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disgusting, overrated, pointless

Absolutely amazing

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Mario Bava once again creates a poetic, moving film; a Gothic chiller with plenty of atmosphere (the use of shadows here to evoke fear figures predominantly, even more than in Bava's other work) and with a romantic, tragic love story at its centre. THE WHIP AND THE FLESH highlights Bava at his most sensual, as he focuses the film on a masochistic relationship, something which was not taken lightly when the film was first released.The film is deliberately ambiguous, and offers us no explanations. It's never made clear whether Kurt has indeed come back as a ghost, or whether he is just a figment of a disturbed imagination; but in any case, the fact is that love is far stronger than death. The film has the usual Bava trappings; a remote castle, full of empty rooms full of shadows, characters who are not heroic but indeed flawed, a heavy feeling of nostalgia, and of course supernatural occurrences, and a character who may or may not be dead.Good performances are given by all of the cast members, especially Lavi as the tormented Nevenka, who hates herself for enjoying the whippings that Kurt gives her. Pigozzi registers as a limping manservant, while Gustavo De Nardo paints a sorrowful picture of an old man with only his memories left to keep him company. Christopher Lee's performance makes a strong impression on the film, indeed he is the key figure in the proceedings. Lee has said that this was one of his favourite films, and he gives one of his best performances here, despite the fact that he was dubbed by an American actor. Lee's Kurt is a noble man, distinguished in appearance, and very dignified; yet at the same time he's totally depraved, delighting in the pain of others. It's this dual role which makes Lee all the more interesting. The doomed romance between Kurt and Nevenka is touching, despite the masochistic basis for the relationship; you get the feeling that the pair really are deeply in love with each other.Of course, Bava couldn't make a film without it being controversial, and the sadistic scenes (of whipping) are a typical trademark of his; powerful, yet important, it's not just violence for violence's sake. There are plenty of shocks, faces appearing in windows and ghostly green hands reaching out of the dark, as well as creepy scenes, such as the muddy footprints of a ghost appearing on a wooden floor. The film reaches an eventual climax of Gothic melodrama, and Bava does a good job of weaving the two plot strands of a murder mystery and a supernatural shocker into one satisfying concoction. THE WHIP AND THE FLESH is a woefully underrated film, and remains powerful, moving, and perhaps one of the most striking horror films ever made, one of the few to actually reach out and touch your heart, and not with revulsion, instead with mixed feelings of love and hatred; in fact, you're torn between the genuine love between Kurt and Nevenka and the hatred of the sadistic activities that Kurt enjoys. Added to this one of the most romantic and moving scores ever composed, and you have one cracker of a film.

After the announcement of the servant Losat (Alan Collins), the nobleman Kurt Menliff (Christopher Lee) returns to the castle of his family at the seaside to congratulate his brother Christian Menliff (Tony Kendall) for his marriage with his former lover Nevenka (Daliah Lavi). Kurt feels the hatred and the fear of his father Count Menliff (Dean Ardow) and the servant Giorgia (Harriet White), who blames him for seducing and killing her daughter, and indifference from his cousin Katia (Isli Oberon). On the next afternoon, the sadistic Kurt meets Nevenka riding a horse alone on the beach and whips the masochistic woman and makes love with her. Late night, Nevenka is missing and everybody is seeking her while Kurt is stabbed in the neck with the same dagger that Giorgia's daughter was murdered. On the next days, the members of the family suspects of each other while Nevenka is haunted by the ghost of Kurt."The Whip and the Body" is a stylish and one of the best features of Mario Bava that uses a magnificent cinematography, lighting and shadows and a classy soundtrack. The acting is great and the only problem is that the Ámerican DVD is awfully dubbed in English, without the synchrony of the movements of the lips with the speech. However, I have just watched this movie again in a Brazilian DVD spoken in Italian. The truth about the supernatural story is not difficult to be guessed what is happening by an attentive viewer. My vote is eight.Title (Brazil): "O Chicote e o Corpo" ("The Whip and the Body")Note: On 01 October 2014 I saw this movie again.

