Ilsa: She-Wolf of the SS
Encyclopedia
Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS is a 1975 Nazi exploitation
film produced in the USA. The film was directed by Don Edmonds, produced by David F. Friedman
and written by Jonah Royston.
as "Ilsa," commandante of a Nazi
Stalag
(prisoner-of-war camp
); the maliciousness of her character was very loosely based on that of Ilse Koch
. Ilsa conducts sadistic scientific experiments
designed to demonstrate that women are more capable of enduring pain than men are, and therefore should be allowed to fight in the army. Ilsa is also portrayed as a buxom woman with a voracious sexual appetite for men. Every night she chooses another one of her male prisoners and rapes him; however, due to her insatiable hunger
, she gets disappointed when her current victim eventually ejaculates
, and promptly has him castrated
and put to death. Only an American prisoner, who can withhold ejaculating, manages to use her weakness to his favor.
. The series had already been cancelled and the show's producers let the movie be made on it once they learned that a scene called for it to be burned down, saving them the cost of having it demolished.
became popular in Canada, André Link and Cinepix's John Dunning
created a script for Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS. After offering to produce it, Friedman (Blood Feast
, The Defilers) agreed and brought on Dyanne Thorne to play as the nasty Nazi hypersexual who tortures her prisoners in the film until she is eventually killed by her superior.
All of the sequels are more standard women in prison films which use exotic settings to render the exaggerated sadism of the plots more plausible.
Its over-the-top subject matter has turned the film into a cult movie
. Perhaps the best explanation for its notoriety is that it is a cinematic version of the "men's adventure
" subgenre of pulp magazine
. Nazis tormenting damsels in distress
were perennial favourite subjects for the lurid, sub-pornographic covers of sensationalistic "true adventure" magazines such as Argosy in the 1950s and 1960s; the film seeks to be a more explicit reversal of the same sort of sexual fantasy. Overlooking the fact that no woman was ever commandant of a Nazi prison camp, it capitalizes on the very real sadism and hypersexuality of such predatory SS Aufseherinnen as Ilse Koch
and Irma Grese
(see Female guards in Nazi concentration camps
).
Other figures said to be inspired by Ilsa include "The Butcheress" from the video game BloodRayne
and the female guards that appeared in the 2007 film Grindhouse in a faux trailer for a film called Werewolf Women of the S.S. by Rob Zombie
. The lead female officer, Eva Krupp (played by Zombie's wife, Sheri Moon
), can also be seen as an Ilsa-like character. The film won 'Best Alternative Release' at the 1985 AVN awards
.
Nazi exploitation
Nazi exploitation is a subgenre of exploitation film and sexploitation film that involves villainous Nazis committing criminal acts of a sexual nature often as camp or prison overseers in World War II settings...
film produced in the USA. The film was directed by Don Edmonds, produced by David F. Friedman
David F. Friedman
David Frank Friedman was an American filmmaker and film producer.-Life and career:Friedman first became interested in entertainment after spending part of his childhood in Birmingham and Anniston, Alabama, traveling carnival sites. He met exploitation film pioneer Kroger Babb during his stay in...
and written by Jonah Royston.
Plot
It starred Dyanne ThorneDyanne Thorne
Dyanne Thorne is an American actress, nude model for pin-up magazines, and former Las Vegas showgirl...
as "Ilsa," commandante of a Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
Stalag
Stalag
In Germany, stalag was a term used for prisoner-of-war camps. Stalag is a contraction of "Stammlager", itself short for Kriegsgefangenen-Mannschafts-Stammlager.- Legal definitions :...
(prisoner-of-war camp
Prisoner-of-war camp
A prisoner-of-war camp is a site for the containment of combatants captured by their enemy in time of war, and is similar to an internment camp which is used for civilian populations. A prisoner of war is generally a soldier, sailor, or airman who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or...
); the maliciousness of her character was very loosely based on that of Ilse Koch
Ilse Koch
Ilse Koch, née Köhler , was the wife of Karl-Otto Koch, commandant of the Nazi concentration camps Buchenwald from 1937 to 1941, and Majdanek from 1941 to 1943...
. Ilsa conducts sadistic scientific experiments
Nazi human experimentation
Nazi human experimentation was a series of medical experiments on large numbers of prisoners by the Nazi German regime in its concentration camps mainly in the early 1940s, during World War II and the Holocaust. Prisoners were coerced into participating: they did not willingly volunteer and there...
designed to demonstrate that women are more capable of enduring pain than men are, and therefore should be allowed to fight in the army. Ilsa is also portrayed as a buxom woman with a voracious sexual appetite for men. Every night she chooses another one of her male prisoners and rapes him; however, due to her insatiable hunger
Hypersexuality
Hypersexuality is extremely frequent or suddenly increased sexual urges or sexual activity. Hypersexuality is typically associated with lowered sexual inhibitions. Although hypersexuality can be caused by some medical conditions or medications, in most cases the cause is unknown...
, she gets disappointed when her current victim eventually ejaculates
Ejaculation
Ejaculation is the ejecting of semen from the male reproductory tract, and is usually accompanied by orgasm. It is usually the final stage and natural objective of male sexual stimulation, and an essential component of natural conception. In rare cases ejaculation occurs because of prostatic disease...
