The Whip and the Body

The Whip and the Body
Italian film poster for The Whip and the Body
Directed by	Mario Bava
Starring	Daliah Lavi Christopher Lee Tony Kendall Ida Galli
Cinematography	Ubaldo Terzano Mario Bava[1]
Edited by	Renato Cinquini[1]
Music by	Carlo Rustichelli[1]
Color process	Technicolor
Production companies	Vox Film Leone Film Francinor P.I.P.[1]
Distributed by	Titanus (Italy)[1]
Release dates	29 August 1963 (1963-08-29) (Italy) 26 January 1966 (1966-01-26) (France)
Running time	91 minutes[1]
Countries	Italy France[1]
Box office	₤72 million

The Whip and the Body (Italian: La frusta e il corpo) is a 1963 gothic horror film directed by Mario Bava under the alias "John M. Old". The film is about Kurt Menliff (Christopher Lee) who is ostracized by his father for his relationship with a servant girl and her eventual suicide. He later returns to reclaim his title and his former fiancée Nevenka (Daliah Lavi) who is now his brother's wife. Menliff is later found murdered, but the locals believe his ghost has returned to haunt the castle for revenge.

Italian censors removed the film from cinemas due to its sadomasochistic themes. The international cut features some significant changes, and runs for 77 minutes. It was released theatrically as What! and Night Is the Phantom in the United States and United Kingdom, respectively.