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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
(aka "La Frusta e il corpo" or "Der Dämon und die Jungfrau" or "What!")
directed by Mario Bava
Italy / France 1963
The 2024 Kino Blu-ray of The Whip and the Body is reviewed / compared HERE
Released in the United States in a heavily censored
edition that eliminates all traces of sexual masochims,
LA FRUSTA proved to be quite ahead of its time.
In retrospect, the American title WHAT! pretty well sums
up the reactions of audiences at the time, baffled as
they must have been by the incomprehensible re-editing.
Thankfully, Bava's original cut is available on Japanese
laser disc, in a gorgeously colorful, letterboxed print
that enables one to appreciate every facet of its
brilliance. In this form it is, arguably, Bava's
greatest work, and a must for all serious film buffs.
Excerpt from Troy Howarth at mariobava.tripod.com located HERE |
Posters
Theatrical Release: 29 August 1963 (Italy)
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Comparison:
e-m-s - Region 2 - PAL vs. VCI - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Big thanks to Gregory Meshman for all the DVD Screen Caps!
Box Covers |
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Coming to Blu-ray by Kino in 2024 and 88 Films in the UK: Also available on Blu-ray in Germany from Koch Media: |
Distribution |
e-m-s Region 2 - PAL |
VCI Region 0 - NTSC |
Kino Region 'A' - Blu-ray |
Runtime | 1:23:24 (4% PAL speedup) | 1:26:54 | 1:27:11.434 |
Video |
1.92:1 Original Aspect Ratio
16X9 enhanced |
1.85:1 Original Aspect Ratio |
1.78:1 - 1080P
Dual-layered
Blu-ray
Disc Size: 32,294,805,000 bytesFeature: 29,200,465,920 bytes Video Bitrate: 33.87 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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Bitrate:
e-m-s
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NOT AVAILABLE |
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Bitrate:
VCI
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Bitrate:
Blu-ray
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Audio | German, English, Italian (Dolby Digital Mono) |
English, Italian (Dolby Digital Mono) |
LPCM Audio Italian 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz /
2304 kbps / 24-bit LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit LPCM Audio French 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit Commentary: LPCM Audio English 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit |
Subtitles | German, None | English, Spanish, None | English, None |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: e-m-s Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details: Chapters 18 |
Release Information: Studio: VCI Aspect Ratio:
Edition Details:
DVD Release Date: October
24, 2000 Chapters 18 |
Release Information: Disc Size: 32,294,805,000 bytesFeature: 29,200,465,920 bytes Video Bitrate: 33.87 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Edition Details: • Uncut, Unrated European Version
• Commentary by Tim Lucas |
Comments |
The 2024 Kino Blu-ray of The Whip and the Body is reviewed / compared HERE NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.
ADDITION: Kino - Region 'A' -
Blu-ray (November 2013):
Kino take their swing at Bava's The Whip and the Body and it is
advertised as the Uncut, Unrated European version. It offers English, Italian
and French DUBs - all in linear PCM. The image looks significantly darker and
detail is lost compared to the DVDs - notably the e-m-s but, for all I know,
that may have been boosted. I would tend to believe that this has not had
digital manipulation (aside from the 1.85 to 1.78 aspect ratio adjustment) and
is true to the source Kino used (incidentally Le Corps et Le Fouet French
title card.) I can't speak to the authenticity of the appearance but I will say
it is one of the darker
Blu-rays I have
seen (not saying this is not an accurate representation of the film!). My suspicion is the Kino is the most accurate although with all the
shadows and minimal lighting skin tones gravitate all over the place from cool
to warm depending on the lighting. It also has some rich, and pleasing,
textures. The 3 DUBs are all
transferred at LPCM 2.0 channel at 2304. The post DUBBING is obvious and, at
times, awkward. There are weaknesses - I stuck with the Italian and Carlo
Rustichelli's (Seduced
and Abandoned,
Divorce - Italian Style, 1974's
Ten Little Indians) score maintains a mysterious atmosphere throughout
sounding quite spooky via the uncompressed. There are optional English subtitles
and the
Blu-ray disc is
Region 'A'-locked. The only extra is Tim
Lucas's commentary (author of
Mario Bava : All the Colors of the Dark). He's always a pleasure to
listen to and imparts some wonderful information. Bava fans will
definitely appreciate the
Blu-ray -
absolutely recommended! *** ON THE DVDs: 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. |
Menus
(e-m-s - Region 2 - PAL - LEFT
vs. VCI - Region 0 - NTSC - RIGHT)
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Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Screen Captures
1) e-m-s - Region 2 - PAL - TOP2) VCI - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE3) Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
Subtitle sample
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1) e-m-s - Region 2 - PAL - TOP2) VCI - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE3) Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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1) e-m-s - Region 2 - PAL - TOP2) VCI - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE3) Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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1) e-m-s - Region 2 - PAL - TOP2) VCI - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE3) Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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1) e-m-s - Region 2 - PAL - TOP2) VCI - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE3) Kino - Region 'A' - Blu-ray BOTTOM |
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