As Good As It Gets

A Masterpiece!

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Dyanne Thorne stars in her most infamous role, the titular character, in this downright sleazy and unpleasant exploitation movie, probably the most famous of its kind. It goes without saying that this is adults-only stuff, a catalogue of sickening scenes which are only for the strong of stomach. In my opinion this is far worse than any of the Italian cannibal flicks I've seen, as all of the atrocities are played out with the utmost realism which gives them a real sickening impact.Amongst the worst things on view are a man being castrated (thankfully the act is hidden), a woman being burnt alive in a tub of boiling water, and another suffering electro-shock therapy. Other characters have their toes cut off and are whipped until they die. All good healthy entertainment of course. Probably the most disturbing thing about the film is the quality of the special effects; for such a low-budget exploitation piece you would expect them to be rubbish but they're rather effective and realistic-looking - fortunately or not, as the case may be. Producer David Friedman (so called "sultan of sleaze") - here producing under an obviously fake name - ensued that he got the best effects man for the job and it shows.As much a sex film as it is a horror, ILSA, SHE WOLF OF THE SS also contains a never ending parade of naked women, mostly being tortured or humiliated. Not five minutes goes by without some characters either having sex or walking around nude, which is probably why the film has such an enduring success to this day: for its blatant disregard for politically correct values, instead it is happy to wallow in sex and violence just for the exploitation value.Dyanne Thorne certainly lends an icy beauty to the film and is the best thing in it; the surrounding cast are mainly amateurs so some fun is to be had with the acting. The one thing I did like about this film was the action-packed finale which is done well on a low budget, with shoot-outs and explosions to enjoy. There's also an immensely cheesy throat-slashing to top things off. Sadly, this action fare can make no amends for the disturbing scenes beforehand, which is why I am unable to recommend this movie to anybody - apart from maybe the die-hard gore fans looking for something a little stronger than the usual fare.

Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS is a surprisingly well-made film, given its garish title and unabashed exploitative intent. For all the gore, nudity, and laughter inducing dialogue, the film features good camera work, quality special effects, and a quick moving plot. It follows the travails of an American soldier sent to a Nazi medical camp run by Ilsa, who is obsessed with proving women's superior capacity to handle pain so that she can go to the front lines.Ilsa represents Nazispoitation at its finest. Throwing the history book out the window, the film gives us a Nazi concentration camp populated by topless female guards and open lesbians. Just for fun, it adds gory experiments which all seem to require attractive nude women. Is it tasteless? Lords yes! But it's also fun.What takes this a notch above other exploitation films is that genuine talent was involved. Ilsa has quality cinematography and surprisingly good special effects. (This may be because, as director Don Edmonds points out, many of the people involved were mainstream filmmakers working under pseudonyms for a quick buck.) Although no one would mistake it for Oscar material, Ilsa is a worthwhile film for all exploitation fans.

This is really sick , but what's most offencive is the statement at the beginning stating that this film is based on factual events and that the tortures depicted have been done so in the hope that these heinous acts never occur again. Absolute Balderdash! THis is really the lowest form of exploitation imaginable, the type that degrades both men( the presumed audience for this misogynistic crap) and women. It's even served up as Feminist diatribe, as Ilsa tries to prove that women can withstand pain better than men can. What makes this film almost intolerable is it's mean spiritedness. Salo was every bit as mean spirited but it didn't try to pawn itself off as based on fact, even though it's probably closer to realism than this is. Shameful!

... for all (s)exploitation flicks to follow. I can only assume that "Werewolf Women of the SS" - the phony trailer included between films in the Grindhouse double bill - was an homage to this gem. It will be a regret until I pass on that I was not of age to be involved in the making of this one - even a a gopher. To be onset and to hear the direction that must have been given to the actors. Whew! "Now - I need you to scream - really let go and let us hear a guttural scream - like you've felt her just put that flaming pellet in your...." Ha! I am thankful I have, as well as the other films in the "Ilsa" series on DVD - and While Tigress holds a special place in my heart because it was filmed, at least partly, in Canada - This one is my overall favourite. However, unless your date has a great sense of humour and an appreciation of the finer Nazi-Women's Prison Exploitation genre, I suggest you keep this one as a non-date movie.