The Whip and the Body (1963) La frusta e il corpo (original title)

Director:

Mario Bava

Writers:

Ernesto Gastaldi (screenplay)
Ugo Guerra (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

10 December 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Romance

Tagline:

The most deliriously romantic horror picture ever made!

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Castle | Ghost | Horse Whip | Sadist | Beautiful Woman

Cast

Daliah Lavi	...	Nevenka Menliff
Christopher Lee	...	Kurt Menliff
Tony Kendall	...	Christian Menliff
Ida Galli	...	Katia (as Isli Oberon)
Harriet Medin	...	Giorgia (as Harriet White)
Gustavo De Nardo	...	Count Menliff (as Dean Ardow)
Luciano Pigozzi	...	Losat (as Alan Collins)
Jacques Herlin	...	Priest

Directed by
Mario Bava		(as John M. Old)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Ernesto Gastaldi		screenplay and dialogue (as Julian Berry)
Ugo Guerra		screenplay and dialogue (as Robert Hugo)
Luciano Martino		screenplay and dialogue (as Martin Hardy)

Produced by
Ferdinando Baldi	....	associate producer (as Free Baldwin)
Federico Magnaghi	....	producer (as Tom Rhodes)
Elio Scardamaglia	....	supervising producer (as John Oscar)

Original Music by
Carlo Rustichelli		(as Jim Murphy)

Cinematography by
Ubaldo Terzano		(as David Hamilton)
Mario Bava		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
Renato Cinquini		(as Rob King)

Casting by
Priscilla Contardi		(as Priscilla Huston)

Art Direction by
Ottavio Scotti		(as Dick Grey)

Set Decoration by
Riccardo Domenici		(as Gus Marrow)

Costume Design by
Anna Maria Palleri		(as Peg Fax)

Makeup Department
Raffaele Cristini	....	assistant makeup artist (as Raf Christie)
Franco Freda	....	makeup artist (as Frank Field)

Production Management
Ferdinando Baldi	....	unit manager (as Free Baldwin)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ernesto Gastaldi	....	assistant director (as Julian Berry)
Sergio Martino	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Peter Jakson	....	sound
Rex McCrea	....	boom operator

Camera and Electrical Department
Mark Baer	....	assistant camera
Robert Schafer	....	still photographer
Ubaldo Terzano	....	camera operator (as Art Balsam)

Editorial Department
Lina Caterini	....	assistant editor (as Kathy Line)

Music Department
Luca di Silverio	....	soundtrack album producer

Other crew
Joe M. Seery	....	production secretary

Production Companies

• Francinor-PIP
• Leone Film
• Titanus

Distributors

• Cinépix Film Properties (CFP) (1967) (Canada) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Big Sky Video (2009) (Australia) (DVD)
• Epoca (????) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Futuramic Releasing (1965) (USA) (dubbed)
• Midnight Choir (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• VCI Entertainment (2011) (USA) (all media)
• VCI Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD) (widescreen)
• e-m-s the DVD-Company (2005) (Germany) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Digitmovies Alternative Entertainment  soundtrack

Also Known As:

"La frusta e il corpo" - Italy (original title)
"The Whip and the Flesh" - International (English title)
"What" - USA

Runtime:

France:85 min | Italy:91 min | UK:78 min | USA:87 min | West Germany:86 min

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Germany:12 (re-rating) (2005) | Australia:MA (2009) | France:Unrated (2011) (tv rating) | Argentina:16 | France:-18 | Italy:VM14 | USA:Unrated | West Germany:18 | UK:X

Filming Locations:

Tor Caldara, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Francinor-PIP

Trivia:

Christopher Lee's voice was dubbed by another actor even though the film was shot in English.

Quotes:

Kurt Menliff:[to Nevenka] You haven't changed, I see. You've always loved violence.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Hellraiser (1987)

One of the best movies by THE most underrated director of the Fantastic.

As I slowly get to watch more Mario Bava movies my enthusiasm for his extraordinary body of work grows and grows. I was already hooked after watching 'Black Sunday' for the first time, but after subsequently seeing 'Kill, Baby...Kill!', 'Planet Of The Vampires', 'Black Sabbath', 'Diabolik' and 'Lisa And The Devil' (and others) I was convinced that he's THE most underrated director of the Fantastic. Now I've watched 'The Whip And The Body' three times and listened to Tim Lucas' informative DVD commentary I'm almost ready to bow down and worship Bava like a god! This is such a fascinating movie... Visually it's stunning, as to be expected, Bava being a top cinematographer before turning to directing. The subject matter is still provocative, but forty years ago it must have been scandalous! In fact the movie was heavily censored and when eventually released in America given the lousy title 'What'. Christopher Lee counts this among his favourite roles and it is essential viewing for his fans. He plays Kurt Menliff, an evil sadistic nobleman returning to his family home after hearing his younger brother has wed. Lee's family has disowned him after a scandal concerning a servant girl he seduced who subsequently suicided. His father the Count despises him, the dead girl's mother, who still works for the Count, curses him, and his brother's new bride Nevenka (Daliah Lavi) fears him. Kurt and Nevenka have a past, not only that, a complicated sadomasochistic relationship. The whipping scenes between the two actors were a bit too much for the censors to handle back in the day, and while they aren't all that explicit, they are still unsettling even today. Lee and the stunning Lavi (best know to most people for her later appearance in the star-studded Bond spoof 'Casino Royale') make a truly unforgettable couple. Many people regard 'The Whip And The Body' as Bava's single best movie. I wouldn't go that far myself, but it's definitely one of his very best films, and is sure to impress anyone who has enjoyed his other pictures. Ghost story, murder mystery, psychosexual character study, whatever you want to call it, it's a highly original movie that will stay with you for a long time. Newcomers to Bava are still best to start with 'Black Sunday' in my opinion, but this movie comes with my highest recommendation.