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July 12, 2010

(video) Malabimba: Malicious Whore (I get to scoop my source) via Severin

Evil Spirits and Bad Role Models in MALABIMBA: THE MALICIOUS WHORE

When faced with a title like Malabimba: the Malicious Whore, it’s tempting to dismiss the film as another pointless exercise in 1970s Eurosleaze. But that would be a mistake.  Director Andrea Bianchi and screenwriter Piero Regnoli are after something a little more ambitious here, something that merits a closer look.
 

Bimba Karoli (Katell Laennec) is a young girl on the precipice between childhood and maturity. The only child of the Count Andrea Karoli (Enzo Fisichella), she has spent her entire life cloistered in the family castle, educated by novice nun Sister Sofia (Mariangela Giordano). Also living in the villa are her grandmother (Pupita Lea), her wealthy, paraplegic Uncle Adolfo (Giuseppe Marrocco), and his wife Nais (Patrizia Webley).

These are not the best role models for a girl coming of age. Beset by money troubles, Andrea is encouraged by his mother to seduce Nais, which would secure his share of the patrimony in the family after Adolfo’s death. After years of being labeled a golddigger and a whore by her in-laws, Nais enjoys lording her power over them, even inviting her lover Giorgio (Giancarlo Del Duca) to live in the castle. But Andrea is an attractive man, and Nais doesn’t want to quit the aristocracy just yet.

Malabimba_UNRATED_KeyartSeance

Things go bad when Andrea orders a séance in the castle, hoping to contact his wife Daniella in the beyond. Instead they call up Lucrezia Karoli, an ancestor infamous for her sexual rapaciousness and moral turpitude. After trashing the living room and molesting the guests, the spirit dashes upstairs to tempt Sister Sofia into some damnable self-pleasuring. The nun acquiesces at first, but after she gets hold of herself, the spirit decides to try Bimba’s room…

It’s significant that after the seance we see Bimba in the family garden, toting her teddy bear (an unmistakable symbol of childish innocence), frightened by a large snake. The biblical allusion couldn’t be clearer, to say nothing of the Freudian one. That night at dinner, Bimba curses at her grandmother and molests the help. Slapping her soundly and sending her to bed, Andrea wonders where she could have learned such behavior.

 With her limited life experience, Bimba—whose name translates as “girl,” marking her status as “every girl”—has as role models only the extremes of Sister Sofia’s piety and the rest of her family’s depravity. The mercenary sexual politics, the arguments, the maltreatment of Uncle Adolfo—all these inform Bimba’s ideas of what it means to be a grown-up.

Once she passes from innocence into experience—in this case through ghostly possession rather than a more traditional ravishment—she naturally asserts her maturity by imitating the adults around her.

 For example, later Bimba sneaks out to spy on Nais, who is trying to take advantage of the lonely Count. The seduction fails, leading Nais to get what she wants from Giorgio. Apparently what she wants is some very rough sex, which Bimba also sees. The girl returns to her room and re-enacts the scene using her teddy bear, rubbing him against her crotch in a disturbing corruption of the symbol of her innocence. Afterward, she stabs Teddy repeatedly and places a large candle in his crotch, amping up the violence and perversion she’s witnessed.

Bimba

Baffled, Andrea calls the family doctor. His prognosis that “some psychological decompensation linked to the first sexual experiences is typical of puberty” does little to console her worried father.

 An interesting parallel to Bimba’s character arc is that of Sister Sofia, who also teeters between a life of earthly pleasures and one of religious concerns. Already a woman, Sofia’s entry into the convent is an attempt to regain a state of innocence through spiritual devotion. But Sofia is clearly tempted by the pleasures of the flesh: she is Lucrezia’s first target, and is repeatedly tempted to sin again.

Lesbonic

When Nais later succeeds in seducing Andrea, Bimba brings Sofia to witness it. The forbidden sight has a strong effect on the sister, who must use all her willpower to resist Bimba’s lesbonic advances.

 Rebuffed, Bimba goes to visit Uncle Adolfo for the film’s most shocking scene. Unable to call for help, Adolfo can only watch as his niece undresses, somehow coaxes him to full erection, and performs oral sex on him! The incest is too much for Adolfo— he expires, leaving the quickly dis-possessed Bimba confused and horrified.

Looking at the film in the way I suggest, we see how Bimba’s bad behavior directly corresponds with that of the adults in her life. In fact, were it not for the opening séance/possession scene, one could almost explain Bimba’s actions as the doctor does: psychological disturbance brought on by puberty and her first (vicarious) sexual experiences. Thus, while Lucrezia’s ghost is the catalyst for her transformation from good girl to bad girl—from Bimba to Malabimba—one could argue it is her guardians’ examples that actually do all the damage.

