Isabella, Duchess of the Devils

This is an excellent translation to the big screen of the very first Italian erotic comic book, dated 1966, by Sandro Angiolini, narrating the adventures of the young and beautiful Isabella and her path of vengeance against the evil Baron who killed her parents a few years before. The movie is a very good mix of the elements that made the success for this kind of adult comics books, part eroticism - often with sadistic overtones - part fighting, part torture, part laughs. The movie is a good rendition of the comic books feeling, with several nude and erotic scenes - it could be considered almost hardcore in 1969 !! - but for today standard is almost tame, but for the sadistic scenes.

Now this is something a little bit different, Isabella, Duchess of the Devils, is the translation of the original Italian title and is mentioned within the film, although my print has the American title; Ms. Stiletto, leading me to suggest this might be in a category of one being a 'sword and stiletto' flick. Anyway, yes plenty of sword fights, pretty well done, rather a lot of talking, not so well done and a great lead performance from a plucky Brigitte Skay who wins most of the sword fights and bares just enough skin to keep us interested through some of the lesser moments. A lot of people dressed as soldiers chasing each other about but one or two quite extraordinary scenes including, the seduction of a near naked black slave who is to be whipped if he shows signs of excitement, as an extra at a banquet and an amazing scene where our heroine gets a mighty lashing, facing the camera.

This is an adaptation of a "fumetti", which were basically adult, (usually erotic) comic books popular in Europe in the 1960's and 70's. The most famous "fumetti"-based movies are "Barbarella" and "Diabolik", but others such as "Baba Yagi", "Satanik", and "Kriminal" have at least received a decent international DVD release. This one has been sadly neglected so far.

The story is set in medieval times and focuses on a female swashbuckler "Isabella" (Brigitte Skay) who's seeking revenge on the cruel baron who murdered her parents. Skay is not particularly believable as a swashbuckler--it's amazing she can wield her impressive breasts, let alone a sword. But she was clearly cast in this movie mainly to get ridiculously naked at every possible opportunity, and at THAT, at least, she certainly excels. This movie has plenty of ripe sexploitation, some of which is pretty politically incorrect by today's standards (such as when the wicked baron orders his mistress to strip off and try to get a "rise" out of black servant while his entire dinner party looks on).

The director Bruno Corbucci was the brother of famous spaghetti Western director Sergio Corbucci (probably the second most renowned spaghetti director after Sergio Leone). Brother Bruno also tried his hand the pasta-oater genre, but his most famous film was probably the crime thriller/comedy "Cop in Blue Jeans" with the great Tomas Milian. Swiss actress Brigitte Skay is definitely no Tomas Milian (although she does have nicer breasts). She is most famous for appearing in a couple Mario Bava movies like "Bay of Blood", but this is one of her few lead roles. This movie has some memorable scenes, even if it doesn't hold together too well and really runs out of gas by the end. If you like--or have even heard of--fumetti and fumetti adaptations, this is a pretty solid one and worth seeing

'Isabella Duchessa dei Diaboli' (1969) is a scurrilously camp, riotously rambunctious yarn by stolid genre filmmaker Bruno 'Assassination on The Tiber' Corbucci, based on a then-popular Fumetti (lurid comic strip) of the time. After the anguished young Duchess witnesses the brutal slaying of her parents, she is fortuitously spirited away by a loyal vassal, and is boisterously brought up as a bellicose, knife-throwing gypsy. (As an aside, I felt that Corbucci's playful framing of this rather melodramatic sequence made for an especially effective scene!) While the young duchess enjoys the open-air, free-for-all life of a rollicking Romany, deep inside her pert, pale bosom, she harbours a bitter, heart-hardening revenge for the righteous slaying of the truly malefic, beautifully named, 'Baron Eric Von Nutter'; the braying, vainglorious despot, who so gleefully sacked her father's lands and put him to the sword right before her tear-strewn eyes! And in the case of 'Isabella Duchessa dei Diaboli', her righteous revenge proves to be a titillating dish, best served with liberal flashes of bravura, bare-breasted swordplay! Corbuccci's direction is constantly nimble; and all the zesty cast equip themselves admirably in the bravura 'Buckling Swash' department, and our devilishly delicious heroine is both pretty, bellicose, and almost implausibly nubile; dispensing her singular breed of justice whilst in various juicily bawdy states of undress. This is a hugely entertaining romp, and it would make me even happier to see a pristine restoration of this exciting, full-breasted, buckle-swasher. Tally Ho!!!!!