Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS (1975)
Written By: S.P.
Edited By: Grave Reviews Staff
Film Information
Director: Don Edmonds
Producers: David F. Friedman
Writers: John C.W Saxton
Date Released: January 1975
Cast:
Dyanne Thorne as Ilsa
Gregory Knoph as Wolfe
Tony Mumolo as Mario
et. al.
Rating = 3/5 Graves
***May contain some spoilers***
Synopsis
Isla, She Wolf of the SS, is a film that is loosely based off the real life Isla Koch, a member of the Nazi party best known for her lascivious and sadistic behaviors. The plot begins by introducing the authoritarian, yet seductively beautiful woman as the Kommandant of a Nazi Prison camp. Ilsa, having a taste for killing, is displeased with the inequality that forbids female soldiers to fight alongside men in battle. She is convinced that women are more capable of enduring greater pain than men and should consequently be allowed to fight alongside male Nazi soldiers. Being the chief Kommandant of the prison camp, Ilsa goes to great extents to prove her theory of the female pain threshold, as she subjugates female prisoners to horrifyingly cruel and unnecessary methods of torture.
Asides from torturing innocent women, another one of her favorite pastimes is having sex with her best picks among the young male prisoners. Ilsa seeks out a new lover each night and sleeps with them. If the intercourse was not to her liking, or if the men were unable to last for long periods of time, she would have them castrated.
Ilsa then stumbles upon a handsome American man named Wolfe who becomes her next sexual victim. Ilsa is so shocked at the impressive stamina of this man that she wishes to see him every consecutive night after their encounter. Feigning love and desire for the woman, Wolfe secretly plans an escape plan with his other fellow inmates.
One night, in the bedroom, Ilsa wishes to role-play and take on a submissive role as Wolfe dominates her. Wolfe ties up Ilsa to the bed in a playful BDSM sex game, except, Wolfe is not playing the game. With ilsa bound and gagged, Wolfe makes his escape all the while freeing the rest of the prisoners on his way out. The now armed prisoners clash with the guards and Nazi soldiers in a bloody and grisly fight for to the death.
Gore Factor
As seen with previously reviewed films of this era, the 1970’s are well-known for their creative special effects, especially in relation to blood and gore. This film is no exception. The gore is not only creative and well-done, but it is also abundant! This film depicts extremely graphic scenes of violence, torture, abuse and ruthless experiments done on human subjects for scientific advancement. Some unforgettable scenes include vivisections, male and female genital mutilation, flogging and boiling human flesh, to name a few. Needless to say, if you are squeamish when it comes to gore, this is probably not the best pick for you. However, if you are a gore fiend, then these scenes will certainly not disappoint.
The Grave Review
Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS, is a 1975 Canadian film directed by Don Edmonds. The film is based off a real figure, Ilsa Koch, member of the Nazi party and wife to an important Commander. The sadistic behaviors of Ilsa (Dyanne Thorne) are true to some extent, however, she is not the main focus of the film. Rather than focus on the woman herself, Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS focuses more on the atrocities of the World War under Nazi rule. It is for this reason that the film is often referred to as a “Naziploitation” film for depicting these atrocities in the rawest and crudest way possible. The topic of the Nazi rule is never an easy one to embark on, especially in an art form such as a film. Despite this, the director managed to demonstrate the cruelty of humankind during this era in a captivating and entertaining way.
There was no glorification of the events that took place. Rather, the abundant depictions of cruelty, in a sense, brings forth awareness of the inhumane treatment that man is capable of. Rather than censor history, Edmonds took a daring step in creating this film and it will definitely go down in history as one of the most shocking films, especially for its era. Because of these reasons, undoubtedly, the film has received much controversy and was banned in several countries.
If you are able to get through this film, it is highly recommended. The film was entertaining from beginning to end, albeit a bit hard to watch at some parts.
For the following reasons, Grave Reviews gives Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS (1975) two graves out of five graves.
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