 This is not to say that Bianchi and company didn’t set out to make a sexy and exploitative movie—they clearly did, and succeeded wildly.

Nais

Patrizia Webley is a statuesque blonde with screen presence to spare; her joyfully perverse performance is a highlight of the film, as are her energetic sex scenes. And Bianchi and Regnoli even work some nunsploitation into the mix with the temptations of Sister Sofia, played bravely and affectingly by Mariangela Giordano. (Giordano would reprise the role three years later in Bianchi’s near-remake of Malabimba, Satan’s Baby Doll, also available from Severin Films.)

 But it is Katell Laennec who carries the film, and her performance is nothing short of amazing. Turning on a dime from hapless ingenue to wicked temptress, Laennec portrays Bimba so confidently, you’d never guess this was her first screen appearance. And though the viewer might wonder how an innocent young girl could collect the frankly astonishing lingerie Bimba does, he will never be sad to see Laennec modeling it. It’s a shame this was her only credited film role.

Courtyard

Bianchi is aided immeasurably by the cinematography of Franco Villa. The wonderful compositions and moody lighting with excellent use of the gorgeous sets add a level of artistry that further separates this movie from its simply crotch-centered brethren. The excellent Severin DVD transfer more than does justice to Villa’s work.

 Extras on the DVD include an excellent featurette, Malabimba Uncovered, in which Villa and Giordano share many colorful remembrances of the shoot and the cast. (Interestingly, Villa asserts that he and Bianchi did not film the hardcore scenes for the X-rated version of the film; rather, these were merely inserts—if you will—added to many movies of the era for commercial purposes.)

Also included are many deleted scenes, which can be viewed individually or in an “integral version” of the finished film. 

For me, Malabimba works on several levels. As an Italian horror/sexploitation flick, it’s hard to top; but it also works as a coming-of-age allegory, a dark fairy tale about innocence corrupted by experience. In any event, it’s a beautiful, MAD movie well worth rediscovering.

The Vicar of VHS is a scoundrel and a rake, whom you should trust only as far as Paul Naschy could throw him. You can read more of his peculiar form of filmic evangelism at Mad Mad Mad Mad Movies.

 

 

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Hill's Angels gasp and thigh stroke repeat closeup slomo (i love me some obsessed people) thanks rusty

Hill's Angels Runaway vault slomo closeup

Sexy Madeline Smith (Phwooar!) recalls glamour of Hammer | BBC NEWS | Entertainment

By Tim Masters
Entertainment correspondent, BBC News

Publicity shot from Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974)
Madeline Smith in a publicity shot from Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974)

Hammer horror films made stars of actors like Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, but some of the most iconic images from the Hammer era are of the glamorous actresses who appeared alongside them.

Madeline Smith was a familiar face on TV and in films in the 1970s.

Often cast in comic roles in shows like The Two Ronnies and Doctor at Large, she appeared in three Hammer horrors - Taste the Blood of Dracula, The Vampire Lovers and Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell.

She also appeared in Roger Moore's first outing as James Bond in Live and Let Die, and alongside Frankie Howerd in the Up Pompeii film.

The actress, now aged 60, features on the front cover of a new book by Hammer historian Marcus Hearn that celebrates two decades of Hammer glamour.

Here, Madeline Smith recalls her Hammer heyday and her time as a Bond girl.

Hammer Glamour cover

That's a striking front cover photograph - what do you remember about it?

What I remember is hating that dress. I thought, 'I can't wear that - what on earth am I going to wear under it?'

I have no idea where we were, on a set or a commercial, it certainly wasn't a Hammer film. I remember being photographed in that, and I remember pulling these terrible expressions.

I used to get rung up from time to time by these photographers. Mostly they came along and took photographs of me on my bed in my bedroom.

What's your earliest memory of Hammer?

Taste the Blood of Dracula - wonderful - we made it in 1969. For that one I did audition, and was beyond joy to get the part.

I had secretly yearned to be in one of these horror films, but because I was so innocent, gormless and untried in every sense I had no idea what a bordello scene was, or why I was in that extraordinary little outfit... but I knew how to pull gormless faces.

Shortly after, I was given the part in The Vampire Lovers.

The Vampire Lovers was a much more adult direction for Hammer in 1970...

I have to remind you of my previous remark about being completely gormless and innocent - we've only moved on about three months.

I got a very worried phone call from the producer who said he was concerned about my lack of bosom. He said 'we like you a lot, but we don't think you are voluptuous enough'.

I reassured him, and then I scuttled off to Hornby and Clarke dairy round the corner and I bought every yoghurt I could find and stuffed myself like you might fatten cattle, and it worked!

As you see [motions to book cover], need I say more?

Looking back at films like The Vampire Lovers, do you feel you were exploited?

