The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh
| The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Sergio Martino |
| Produced by |
Antonio Crescenzi Luciano Martino |
| Screenplay by |
Vittorio Caronia Ernesto Gastaldi Eduardo Manzanos Brochero |
| Story by | Eduardo Manzanos Brochero |
| Starring |
George Hilton Edwige Fenech Conchita Airoldi (as Cristina Airoldi) Manuel Gil Carlo Alighiero Ivan Rassimov |
| Music by | Nora Orlandi |
| Cinematography |
Emilio Foriscot Floriano Trenker |
| Edited by | Eugenio Alabiso |
Production company |
Copercines, Cooperativa Cinematográfica Devon Film Laurie International MLR |
| Distributed by | Gemini-Maron |
Release dates | 15 January 1971 |
Running time |
Italy: 98 min Spain: 92 min USA: 81 min |
| Country |
Italy Spain |
| Language |
Italian English dub |
| Box office | ESP 15,193,058 (Spain) |
The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh (Italian: Lo strano vizio della Signora Wardh; released as Blade of the Ripper in the United States) is a 1971 giallo murder mystery film directed by Sergio Martino. It is his first entry in the giallo subgenre. The letter "h" was added to the name "Ward" when an Italian woman named Mrs. Ward threatened legal action over the original title's potentially damaging her good name, just before the film was released. The film was also known as Next! or The Next Victim.
Synopsis
Newly married to an older man, Julie returns to Vienna, where a razor wielding slasher is killing women. Jean, her cruel and sadistic former lover, immediately contacts her, certain that only he can satisfy her strange vice. But she rejects him. She also meets George, the handsome cousin of her friend Carol; both are newly rich, thanks to an uncle's death. Julie's husband Neil is away frequently, so George pours on the charm. Meanwhile, it seems that the slasher is now focused on Julie. Bodies pile up, other murders are barely avoided, and George invites her to go away with him. Can it end happily?
Cast
- Edwige Fenech... Julie Wardh
- George Hilton ... George Corro
- Conchita Airoldi ... Carol Brandt (as Cristina Airoldi)
- Ivan Rassimov ... Jean
- Manuel Gil ... Dr. Harbe (as Maurice Gillas Pou)
- Carlo Alighiero ... Commissioner
- Alberto de Mendoza ... Neil Wardh
- Marella Corbi ... Victim who escaped from the killer
- Miguel del Castillo ... Medico Spagnolo
- Luis de Tejada ... The inspector
- Pouchi ... Victim in the shower (as Pouchie)
Critical reception
AllMovie wrote, "Sergio Martino's first entry into Italy's giallo genre delivers everything this style of thriller requires and then some", calling it "a skillful example of how the giallo can be a head-spinning experience in style over substance."[1]
References
- ↑ Guarisco, Donald. "Blade of the Ripper - Review - AllMovie". AllMovie. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
External links
- The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh at the Internet Movie Database
- The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh at Allmovie.com
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