Isabella buckles her swash
Like Anastasia, only an action hero – and naked.
"I’m telling you man, she’s wearing trousers."
"No she isn’t"
"Take a closer look. She’s got pants on – they’re just really, really, really tight."
"...and flesh-coloured?"
"They’re actually more red than this, but the picture faded in the sun."
"You should leave your entire video collection out in the sun, just to see if you get any more naked chicks. This one looks like she’s wearing some kind of space-age Saran Wrap that stretches."
This is the sort of debate that the cover art for Ms. Stiletto (1969) is likely to inspire. Trust me, though, that swashbuckling blonde is wearing pants.
As the box art suggests, Ms. Stiletto is a sex-and-violence-drenched tale of a beautiful take-no-shit heroine who knows how to handle a sword. Sultry Eurobabe Brigitte Skay plays Isabella, an Alsatian princess who, Anastasia-like, escaped from her castle while the rest of the royal family was murdered by the scheming Baron Von Nutter. The young Isabella is smuggled away to be raised by gypsies while Von Nutter (amusingly pronounced "Von Neuter") seizes the throne and does the usual bad-guy-taking-over-kingdom routine. Bwaa ha ha.
Naturally, Isabella grows up to be a fine foxy lady, learns the art of swordfighting and comes back to kick the Baron’s ass and reclaim the throne. Until then, there’s plenty of debauchery. One dinner party is enlivened by a contest in which a naked woman tries to get a rise out of a nubian slave who has been ordered to remain immobile. The dinner guests leer and gulp down their chicken with frenzied gusto in a scene obviously inspired by Tom Jones (1963).
There’s a topless belly dancing scene, a lesbian bathing tryst, an amorous couple rolling around in a pile of flour (!), rape, voyeurism and a countess rubbing aphrodisiacal unguent all over our heroine’s backside. If you want to see wet, naked women running through a castle while brandishing daggers, this is the flick for you.
Isabella finally finesses her way into the Baron’s bed, where she whips out a dagger and messes up his face. The Baron hides his disfigurement with a mask, becomes crueler than ever and returns for the final showdown.
Ms. Stiletto (also known as Isabella, and Isabelle: Duchesse Du Diavoli) is considered to be director Bruno Corbucci’s best film. (Corbucci is the younger brother of Django director Sergio Corbucci, and Bruno’s career is often overshadowed by that of his illustrious older sibling.) The film, like Barbarella (1968) and Danger: Diabolik (1967) was adapted from a saucy European comic book. The fumetti (comic book) Isabelle first appeared in 1966, and set new standards of lasciviousness for the increasingly adult-oriented format. The Isabelle books were extremely popular, with their ferocious heroine, swashbuckling action and wall-to-wall sex. The success of the character (created by fumetti artist Alessandro Angiolini) led to the creation of countless similar fumetti series, each filled to the brim with action, torture, period detail and bosomy heroines losing their clothing.
The tape includes a trailer for Force Video’s "Wicked Women" line, including such sleazy treats as Savage Island with Linda Blair, Playing The Field with Joan Collins, and Jesus "Jess" Franco’s Erotikill (a.k.a. The Loves of Irina, a.k.a. The Bare Breasted Countess) with Franco’s exhibitionist wife, Lina Romay. |
