Lo strano vizio della Signora Wardh (1971)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Sergio Martino

Writers:

Vittorio Caronia (screenplay)
Ernesto Gastaldi (screenplay)

Release Date:

15 January 1971 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

Plot:

An ambassador's wife discovers that one of the men in her life - either her husband, an ex-lover or her current lover - may be a vicious serial killer.

Plot Keywords:

Lover | Serial Killer | Vice | Killer | Razor

Cast

George Hilton	...	George Corro
Edwige Fenech	...	Julie Wardh
Conchita Airoldi	...	Carol Brandt (as Cristina Airoldi)
Manuel Gil	...	Dr. Harbe
Carlo Alighiero	...	Commissioner
Ivan Rassimov	...	Jean
Alberto de Mendoza	...	Neil Wardh
Bruno Corazzari	...	Killer
Marella Corbi
Miguel Del Castillo	...	Medico Spagnolo
Luis de Tejada
Brizio Montinaro	...	Ospite Al party
Pouchi
Mira Vidotto	...	Cameriera Della Wardh

Also Known As:

Blade of the Ripper (USA)
La perversa señora Ward (Spain)
Next! (UK)
The Next Victim! (USA)
The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh (USA) (DVD title)

Runtime:

Italy:98 min | Spain:92 min | USA:81 min

Country:

Italy | Spain

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Germany:16 (re-rating) (2005) | West Germany:18 (original rating) | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Sweden:15 | USA:R

Company:

Copercines, Cooperativa Cinematográfica

Trivia:

Italian censorship visa # 57415 delivered on 23-12-1970.

Quotes:

George Corro: My specialty is courting ladies in the presence of their husbands.

Movie Connections:

References Psycho (1960)

Heady stuff indeed...

Wow! This one really moves, from the very beginning we are assaulted with seeming misogynist activity involving nakedness and blood. With barely time to breath we are drawn into a fast moving and shocking tale involving a knife slashing serial killer and the beautiful Edwige Fenech's real, imagined or remembered images of violent rape culminated in ecstatic sex. Heady stuff indeed and if that all were not enough Edwige seems unable to keep any clothes on for at least the first half hour. Things calm down a little for a while as we admire the fantastic set design and score at one moment threatening at another sweet and seductive and in accompaniment to the vicious rape scenes almost religious. We struggle to work out just who is killing who as the film turns into a thriller before the wonderful and exciting last part where the twists and turns are for once surprising and a joy to behold. Excellent. Not much finesse but everything else