The Whip and the Body Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		4.0

The Whip and the Body Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 20, 2024

Mario Bava's "The Whip and the Body" (1963) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the release include archival audio commentary by critic and novelist Tim Lucas and vintage trailer. In English or Italian, with optional English and English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

You do not have to be an experienced detective to identify and properly arrange all the little clues revealing that The Whip and the Body (1963) is the spiritual godfather of genre films like Trans-Europ Express (1967), The Libertine (1968), Woman in Chains (1968), The Slave (1969), and The Laughing Woman (1969). (There are more, but these are the famous ones that are already out on Blu-ray). That notorious scene on the beach where Christopher Lee pulls out the big whip, punishes Daliah Lavi, and then makes love to her is classic S&M material, and you better believe that the directors who made the films listed above were inspired by it. It is a short scene. But it is a very stylish and very effective scene, and it was in a Mario Bava film. Again, you do not have to be an experienced detective to understand what all this meant and why the 1960s saw an explosion of genre films that went a lot farther than The Whip and the Body.

The story of The Whip and the Body is simple but perfect. In fact, because it is so perfect, it will not be too difficult to make a case that it has been an influential blueprint for completely different genre films. The middle-aged aristocrat Kurt Menliff (Lee) returns to the place where he was born and raised -- a massive seaside castle still occupied by his parents and a few relatives. He intends to commend his brother, Christian (Tony Kendall), who will soon marry Nevenka (Lavi), a stunningly beautiful girl, with whom he was once madly in love. But as he enters the castle, the visitor opens an old wound and immediately creates plenty of static in the air. His father, Count Vladimir Menliff (Gustavo De Nardo), and the family’s trusted maidservant, Giorgia (Harriet Medin), still blame him for seducing and destroying the life of the latter’s daughter, while his cousin, Katia (Ida Galli), who has heard stories about him, does not hide that she finds the purpose of his visit suspicious. Several hours later, the visitor proves that he is as bad as advertised. He meets Nevenka at the beach, punishes her for her betrayal, seduces her, and then walks away. When Nevenka does not return home for hours, everyone assumes that the visitor has something to do with her disappearance, but he is discovered with a long dagger in his neck.

The Whip and the Body is an old-fashioned whodunit with an unusual personality shaped by one of the all-time greatest cinematic stylists. It has a rather predictable resolution, but this does not make it a less effective film because virtually all of the quality material it works with to prepare the resolution is part of a much more intriguing visual spectacle. In other words, the search for the killer is an unconventional façade, allowing Bava to engage the viewer’s mind with a different range of tricks.

These tricks are done with various stunningly rich colors and atmospheric shadows, often competing for maximum effect, and the best ones temporarily manage to transform the search for the killer into a tremendous Gothic séance. This is and always has been Bava’s favorite playground, so the brilliance of the visuals that emerge from it is hardly surprising.

The entire cast is good, but Lavi is the undisputed star of The Whip and the Body. She is naturally gorgeous and there isn’t a single shot with her that does not look perfect. This must have been the reason why just a few years later, without appearing in any major productions, Lavi was cast to play The Detainer in Casino Royale (1967).

Bava shot The Whip and the Body with cinematographer Ubaldo Terzano, with whom he had already done a couple of other films. A year later, the two reunited on the acclaimed thriller Blood and Black Lace.

The Whip and the Body can be seen with original English and Italian audio tracks. The English track is preferable, but both feature overdubbing. (On the English track, Lee is overdubbed by Dan Sturkie).

The Whip and the Body Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, The Whip and the Body arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

In the United States, The Whip and the Body made its high-definition debut with this release, also produced by Kino Lorber, in 2013. This release is sourced from a recent 2K master that was prepared by British label 88 Films. I have the original release in my library and was able to do direct comparisons in various areas.

The overall quality of the visuals is quite good. I think that in many areas with indoor and outdoor material delineation, clarity, and depth tend to be better. Some shadow nuances are clearly handled more convincingly as well. Color balance is good, too. However, even though I like this presentation because it gives the film a solid organic appearance, it is pretty easy to conclude that The Whip and the Body could and should look quite a bit better. Why exactly? Density level, for instance, can be significantly improved, and if they are, various darker material, of which there is plenty, will look superior. I noticed several spots with minor image instability. During the opening credits, for instance, the jerkiness is impossible to miss. Color saturation can be improved, and color balance can be strengthened even more. Currently, there are some areas where yellow and yellow nuances become too prominent. The surface of the visuals can be even healthier. At the moment, it is rather easy to see tiny blemishes and nicks sneaking in. All in all, at the moment, the 2K master clearly offers the most satisfying presentation of The Whip and the Body. However, I would be surprised if it is not revisited in the future, and a superior release produced, too. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The Whip and the Body Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH (for the English track) and English (for the Italian track) subtitles are provided.

I have seen The Whip and the Body with the English and Italian tracks. I prefer the English track because the leads utter their lines in English. However, the English and Italian tracks feature overdubbing, which was a standard practice for these types of genre films. (On this film, even Christopher Lee is overdubbed). On the English track, clarity and stability are good. However, there are a few spots where the music and some of the effects become a tad thin. I did not encounter any distortions, cracks, audio dropouts, etc.

The Whip and the Body Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary was recorded by critic and novelist Tim Lucas.

• Trailer - presented here is an old French trailer for The Whip and the Body. In French, not subtitled. (4 min).

The Whip and the Body Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Currently, this release, which is sourced from a recent 2K master, offers the best technical presentation of Mario Bava's The Whip and the Body. If you like the film, you should have it in your library. However, I would be surprised if The Whip and the Body is not revisited in the future and made to look even healthier and more convincing because folks that appreciate genre films will keep coming back to it. In other words, eventually it will make sense to invest in a superior restoration. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.