escapes his palette. Sometimes three or four of them in the same frame. 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.

Coventry 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! "The Whip and the Body" isn't the man's most mentioned achievement, it's not even in my personal Bava-top 3 and yet I still rated it a solid 9 out of 10. That should give you somewhat an idea of how excellent his total repertoire in fact is. "The Whip and the Body" is a unique film in many ways, but particularly because of the controversial substance it dared to bring forward. Don't forget that the year of release was 1963 and Mario Bava unscrupulously introduces characters with taboo-fetishes like S & M. The story is terrifically set in the 19th century, where Kurt Menliff returns to his eminent family after being banished for several years. The family's hate towards Kurt's vile behavior is only surpassed by their fear and only the gorgeous Nevenka has a secret desire towards his wicked sexual preferences. In a particularly astonishing sequence, he whips her repeatedly (and roughly...) before continuing with making love. Terror overcomes the Menliff family when Kurt is found murdered in his room and when the tormented Nevenka begins to see his appearance in nearly every chamber of the castle. As it usually is the case in Bava's films, the plot contains quite a few holes and illogical moments, but they're totally forgivable if you acknowledge the intensity and power of the wholesome. Especially praiseworthy is Mario Bava's unequaled talent to turn totally natural things into terrifying atmosphere-elements… Blowing wind, pouring rain, footprints covered in mud...all these ordinary things turn into suspicious omens in the hands of this masterful filmmaker. With his skilled cinematographic eye, Bava perfectly knows how to raise an unbearable tension that grabs you by the neck immediately and it doesn't let go until the very last scene fades away. All the other typical Bava-trademarks are clearly present as well, namely an authentically creepy score, a minimum of stylish gore (burning, rotting corpses!!) and – last but not least – a stunning use of color shades. Mario plays with colors like he invented them and this emphasizes the spook-effect even more. "The Whip and the Body" is a more than just a shocking horror film. It's an offbeat love-story, a Gothic poem AND an unsettling horror tale all in one! If you love beautiful cinema, don't miss "The Whip and the Body".