Main Cast: Christopher Lee, Daliah Lavi, Jacques Herlin, Tony Kendall, Harriet Medin, Luciano Pigozzi, Haniet White
Release Year: 1963
Country: FR/UK/IT
Run Time: 90 minutes
Plot
Marred by controversy at the time of its release, this horror fantasy from Italy's legendary horror director Mario Bava centers on the twisted desires of a nobleman's son (Christopher Lee). Lee is ostracized by his father for his dalliances with a servant girl (who later commits suicide), but is allowed to return to the fold by his brother, whose lovely wife (Dahlia Lavi) immediately becomes the object of Lee's mad lust. Lee is later found murdered, along with several other victims from the surrounding village, leading superstitious locals to believe that Lee's evil spirit has returned to destroy them; the twist ending reveals the real evil at work. The kinky, sadomasochistic relationship between Lee and Lavi raised more than a few censors' eyebrows, leading to some harsh cuts. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
Review
Combining spooks, slayings, and sadomasochism, director Mario Bava's La Frusta E Il Corpo was a controversial film upon its release in 1963 and remains a disturbing, curious effort. Bava's exceptional visual style helps to lift an otherwise gloomy picture and makes its deliberate pacing easier to bear as the story of two families haunted by evil deeds plays out. Add in a strong, witty script and one of the finest casts the Italian director ever worked with, and the result is a solid horror film that works on multiple levels. Christopher Lee is highly effective in the role of a man so evil he manages to return from the grave to inflict his pain. In one memorable sequence, Lee's hands are used to terrifying effect as they appear out of the dark like spidery, ghostly claws leering towards his victim. The exquisite Daliah Lavi is solid opposite Lee as his ex-lover, a woman who married his brother (Tony Kendall) but still yearns for the whippings that Lee's character so gleefully doles out. Technically, the film crackles with Bava's signature style in everything from perfect lighting (notice the scene in which Lavi's frightened eyes are framed in moonlight as she hears footsteps heading toward her door) to creepy sound effects and brilliant camerawork that accentuates the performances of the cast. The haunting romantic soundtrack that fills the entire film was performed by Carlo Rustichelli, who scored other Bava films including Blood and Black Lace. To avoid tipping off American audiences to the film's Italian trappings, many of the cast and crew had to adopt American names, with Bava credited as "John M. Old." ~ Patrick Legare, All Movie Guide
Ottavio Scotti - Art Director, John M. Old - Director, Carlo Rustichelli - Composer (Music Score), David Hamilton - Cinematographer, Ubaldo Terzano - Cinematographer, Ernesto Gastaldi - Screenwriter, Ugo Guerra - Screenwriter, Luciano Martino - Screenwriter
