| Ilsa, She-Wolf of the SS (1974) Dir: Don Edmonds Cast: Dyanne Thorne, Gregory Knoph, Tony Mumolo, Maria Marx, Buck Flower (credited as C.D. LaFleur), Richard Kennedy (credited as Wolfgang Roehm) Unrated, Approx: 96 minutes. Anchor Bay Entertainment, Video and DVD |
| Trashy exploitation like Ilsa, She-Wolf of the SS certainly isn't everybody's cup of tea. In fact, aside from a very small group of fanatics (call us sickos!), films like Ilsa aren't anybody's cup of tea. Even exploitation fans are sorely divided when it comes down to this cult masterpiece, some love it, others loathe it, but whatever your stance on this early 70's shocker is, one can't deny the fact that it remains one of the strongest, most stomach-churning and repellant films ever made. This disclaimer of sorts, will obviously perk the curiosity of certain, more ballsy genre fans, while those with weak stomachs should be sure to avoid Ilsa like the plague. |
| A film like Ilsa, She-Wolf of the SS consists of very little plot, but for what it's worth, the film opens sometime in World War II with a pretty hot sex scene featuring Ilsa (the amazingly well-endowed Dyanne Thorne whose snarls and moans are by turns both terrifying and arousing throughout the film) and some chump who is to be castrated immediately following the opening credits. It's revealed that Ilsa is an officer of the SS and head of Medical Camp 9, a place where the prisoners don't have much chance for survival. Ilsa is a sadistic comendant, infecting prisoners with fatal diseases, a woman's toenails are torn from her feet with pliers, another is tortured with a dildo that administers electrical shocks and another is boiled in a tank of hot water! Luckily, the film does have a protagonist, a male prisoner called Wolfe (Knoph), a blonde haired German-looking man whom Ilsa becomes attracted to. It seems that Ilsa enjoys sexual trysts with the male prisoners nightly, only to castrate or kill those that do not satisfy her fully. Wolfe it seems, has the ability to hold back orgasm, allowing himself to perform in bed as long as necessary, this delights Ilsa and she keeps him alive and healthy indulging in sexual situations with him regularly. Wolfe naturally uses his sexual ability to take advantage of Ilsa's 'weakness' all the while planning an insurrection to escape from Medical Camp 9. |
| Ilsa is an ugly film to be sure, it revels in its scenes of atrocity. There are plenty of scenes consisting of enough sadistic torture to make a viewer with even the strongest of wills cringe. One woman is forced to stand on a melting block of ice with a noose around her neck, Ilsa urinates on a drunken nazi general at his request,, there are threesomes, rapes, beatings, shootings and much more to make this 96 minutes either an endurance test or a perverse cup of tea to the person with eccentric taste. While it's sick, it's not hard to find amusement in the film as well. Obviously, lots of people will be appalled, but some of the dialogue is goofy, not to mention a silly action sequence towards the film's finish and an overall lack of convincing performances really give Ilsa a tongue in cheek slant at times. That said, Dyanne Thorne really shines in her portrayal of comendant Ilsa. Thorne is hot (those breasts, oh man, those breasts!!), but more than that, as Ilsa, she's gleefully evil with some priceless facial expressions (gotta love her scowls) and the biting german accent. Throne is a villianess that easily puts to shame all other ladies who've tried similar roles, but in the bigger picture, it's difficult (almost impossible) to think of another actress who's protrayed a more convincingly evil, rotten villianess. There are none that have come to mind since I first saw this film ( when I was way to young to have seen this), many years ago and I very seriously doubt I will ever change my opinion. |
| Directed by Don Edmonds (who helmed the sequel Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks along with the early 80's slasher Terror on Tour ), using sets left over from the popular World War II televison comedy Hogan's Heros, this film was shot in just 16 brisk days and while Ilsa isn't the most professional-looking film, it doesn't look like it was shot in breakneck speed. Edmonds' film is easily the best (if not necessairly the first) in the 'Swastika & Sex' (as the book 'The Ilsa Chronicles' puts it) subgenre. One that continues to fascinate and repulse as much to this day as it did the day it was released. Controversey continued for this film well after its initial release, one memorable incident occured at a revival theatre when promotion for the film consisted of a buxom blonde dressed in SS getup riding down streets in a black car, seig hailing people and resulted in the hired woman being stoned by angry pedestrians! Obviously not the brightest plug, the film is still a pinnacle of the exploitation genre and one that must not be missed by serious fans of this type. Highly reccomended! |
| Followed one year later by Ilsa, Harem Keeper of the Oil Sheiks, and in 1977 with Ilsa, The Tigress of Siberia along with Ilsa, The Wicked Warden. The amazing Thorne reprised her role in all three films, the Wicked Warden not actually an Ilsa film, but a European knockoff helmed by Jess Franco. The title was later changed to cash in on the success of previous films. The original title of Warden was Greta, The Mad Butcher but there are several alternate titles you can find that film under. |
| Matt's Rating: ***** (out of 5) |
| Reviewed by Matt Serafini 1/22/01 |
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