The Sweet Body of Deborah (1968)
"Il dolce corpo di Deborah" (original title)

Deborah, a wealthy American, and her Italian husband, Marcel, are honeymooning in Geneva when they meet Marcel's friend Philip, who belligerently informs them that Susan, Marcel's former ... See full summary »

Director:

Romolo Guerrieri

Writers:

Ernesto Gastaldi (screenplay), Ernesto Gastaldi (story),

Stars:

Carroll Baker, Jean Sorel, Ida Galli

Cast

Credited cast:
Carroll Baker	...	Deborah
Jean Sorel	...	Marcel
Ida Galli	...	Suzanne Boileau (as Evelyn Stewart)
George Hilton	...	Robert Simack
Luigi Pistilli	...	Philip
Michel Bardinet	...	Police Commissioner
Valentino Macchi	...	Garagista
Mirella Pamphili	...	Telephone Clerk (as Mirella Panfili)
Domenico Ravenna	...	Doctor
Giuseppe Ravenna	...	Maitre d'Hotel
Renato Montalbano	...	Telephone Man
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Silvio Klein	...	Man at the boxing match

Storyline

Deborah, a wealthy American, and her Italian husband, Marcel, are honeymooning in Geneva when they meet Marcel's friend Philip, who belligerently informs them that Susan, Marcel's former fiancée, has committed suicide. The couple stop at Susan's deserted villa, where Marcel receives a death threat over the telephone. In Nice, he continues to receive menacing phone calls, and Deborah begins taking tranquilizers; one evening she accidentally takes too many and is revived by Robert, an artist who lives in the adjacent villa. Later, Philip attempts to murder her to avenge Susan's suicide, but Marcel appears, stabs Philip, and buries his body in the garden. The next morning, when Marcel leaves to buy two plane tickets to the United States, Philip and Susan suddenly appear; when the terror-stricken Deborah faints, the couple drug her, slash her wrists to make her death look like suicide, and drive away.

---

Plot Keywords:

science | female nudity | fear | dancing | psycho sexual | 

---

Taglines:

Warm eyes- cold knife. Sweet body- bitter revenge.

---

Genres:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Italy France

Language:

Italian

Release Date:

20 March 1968 (Italy)

Also Known As:

The Sweet Body of Deborah

Filming Locations:

Geneva, Canton de Genève, Switzerland

Company Credits

Production Co:

Compagnie Cinématographique de France, Flora Film, Zenith Cinematografica

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Deborah: Alright Robert Simack, now why don't you go and paint? Paint a worm in the apple.

User Reviews

Beautiful decadence

"Il Dolce Corpo di Deborah" is a lushly filmed romantic thriller, starring Carroll Baker and Jean Sorel, certainly one of the most beautiful on screen couples of all time. In fact everything about this production is gorgeous, from the actors and the magnificent interiors and fashions, to the absolutely fantastic film score from Nora Orlandi. All this combined elegance makes for an intoxicating viewing experience that takes the audience into an opulent world, where nobody is quite what they seem. Mistakenly labelled as a 'giallo' film, but this is hardly a giallo, so I don't understand the connection. There are no violent, stylish murder set-pieces to mention at all. So those looking for a giallo will most likely be disappointed, and I think that contributes to the films rather low score here. Instead we have a film more in the vein of Luchino Visconti; a study of deception and betrayal, and greed, among the beautiful "jet set," in opulent and exclusive surroundings. This reminded me of Visconti's "Conversation Piece" for instance. Filmed throughout Switzerland, and then the French countryside, this is escapist cinema at it's finest, with an intriguing story that unfolds at a leisure, elegant pace. It possesses the unique Euro-style film making that is most impressive here. "Il Dolce Corpo Di Deborah" is a classic in it's own right.