The Firelight Shocks DVD Review Section

Ilsa - She Wolf of the SS Distributor: Anchor Bay Entertainment Region: 0 NTSC Ratio: 1:66:1 Sound: Dolby Digital Mono

This notorious and reviled film tells the story of an SS experiment camp run by the insanely sadistic Ilsa. Alongside her official investigations she is also unofficially conducting experiments to prove that women have a greater pain threshold than men. She wishes to show that women should be allowed into the heat of battle. This premise is then used as an excuse to show scene after scene of women being hideously tortured at the hands of the evil Ilsa. The men don't escape her barbaric treatment either, for she allows the new male prisoners to bed her, but if they fail to satisfy they are whisked off and castrated. Then a new arrival comes to the camp (Wolfe) and Ilsa eyes him up for her 'special' attention. Amazingly, his sexual prowess manages to satisfy her lustful cravings and so he is able to retain his genitalia. At various points throughout the film Ilsa calls upon Wolfe for sexual favours, which eventually proves to be her downfall. At the finale Wolfe persuades Ilsa to let him tie her to the bed, he then takes the opportunity of her incapacitation to lead an uprising against the camp's authorities. At this point German soldiers arrive with orders to erase all evidence of the camp's existence as the Allies are closing in fast. There then follows a ridiculous gun battle between the prisoners and the soldiers. Ilsa is finally shot dead by a German soldier, and Wolfe and his love interest escape the camp. The only offensive thing about this film is that it is so bad! Don't get me wrong, the subject matter IS offensive, but it was all so ineptly handled that I really couldn't take offence at it! I can understand, however, how this film could antagonise certain sections of our society and it is certainly true that the majority of the women served only as props upon which to inflict (albeit fake) atrocities. There are plenty of unintentional laughs to be had though. One such scene is where a prisoner tells Wolfe of his recent castration only to be insensitively informed by him that the Allies are near and that the war will soon be over. The emasculated inmate looks genuinely devastated and gazes sadly down at his crotch. This film is impossible to defend really, except maybe as a curio from a bygone age of filmmaking. Its reprehensible presentation of women as objects to be used for sex or violence is bound to offend many, but as I said, it's all so badly done I couldn't really take it seriously enough to be offended. Anchor Bay have done a first-class job on this disc though, which is probably more than this film deserves. The transfer is flawless with a pin-sharp image and the audio, although mono, is strong and clear.

EXTRAS: There is a theatrical trailer, a talent bios section and an audio commentary with Dyanne Thorne (Ilsa), Don Edmonds (director), David F. Friedman (producer, though credited on the film under the pseudonym Herman Traeger) and moderator Martin Lewis (who interjects throughout with his irksome brand of inane humour). The commentary gets off to a bad start with Lewis declaring that Ilsa is a 'masterpiece'. Erm...I think not. Anyway, next up is Dyanne who talks over the opening shots of how the nude scenes were handled by great sensitivity by director Edmonds. The commentary gets into full swing then with the quartet discussing how the film was shot in 9 days on the disused set of Hogan's Heroes, the various actors, financial difficulties, how almost each shot was a one shot take and that many things were made up on the spot! Thorne soon starts to irritate as she keeps withering on about how Ilsa was the screen's first real feminist icon. Her talk is over-pretentious and soon gets tiresome, as does her and Don's talk of their careers, especially when they're babbling over key scenes which really needed to be commented on. Dyanne did reveal, though, that in the final scenes where she is struggling to get free she actually broke the bed she was tied to! Director Edmonds is very frank about his involvement and admits that he was purely profit motivated. He wanted to make money and he wanted to be famous. Friedman is a little less open and is pretty evasive about why he wanted his name removed from the credits. Though he does talk freely about the production side of things which makes for interesting listening. Overall, the commentary is an entertaining listen and is far more enjoyable than watching the actual film itself! If you're going to seek out this disc, then be sure to check out this commentary. Chris Otter