Rating: 2/5
Cult Movie Challenge 2024 | 28/52 | Nazisploitation
When the superman wishes to amuse himself, he must do so, even at the cost of the life of others. — Friedrich Nietzche
Good luck finding that Nietzsche quote outside this movie, because it either isn’t real or is mistranslated.
Alberto Baldan Bembo’s lush orchestral score opens the film, telling you how Italian and 70s this movie will be.
Conrad von Stark drives through Northern Germany, listening to a tape of a war crimes trial. It details the rape, torture, and executions that a former prisoner of the camp experienced. He arrives at the ruins of the death camp, where he meets with Lise Cohen. Conrad did prison time for his crimes at the camp and is now free. Lise was a former prisoner of the camp. Her testimony saved his life.
I was just a soldier. I only followed orders. I was doing my duty.
We flashback to their time in the camp, the games they played, and Lise’s strength, which Conrad did all he could to break. He did far more than follow orders.
Much of what I said in my review for The Night Porter applies here, although this movie never pretends to be arthouse like The Night Porter did. This movie is exploitation, presenting transgression as titillation for the buying audience. If you don’t see how this is pornography, may god bless you and continue to protect you.
For this cult movie category, I chose this movie because it’s on the Video Nasties list since I’ve committed to watching all of those for some stupid reason. Impressively, the UK still won’t allow a DVD release for this movie.
From a filmmaking perspective, the film is well-assembled, with selective cuts at the most grotesque moments. Not tasteful, mind you — just smartly letting the imagination perform what the budget might not.
Daniela Poggi has since voiced her regret for being in this movie, citing being young and pressured by her team. This remains one of her most popular films, as most of her work never broke out of Italy.
Let me be clear: this is a supremely fucked up movie. Don’t bother.