, and promptly has him castrated
Castration
Castration is any action, surgical, chemical, or otherwise, by which a male loses the functions of the testicles or a female loses the functions of the ovaries.-Humans:...
and put to death. Only an American prisoner, who can withhold ejaculating, manages to use her weakness to his favor.
Location
The film was made on the set of the TV series Hogan's HeroesHogan's Heroes
Hogan's Heroes is an American television sitcom that ran for 168 episodes from September 17, 1965, to March 28, 1971, on the CBS network. The show was set in a German prisoner of war camp during the Second World War. Bob Crane had the starring role as Colonel Robert E...
. The series had already been cancelled and the show's producers let the movie be made on it once they learned that a scene called for it to be burned down, saving them the cost of having it demolished.
History and saga
When Lee Frost and David F. Friedman's 1969 Love Camp 7Love Camp 7
Love Camp 7 is a 1969 U.S. women-in-prison B-movie directed by Lee Frost and written by Wes Bishop and Bob Cresse, the latter of whom also acts as a sadistic camp commandant.-Plot:...
became popular in Canada, André Link and Cinepix's John Dunning
John Dunning
John Dunning may refer to:* John Dunning , American writer of detective fiction* John Dunning * John Harry Dunning , British economist* John Dunning , American film editor...
created a script for Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS. After offering to produce it, Friedman (Blood Feast
Blood Feast
Blood Feast is a 1963 American horror film directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis, often considered the first "splatter film". It was produced by David F. Friedman. The screenplay was written by Alison Louise Downe, who had previously appeared in several of Lewis' other films. Lewis also wrote the...
, The Defilers) agreed and brought on Dyanne Thorne to play as the nasty Nazi hypersexual who tortures her prisoners in the film until she is eventually killed by her superior.
All of the sequels are more standard women in prison films which use exotic settings to render the exaggerated sadism of the plots more plausible.
Criticism and acceptance
The original film, Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS, is the only film in the series which belongs in the Nazi exploitation genre.Its over-the-top subject matter has turned the film into a cult movie
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
. Perhaps the best explanation for its notoriety is that it is a cinematic version of the "men's adventure
Men's adventure
Men's adventure is a genre of magazines that had its heyday in the 1950s and 1960s. Catering to a male audience, these magazines featured glamour photography and lurid tales of adventure that typically featured wartime feats of daring, exotic travel or conflict with wild animals.These magazines are...
" subgenre of pulp magazine
Pulp magazine
Pulp magazines , also collectively known as pulp fiction, refers to inexpensive fiction magazines published from 1896 through the 1950s. The typical pulp magazine was seven inches wide by ten inches high, half an inch thick, and 128 pages long...
. Nazis tormenting damsels in distress
Damsel in distress
The subject of the damsel in distress, or persecuted maiden, is a classic theme in world literature, art, and film. She is usually a beautiful young woman placed in a dire predicament by a villain or monster and who requires a hero to achieve her rescue. She has become a stock character of fiction,...
were perennial favourite subjects for the lurid, sub-pornographic covers of sensationalistic "true adventure" magazines such as Argosy in the 1950s and 1960s; the film seeks to be a more explicit reversal of the same sort of sexual fantasy. Overlooking the fact that no woman was ever commandant of a Nazi prison camp, it capitalizes on the very real sadism and hypersexuality of such predatory SS Aufseherinnen as Ilse Koch
Ilse Koch
Ilse Koch, née Köhler , was the wife of Karl-Otto Koch, commandant of the Nazi concentration camps Buchenwald from 1937 to 1941, and Majdanek from 1941 to 1943...
and Irma Grese
Irma Grese
Irma Ida Ilse Grese was employed at the Nazi concentration camps of Ravensbrück and Auschwitz, and was a warden of the women's section of Bergen-Belsen....
(see Female guards in Nazi concentration camps
Female guards in Nazi concentration camps
Of the 55,000 guards who served in Nazi concentration camps, about 3,700 were women. In 1942, the first female guards arrived at Auschwitz and Majdanek from Ravensbrück...
).
Other figures said to be inspired by Ilsa include "The Butcheress" from the video game BloodRayne
BloodRayne
BloodRayne has received mostly mixed to positive reviews. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the Xbox version 73.53% and 76/100, the GameCube version 68.88% and 73/100, the PlayStation 2 version 68.87% and 75/100 and the PC version 65.78% and 65/100.-External links:*...
and the female guards that appeared in the 2007 film Grindhouse in a faux trailer for a film called Werewolf Women of the S.S. by Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie is an American musician, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He founded the heavy metal band White Zombie and has been nominated three times as a solo artist for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.Zombie has also established a career as a film director, creating the...
. The lead female officer, Eva Krupp (played by Zombie's wife, Sheri Moon
Sheri Moon
Sheri Lyn Skurkis is an American actress and fashion designer. She legally changed her name to Sheri Moon and later Sheri Moon Zombie after she married her longtime boyfriend Rob Zombie. She has been described as a "scream queen".-Personal life:Moon was raised in Connecticut and graduated from...
), can also be seen as an Ilsa-like character. The film won 'Best Alternative Release' at the 1985 AVN awards
AVN Awards
The AVN Awards are movie awards sponsored and presented by the American adult video industry trade magazine AVN to honor exceptional performance in various aspects of the creation and marketing of American pornographic movies. They are called the "Oscars of porn"...
.