Search - The Whip and the Body on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Violence, Not For Children, Sexual Situations Movie Release: 1963 DVD Release: 10/24/2000 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English, Italian Subtitles: English, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 28 mins Studio: Vci Video Members Wishing: 5 Genres: Horror, Costume Horror, Gothic Film

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

Christopher Lee - Kurt Menliff
Daliah Lavi - Novenka
Jacques Herlin - Priest
Tony Kendall - Christian Menliff
Harriet Medin
Luciano Pigozzi - Manservant
Haniet White - Giorgia

Long the source of controversy due to the sadomasochistic relationship that serves as its chilly centerpiece, Mario Bava's creepy "lost" romantic ghost story (released heavily censored in the U.S. under the title What) receives a commendable release as either a component of VCI Home Entertainment's =Mario Bava Box Set or available for purchase separately.
Even more so than with their release of Bava's Blood and Black Lace (1964), VCI has outdone themselves to deliver a pristine print of Bava's misunderstood masterpiece. Even without taking the tumultuous history of the film into consideration, this transfer is outstanding. Letterboxed at 1:85.1, the beautifully vivid and colorful image is remarkably clean and free of speckling or any visual distortion. Blacks remain solid and skin tones spot-on as Bava's expressively creative lighting and composition enrich the lush, colorful palette of the film, creating a hauntingly effective and romantically gothic backdrop to this ghostly love story. Presented in English or Italian Dolby Digital Stereo with optional English or Spanish subtitles, the audio is crisp and clear. Though it won't push any current audio system to its limit, the audio complements the film well and is extremely gratifying.
As with his commentary for Blood and Black Lace, Video Watchdog's Tim Lucas offers commentary on this disc -- a virtual schooling in the elaborate works of Bava. Obsessively detailing cast and location information, in addition to such interesting tidbits as the producer's insistence on covering up the film's Italian origins by forcing all involved to adapt pseudonyms, Lucas offers amazingly detailed insight that nobody except for Bava or those on the set at the time could possibly know. Only occasionally pausing to let Bava's work speak for itself, Lucas' commentary is exhausting and priceless in its rich detail. Other special features such as the film's soundtrack, trailers, a photo gallery, and an Easter egg containing two incidental segments accidentally omitted from the disc round out this exciting release. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide