The Whip and the Body

(aka "La Frusta e il corpo" or "Der Dämon und die Jungfrau" or "What!" or "Le Corps et le fouet" )

directed by Mario Bava
Italy / France 1963

Widely considered the father of the Italian giallo genre, Mario Bava has influenced the likes of modern-day giallo directors Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci, as well as Martin Scorsese, David Lynch, Guillermo Del Toro and, most especially, Quentin Tarantino. The Whip and the Body is a gothic horror fantasy that finds Bava at the peak of his visual prowess. Though the giallo genre is often known for its reliance on graphic violence, Bava's film is noticeably tame. What with its captivating lighting schemes, ghostly death sequences and lurid compositions (passageways are downright vaginal), it's no wonder that Bava's fetishistic film has attained cult status. Kurt Menliff (Christopher Lee) has returned to his father's castle only to find that the servant woman (Harriet Medin) has developed an inexplicable fondness for a glass container with a dagger inside. The woman's daughter died long ago and the old bitty blames Kurt for her death; she longs for him to suffer like she did. It's easy to loose sight of the film's obsessive themes of revenge and familial responsibility amidst the parade of fetishistic set pieces.

Excerpt from Slant Magazine located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: 29 August 1963 (Italy)

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DVD Comparison:

e-m-s - Region 2 - PAL vs. VCI - Region 0 - NTSC

Big thanks to Gregory Meshman for all the Screen Caps!

(e-m-s - Region 2 - PAL - LEFT vs. VCI - Region 0 - NTSC - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers
Distribution	e-m-s Region 2 - PAL	VCI Region 0 - NTSC
Runtime	1:23:24 (4% PAL speedup)	1:26:54
Video	1.92:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: n/a mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.34 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: e-m-s	NOT AVAILABLE
Bitrate: VCI
Audio	German, English, Italian (Dolby Digital Mono)	English, Italian (Dolby Digital Mono)
Subtitles	German, None	English, Spanish, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: e-m-s Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.92:1 Edition Details: • Commentary by Tim Lucas • German, Italian, French theatrical trailers (3:25 each) • 4 Image Galleries (Lobby Cards, Posters, Press Materials, Various) • Alternative German title sequence from VHS (1:47) • Original American title sequence for What (1:03) • Biographies and Filmographies (in German) • 3 trailers for other e-m-s releases (including Blood & Black Lace) DVD Release Date: September 25, 2005 Keepcase with a Sleeve Chapters 18	Release Information: Studio: VCI Aspect Ratio: Widescreen letterboxed - 1.85:1 Edition Details: • Commentary by Tim Lucas • French theatrical trailer (3:25) • Photo Gallery • Play Soundtrack (2 tracks from a soundtrack single) • Original American title sequence for What (1:04) • Biographies and Filmographies • Planet of the Vampires and Blood & Black Lace theatrical trailers DVD Release Date: October 24, 2000 Keepcase Chapters 18

Comments

The winner in this comparison is clearly the anamorphic German disc. It ports over some nice extras including an excellent commentary by Tim Lucas. In capture 3, VCI has this scene after a fade out, so it's much darker while e-m-s disc already has the ladies riding on the beach for a few frames.

These clearly was transferred from different prints. German disc also has an alternative German dub, but English dubbing is the preferable option even though Christopher Lee's voice is not his own. I couldn't take a bitrate for a German disc, so it's not included.

- Gregory Meshman

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(e-m-s - Region 2 - PAL - LEFT vs. VCI - Region 0 - NTSC - RIGHT)