Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS (1975)

User Rating:

5.1/10   

Director:

Don Edmonds

Writers:

Jonah Royston (writer)
John C.W. Saxton (writer)

Release Date:

October 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller | War

Tagline:

The most dreaded Nazi of them all!

Plot:

Ilsa is an evil Nazi warden at a death camp that conducts "medical experiments". Ilsa's goal is to prove...

Plot Keywords:

Evil | Death | Nazi | Death Camp | Medical Experiment

Cast

Dyanne Thorne	...	Ilsa
Gregory Knoph	...	Wolfe
Tony Mumolo	...	Mario
Maria Marx	...	Anna
Nicolle Riddell	...	Kata
Jo Jo Deville	...	Ingrid
Sandy Richman	...	Maigret
George 'Buck' Flower	...	Binz (as C.D. Lafleuer)
Rodina Keeler	...	Gretchen
Richard Kennedy	...	Nazi general (as Wolfgang Roehm)
Lance Marshall	...	Richter
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
David F. Friedman
John F. Goff	...	Nazi camp guard

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA | West Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Netherlands:16 | Italy:VM18 (video rating) (cut) | Norway:18 (re-rating) (2007) | Sweden:15 | Argentina:18 | Australia:(Banned) | Denmark:16 | Finland:K-18 (DVD rating) | Norway:(Banned) | UK:R | USA:R (cut) (1976) | USA:X (self applied) | Spain:18

Filming Locations:

Cinema General Studios - 846 N. Cahuenga, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Aeteas Filmproduktions

Trivia:

The film was twice rejected for a UK cinema certificate by the BBFC.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The German machine gun used in the film is in fact a U.S. 50 caliber Browning.

Movie Connections:

Remade as Prisoner of Paradise (1980)

A superior exploitation flick

"Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS" is a superior exploitation film from director Don Edmonds. Despite being over 30 years old, the movie still has the ability to shock with its unblinking scenes of torture.

Dyanne Thorne is excellent in the title role as the mature SS officer, Ilsa. Thorne is chillingly ruthless and believable in the movie. In the ageist Hollywood scheme of things, it's refreshing to see an older lady cast in a lead role, particularly one involving some candid scenes.

"Ilsa", despite scenes of gratuitous violence and torture, is a fun and entertaining movie. The score is effective and the production, despite its limited budget, has a polished feel to it.

Gorehounds should find the scenes of bloodshed satisfactory but the violence may appear tame in the age of "August Underground" and "Guinea Pig" excesses. In terms of wartime experimentation, those desiring an insight into history would be best checking out Tun Fei Mou's excellent "Men Behind the Sun".

Leaner and meaner than "Salon Kitty", this is a fast-moving exploitation film that genre fans should enjoy. 9 out of 10.