With Italy being my favorite Horror-producing country, and Gothic Tales and Gialli my favorite sub-genres, it is not surprising that I regard Italian Horror-pioneer Mario Bava, sublime master of the first- and inventor of the second category, as one of the greatest geniuses in the history of Motion Pictures. Unlike any other Horror director, Bava made most of his films so ingeniously that it is very hard to name favorites, simply due to the fact that this great man's repertoire includes so many flawless masterpieces. Bava's doubtlessly most brilliant film is the 1960 masterpiece "La Maschera Del Demonio" (aka. "Black Sunday"), which is, as far as I am concerned, one of the greatest films ever made, but the man created several other flawless films that no Horror lover or even cinema-fan in general could afford to miss. Such as this overwhelming film, for example. In 1963, the same year in which he invented the Giallo-sub-genre with his milestone "La Ragazza Che Sappeva Troppo" and furthermore created the arguably most memorable Horror omnibus ever with "I Tre Volti Della Paura", Bava also brought us this wonderful Gothic gem named "La Frusta E Il Corpo" (aka. "The Whip And The Body"), a film which perfectly illustrates what a brilliant director he was. "The Whip And The Body" is the absolute proof that, unlike any other director, Mario Bava had a unique talent of combining beauty and terror in a most mesmerizing manner. The need of a a high quality copy is something i seldom find essential, and yet I would highly recommend to watch "La Frusta E Il Corpo" in the highest possible quality. Whenever using the pause-button on the remote control, one has the impression of looking at a beautifully haunting painting. This is no exaggeration, but merely the only proper description of how visually overwhelming this dream-like Gothic masterpiece is.Horror-icon Christopher Lee, as far as I am concerned one of the greatest actors ever, gives a brilliant performance as one of his most haunting and sardonic characters here. The ravishing Daliah Lavi is as stunningly beautiful as the film itself, and she also delivers a stunning performance in the female lead. The supporting performances are also great, the cast includes Italian genre-regulars as Tony Kendall and Ida Galli. I will not give a long plot description as everybody should be capable of drifting into the dreamlike Horrors of Castle Menliff on their own. I do want to say though, that "The Whip And The Body" is a unique and fascinating mix of Gothic Horror and S&M love-story. The eerie castle is the perfect setting for this wonderful film, which takes place in the early 19th century. The brilliant score is as mesmerizing and hauntingly beautiful as the film's visual style - "The Whip And The Body" simply is a film that overwhelms all senses a film possibly can. This was originally intended to resemble the story of Roger Corman's 1961 masterpiece "The Pit And The Pendulum" (another favorite of mine), but it turned out entirely different, the brilliant Gothic eeriness, castle setting and great acting being the only mutual elements. Mario Bava created many masterpieces in his impressive career, and all of them have something particularly essential about them. "La Frusta E Il Corpo" is a film that shows this man's unique talent for atmosphere and the combination of the beautiful and the uncanny. This is one of the most visually overwhelming Horror films ever made, and easily deserves the highest rating of 10/10!

The suicide of a jilted fiancé holds a scar over the House of Menliff as the black sheep who left her returns, Kurt(Christopher Lee, who is simply outstanding in his limited presence..even dubbed he holds you under his ominous spell)wanting to reclaim his heritage, but receiving scorn from his ailing father(Gustavo De Nardo). His real lover, and sadomasochistic partner, Nevenka(the luscious, ravishing Daliah Lavi)has married his brother Christian(Tony Kendall)who Kurt has always hated. Christian is the caring, straight-as-an-arrow son..the direct opposite of Kurt who seems to cast a malignant shadow over his family. Kurt and Nevenka carry on their passion in a scene where he slashes her with a horse whip and we see that she likes it very much. There's a history of this as we can see. She claims to hate him, but he's perhaps merely a male mirror image of her own ugly side she tries to hold imprisoned in herself. Someone kills Kurt with a dagger..the very dagger that was used by the love he left to stab herself with. This death will haunt the rest of the characters as Kurt reappears to Nevenka setting off a growing madness in her as no one else seems to see his presence, but her. When the patriarch, Count Menliff is killed by the same dagger in the same fashion as Kurt, the idea that Kurt's ghost has returned becomes a looming, frightening possibility. Among the other melodramas, Christian is actually in love with servant girl Katia(Ida Galli), maid Giorgia's(Harriet Medin, the mother of the female suicide that Kurt left to suffer)daughter. Losat(Luciano Pigozzi)is the manservant spooked by the terrifying circumstances emerging after Kurt's demise is often walking the grounds and family mausoleum expecting to find specters. We also call into question whether Kurt's ghost is real or simply imagined by a grieve-stricken(..and guilt-stricken)Nevenka harboring a secret love for the murdered aristocrat and now coming face to face with the inequities she's kept buried inside.Fantastic Gothic masterpiece from one of our treasured Horror directors..the lush color photography is jaw-dropping and awe-inspiring. Every frame of this film looks like it was lifted from one painting or another. Superb uses of red and green, especially when Lee's "ghost" appears to Nevenka. Sure, the whipping S&M aspect adds a naughty flavor to the proceedings, but it's the way Bava brings this castle setting to life with his camera and artistic eye that makes this such a pleasure to behold. I loved how Bava returns to the muddy boots and the prints they leave behind without showing who is treading the floors with them. I think this is Bava's finest film. I hope in time(..and I believe it already is starting to gain an official..and rightfully deserved..following)this film will be mentioned more and more as a classic horror film to be seen. It really is a Gothic horror fan's wet dream. Great atmospheric trappings are benefited by a grand, sweeping score. If there ever was a director who painted a canvas using the cinematic form as his paint brush, it was Bava. And, the way he shoots faces as the characters seek out Kurt in the darkened rooms of the castle at night. Or, the way Bava lights the family crypt as others dare step inside to possibly find Kurt's ghost within. See how Bava uses a tree vine whipping in an open window reminding Nevenka of her sordid past with Kurt. Not only does Bava use color, but symbolism describing the passionate, yet violent, nature between Kurt and Nevenka. Lavi's captivating beauty is wonderfully shot, often in her room, engulfed in darkness, the wind roaring, her frightened eyes constantly veering right & left..she's completely at the mercy of Kurt's presence. I feel Bava establishes the fact that, even though Kurt's dead, his hold over this family is long-lasting, especially Nevenka, who keeps pronouncing her hatred for him even though she's in denial of her true feelings. Perhaps Kurt's *spirit* did truly live and breathe, even if it didn't exactly manifest in our realm, he certainly was real to those still living within the confines of the castle. This is truly a masterpiece.