The Whip and the Body

The Whip and the Body (La Frusta E Il Corpo) (1963)

Runtime: 87 minutes

Directed by: Mario Bava

Starring: Dailah Lavi, Christopher Lee, Tony Kendall, Ida Galli, Harriet Medin

From: A few different French and Italian companies

It was time for some more Gothic horror, along with more Mario Bava and Christopher Lee. This was recently added to Shudder’s streaming service; no, it wasn’t the provocative title nor the idea of a man whipping a woman which was the reason I selected the film for viewing! I imagine that some are into such things, which is fine; the whippings seen here are non-consensual, which is not alright w/ me.

Regardless, Christopher Lee-ostracized from his family-returns to their castle on the beach, where you almost CONSTANTLY hear the wind blowing. It is of course more complicated than that; the patriarch of the family is a cruel tyrant, Dailah Lavi was engaged to Lee but later married his brother, and other dysfunctional moments.

Mario Bava (billed as JOHN M. OLD) was the director; my saying that the movie looked gorgeous and the film featured a few different colors prominently isn’t much of a spoiler. Nor was his shot composition or how he played w/ light & shadow. One big spoiler is revealed in plot descriptions on other sites-although thankfully not Letterboxd and I won’t reveal that moment myself. From the reviews of mutuals, I understand that it was a blessing Shudder has the Italian language track as others omit the background noise-which is a shame as the howling wind is one of the components of the mood & atmosphere. In addition, Lee didn’t stick around to voice his character in the English dub—something he regretted due to his high opinion of the film.

If Lee’s endorsement of the movie isn’t enticing enough, The Whip and the Body is centered around sexuality, repression, and desire. Lee and Lavi were great in their roles-key for the movie’s plot. Barring those that are wary of the S&M overtones and what I just mentioned were the strongest plot points… those that have seen one or a few Bava films stand a decent chance of being enthralled w/ The Whip and the Body as well.