The Strange Vice of Mrs Wardh

1971 "Always unheard… unseen… until he reached out to touch and caress!"
6.9| 1h38m| NA| en| More Info
Released: 06 August 1971 Released
Producted By: Copercines
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When socialite and heiress Julie Wardh begins receiving blackmail letters attributed to a mysterious serial killer, she suspects her cruel and sadistic former lover Jean is behind them. With her husband Neil frequently out of town, she falls into the arms of her friend's cousin George, and as the unknown assassin begins to make his move, she fears that one of the three men in her life may be the killer.

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Director

Sergio Martino

Production Companies

Copercines

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The Strange Vice of Mrs Wardh Audience Reviews

Marketic It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.
ShangLuda Admirable film.
RipDelight This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.
Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
Nigel P Attractive, confident and haughty, Mrs. Julie Wardh (picturesque Edwige Fenech) has a plethora of men interested in her. Husband and lovers, some more depraved than others, pursue her in this heady, fast-moving chiller. What makes her increasingly fragile state of mind worse is the knowledge that she also appears to be haunted by a series of vicious killings. A coincidence? Her new lover, George (George Hilton) is somewhat intense. Could he have something to do with it all, do you think? Otherwise known as 'Next!' 'The Next Victim' and 'Blade of the Ripper', this has acquired a reputation as one of the best giallo films, and it is not difficult to see why. The pace does not falter, it is very tightly written and the wonderful twists are delivered with expert ease, and don't let up until the very end. The locations – as in many such productions – are mainly real, not studio sets, and as such are packed with colour and detail, from every rusted radiator to flaking window pane, and the lush expansive exteriors are never less than breath-taking. The direction, by Sergio Martino is faultless (at one point a letter, delivered with flowers to Wardh, reads: 'Your vice is a locked room, and only I have the key', which is also the (English) title of another of Martino's giallo films).For many films of this period, females are portrayed as pretty feinting screamers for pretty brave males to rescue, and yet here, Wardh has every reason for hysterics (Fenech is a legendary performer, due in part to this film – she has since become a prolific producer; her most recent film acting credit is in 'Hostel 2 (2007)') as she is given no respite in between scares and attacks. Crucially, the audience is entirely with her throughout, which makes the fact that she really doesn't appear to stand a chance that much more powerful.
Claudio Carvalho Mrs. Julie Wardh (Edwige Fenech) returns to Vienna with her husband Neil Wardh (Alberto de Mendoza), who is an investor in Wall Street. Julie and Neil have been married for one year but they do not love each other. Julie has a trauma from her former boyfriend Jean (Ivan Rassimov), who was a sadistic man. While Neil has meetings in Austria, Julie spends he vacation with her friend Carol Brandt (Cristina Airoldi). They go to a party where Carol introduces her handsome cousin George Corro (George Hilton), who has just inherited a fortune with her. When Julie sees Jean in the party, she decides to leave the place. Soon Julie, who is neglected by Neil, has a love affair with George. Meanwhile a serial-killer that kills women with a razor blade is terrifying Vienna and the inspector (Carlo Alighiero) has no lead to follow. When Julie is blackmailed because of her love affair with George, she suspects Jean might be the blackmailer. Carol decides to go to the meeting with the blackmailer and is killed. Julie believes that Jean might be the wanted killer and decides to leave Vienna and Neil to go to Spain. Will she be safe and loved?"Lo strano vizio della Signora Wardh" is a suspenseful erotic giallo directed by Sergio Martino in the beginning of his career. The plot is tense and there are many suspects that might be the serial-killer. The conclusion surprises the viewers that will never guess who might be the killer. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "O Estranho Vício da Senhora Ward" ("The Strange Vice of Mrs. Ward")
Dalbert Pringle About all that I can say in regards to this 1971, Italian, Ripper-trash, horror film is that it was basically no better, no worse, than all of the other imported, uninspired, slasher-movie junk that I've seen from this particular, hum-drum era of movie-making.Using that cheapest-of-ploys of flashing any, and every, pair of breasts in front of the viewer's face at every opportunity, in order to generate some spectator interest, I found Blade Of The Ripper was so bad that it didn't even contain a single character worth caring about.Highlighted by some truly horrible moments of suspense, terribly-staged murders, stale performances, and really stupid music during the scenes of violence, I wasn't in the least bit surprised that "Ripper" turned out to be nothing but a total dud from start to finish.And, speaking about this film's finish - Unless one was clinically blind, its intended "shock" finale was so brain-dead obvious that one could easily see it coming about a mile down the road.
Zbigniew_Krycsiwiki Review based on the 96-minutes long Italian version titled: Lo strano vizio della Signora Wardh. Brutal rape scene in the woods during a rainstorm opens this Italian slasher, about a series of the murders of women with a straight razor. Part travelogue of Italy, Spain, and Austria, and part erotic horror, complete with a cat fight in its opening scenes, and plenty of gorgeous girls getting nude for the camera, and enough twists and turns for about six slasher flicks. Bizarre dream (or flashback?) scene with distorted, slow motion shot of a breaking wine bottle (from multiple camera angles) and its glass shards flying and landing on a semi-nude girl in bed has surreal look. Killer silently opening the lock of an apartment door, followed by a brutal throat-slashing in the shower is quite a shock, as was undoubtedly intended. That scene deliberately shows us everything the shower scene in Psycho tried not to show, and it works very effectively. The killer stalking Edwige in the parking garage, and trying to get to her in the lift was well done, also. Another memorable vignette. But is everything real, or all in Edwige Fenech's head? Conchita/ Christina Airoldi looks as delicious as ever, despite a silly looking haircut. Scenes of her going through the hedge maze are scenic and beautiful, yet creepy, as she knows she is not alone. Minutes later, when her gorgeous body is slashed to ribbons, I couldn't help but wonder, was she ever in a film where her character was *not* killed?