Shudder Saturday: The Whip And The Body (1963)

A '60s gothic horror movie from director Mario Bava, this has pretty much everything you might expect, and want, from this kind of thing. Christopher Lee has a pivotal role, everyone involved seems to be credited under a different name from when the film was marketed for international distribution outside of Italy, and there's a fine atmosphere of lust and kink running throughout it.

Lee plays Kurt Menliff, a nobleman who returns home just in time to congratulate his brother, Christian (Tony Kendall), on his upcoming marriage to Nevenka (Daliah Lavi). Nobody really wants to welcome Kurt back. It's especially difficult for Giorgia (Harriet Medin), a housemaid who believes that Kurt helped driver her daughter to suicide. Others made unhappy are Count Menliff (Gustavo De Nardo), a butler named Losat (Luciano Pigozzi), and a cousin (Katia, played by Ida Galli) who wouldn't mind being kissing cousins with Christian. There's soon another death, and there's always time for one or two people to be whipped, whether for pain or pleasure.

This may not be one of the very best from Bava, but that's a high bar indeed. It still looks gorgeous for many of the key sequences, has admirable consistency in the atmosphere and tone from start to finish, and explores some twisted darkness with a fine balance of restraint and growing hysteria. Although that's me saying that after viewing it through a modern lens. It's worth noting that it was deemed problematic by Italian censors, due to the themes of sadomasochism intertwining with the central mystery. Ernesto Gastaldi, Ugo Guerra, and Luciano Martino are the credited writers, although Gastaldi claims to have received no input at all from the latter, and the screenplay continually dances between the chilliness of the gothic castle setting and the heat (sexual and/or angry) between a few of the main characters.

Lee excels in a role that makes the most of his imposing figure and sheer magnetism, Kendall tries hard as he plays a character who always has to be a step behind unfolding events until the very end scenes, and Lavi does well as she grows more and more nervy and unbalanced throughout the film, not without good reason. Galli is a welcome inclusion, and Medin, De Nardo, and Pigozzi each get at least one moment that places them as a potential prime suspect or victim in the murder mystery.

I'm not sure how others view this one, but I wasn't a huge fan. It's a nice enough way to pass 92 minutes, but I can easily imagine myself forgetting that I've even seen this if asked about it in a year or two (which is one of the reasons I write and review everything I see). I can't fault the cast or the production design though. It just lacks a truly memorable set-piece, and it lacks anything that feels specifically . . . Bava-esque.

6/10

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Five Dolls For An August Moon (1970)

If you're a horror fan who hasn't heard of Mario Bava then, as the saying goes, you'd better check yourself before you apply a not inconsiderable amount of damage to yourself. Bava is a towering influence over the horror genre, a man with an eye for gorgeous visuals, and also quite a few gorgeous women to cast in main roles. That doesn't mean that I love everything he ever did. I am one of the few people who doesn't view Planet Of The Vampires as a masterpiece. This is another film that I view as a lesser outing from the man, but it has just enough in the mix to make it worth your time.

A bunch of people are gathered on a small island. Most of them are simply hoping to relax, but some are trying to persuade Professor Gerry Farrell (William Berger) to sell a new scientific formula that he has come up with. And then someone turns up dead. Soon followed by someone else. It's not long until everyone is fearing for their lives. But who is the killer?

Working from a story by Mario di Nardo (an idea taken, apparently, from an uncredited, classic Agatha Christie tale), this is a fun, if lightweight, whodunnit. In fact, the third act pulls the rug from under the feet of viewers in a way that underlines the humour of the piece. Bava often laces his movies with black humour - arguably peaking in the punchline that would end his next film, A Bay Of Blood - and this is another that will make you smile in between the bloodshed.

It's a shame that this feels so ugly and unstylish compared to Bava's other movies, and the drab visuals and low energy levels end up dragging the whole thing down a level. Compare this to the likes of Blood And Black Lace, for example, and the differences seem vast. Others may disagree, but this felt like the most un-Bava movie I've seen yet from him.

The cast all do what is required of them, although nobody really stands out. Well, apart from the glorious gorgeousness that is Edwige Fenech, who would stand out in anything. Fenech is a highlight, due to the fact that she's Fenech, but Berger, Edith Meloni, Ely Galleani, Helena Ronee, Howard Ross, Ira von Furstenberg, Mauro Bosco and Teodoro Corra all try their best. Corra, in particular, has fun as the man who owns the island, therefore making him a prime suspect when the killing begins.

No Bava film is ever bad, from the selection I have seen so far. It just so happens that some aren't as good as others. This one isn't half as good as his best outings. It's still alright though. And when was the last time you read a movie review that ended on that kind of ringing endorsement? Sometimes the words just seem to flow right through me.

6/10

http://www.amazon.com/Five-Dolls-August-Moon-Remastered/dp/B00DI67N94/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1419351638&sr=1-1&keywords=five+dolls+for+an+august+moon