FRAULEIN DOKTOR (1969)
DIRECTOR:
CAST:
Suzy Kendall, Kenneth More, Capucine, James Booth, Alexander Knox, Nigel Green, Roberto Bisacco, Dusan Bulajic, Giancarlo Giannini, Gerard Herter, Janez Vrhovec and Olivera Vuco.
REVIEW:
A cast of Brits lead this thrilling spy drama, stressing the futitility of war and pushing the limits of graphic reality not seen in the 1960s.
Suzy Kendall ("Thunderball") plays the title character, wreaking havoc on the British. Due to her meddling, Lord Kitchener is killed. But that's not as bad as it gets: she is working with top scientists to develop a poison gas which will wipe out the Allied Forces.
The acting in this movie is absolutely top-notch. Kendall is constantly believable as the gorgeous, morphine-addicted Fraulein Doktor. In support, James Booth ("Zulu") is great fun as a German spy who is bribed by the British into killing Fraulein Doktor. Kenneth More ("The Longest Day") and Nigel Green ("Play Dirty") are members of the high command on both sides trying to keep one foot ahead of eachother. The great young Italian actor Giancarlo Giannini ("Anzio") has a decent-size part as a German agent working behind the lines against the French.
The movie does get a little confusing and slow sometimes - and there's a lot of detail to keep track of - but it all builds to a spectacular finale. The Germans unleash their poison gas, which no mask can keep out. It wipes out thousands (literally) of British soldiers, who are seen to write and rot as it eats their flesh away. Then the Germans emerge from the midst on horseback like the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. It's chilling, frightening and utterly convincing in graphic detail. You can also expect a rather unexpected lesbian scene and some scenes of small animals being gassed before the weapon is used on the Allied forces.
Of course, there are a few things that hurt the movie's reality and intensity. The submarine battle scenes are incredibly corny and the miniature effects are pretty cheap. The actors and actresses always look like they're in 1969, not World War I, but this is true in most movies.
This is one of the most memorable Euro-war movies ever produced. Shot in Yugoslavia, with a mix of Italian and British actors, it encompasses everything the genre is about: graphic violence, disturbing images, sly wit and wry humor, and unexpected anti-war sentiment. It's honestly one of the best movies in the genre I've seen to date.
RATING:
5 Bullets