I was a very willing exploitee - I didn't mind at all. My main point of existence is to make people laugh and I was able to use those bosoms later for comedy, I was the foil in a lot of comedy shows and sketches and I have absolutely no regret about being 'sexploited'.

Others I know take against it. I didn't mind looking womanly, that's not ever been concern of mine - but it is for others, and good for them.

Madeline Smith as Henrietta in Hampton Wick - a spoof classic serial that ran through series one of The Two Ronnies in 1971
Madeline Smith appeared in a spoof classic serial on The Two Ronnies show in 1971

Did you get much fan reaction when the films came out?

There was no great marketing machine or PR in those days. You did your photo session, but there were no videos or DVDs in those days. Your fan base was actually very small.

A lot of these films crept out with no premiere and because Hammer was very, very, very low budget there were no first nights. It's really TV that's brought about my fan base. It's wonderful - I'm ancient now and I've got far more fans and far more mail than I ever had.

Do you watch yourself on DVD?

Somebody sent me Taste The Blood Of Dracula and I thought it was a really good film. I'm a bit embarrassed about my scene. I know what was going on inside my head at the time - which wasn't much.

Let's have a look at some other pictures of you in the book.

There's another one from the same session as the front cover - and you can see how cold I am... [fixes me with her eyes, and laughs] Am I being dreadfully rude?

You were in the Bond film Live and Let Die? Isn't that the one when Roger Moore undoes your zip with his magnetic watch?

I loved that scene and I love him. I made the Bond in January 1973. I think that was the first scene that Roger shot in his new go at Bond.

I'd already had a part in The Persuaders with him and Tony Curtis - and I've been told since that he suggested me for the part in the Bond.

I don't even remember auditioning. And suddenly there I am shooting it with that divine being. He'd cut his hair off and lost a lot of weight by the time he was Bond. I think he looked smashing.

Hammer is making films again - would you like to be in a future movie?

If I felt at home with it - yes. But I don't want to play an old lady. I was more of an ingénue. I had a very slight talent and was incredibly lucky. I fear If I try to stretch it further than it will stretch it'll bounce back on me. So the answer is yes, with reservations. I am no Maggie Smith or Judi Dench. It's been a long time now for me.

Hammer Glamour (Titan Books) by Marcus Hearn is out now. The Hammer Festival exhibition at Idea Generation Gallery runs 28 Oct - 15 November.

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Madeline Smith Biography

Madeline Smith
(*August 2, 1949)

Maddy, Madeline or even Madeleine Smith. All three versions of her first name appear in Hammer literature, sometimes even inconsistently in one and the same article. For the sake of continuity I will stick to the most appropriate one: Madeline.

Anyone who thinks that the cult of being a celebrity just for celebrity’s sake (read: the likes of Jordan or Paris Hilton) was something recent, needs only to look at Madeline Smith’s career. Though she’s one of the ladies who managed the Hammer/Bond (Live and Let Die)/Carry On (Matron) hattrick, only Hammer – the studio that discovered her with Taste the Blood of Dracula - really took full advantage of her status and wrote reasonably large parts for her in The Vampire Lovers, the wet dream for Hammer Glamour lovers, and as the mute girl Angel in Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell. In most other movies she gets very little exposure and – taking all her non-Hammer feature performances together – you’d be hard pressed to get enough screen time to fill 2 hours. It is quite clear that even in her Hammer movies she is not exactly hired for her acting talent as her voice is dubbed in the The Vampire Lovers or mute in Monster from Hell.

For a period in the early 70s, however, Smith consistently appeared in photos in the press and managed to raise many a male heartbeat with her innocent looking English Rose doll face combined with a general disregard for clothing. In actual fact, she was so popular during that time that comic strip artist J. Edward Oliver regularly featured her and her talents in his ongoing series of strips. He once even designed an entire one-page comic about "The Life and Habits of the Madeline Smith". When Smith finally complained about her portrayal, Oliver stopped drawing her… but not before drawing a final farewell strip about the call he received from her.

Born in Hartfield (Sussex), she was discovered while working in a boutique and hired to perform a striptease in a London play. Interesting career path for a former convent school girl.

She was married to actor David Buck (The Mummy’s Shroud) who passed away from cancer at the age of 53.

She also played the character of Mollie on stage in Agatha Christie’s Mousetrap.

Away from Hammer, Smith’s other notable genre appearances were in Theatre of Blood and Silent Night, Deadly Night. She was more prominently featured in a string of typical British sex comedies that often gave her a chance to show off her ample physique and also starred fellow Hammer Girl Julie Ege: Up Pompeii, The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins and Percy’s Progress. She also appeared in Up The Front and The Bawdy Adventures of Tom Jones.

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Madeline Smith Posters - I'm thinking about mounting this!

Madeline Smith Posters

Madeline Smith

Type: Photo
Size: 8 x 10 in
Price: $7.99

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