Severin's heartache of love

During his vacation, the writer Severin meets the pretty model Wanda, whom he secretly observes the following days while she masturbates or has sex. When Severin once secretly watched the maid having sex with the chauffeur as a boy and she slapped him in the face for it, a fetish developed in Severin. He wants to be dominated by women and be hurt both mentally and physically. When he confronts Wanda with this, she is ready to enter into a relationship with him and after a relatively short time, the wedding follows. Their games grow more and more colorful until one day Wanda gets involved with the motorcyclist Bruno. When Severin is repeatedly offended by Wanda and beaten up by Bruno, he is no longer up to the situation he has created. He tries to escape her and meets a prostitute who looks just like Wanda...

In his novel Venus in Furs, Leopold von Sacher-Masoch describes the sado-masochistic love affair of 16-year-old Severin with a young widow. After constant tortures, Severin changes his affection and in the end is the dominant part in a new relationship. In 1969, two films were released based on Sacher-Masoch's novel. One was Venus in Furs (or Paroxysmus) by Jess Franco, which had little to do with the novel and turned the original into a surreal thriller. The second film adaptation is Devil in the Flesh by Massimo Dallamano, who captures the sexual inclinations of his protagonists in elegant images. As in the novel, Severin submits to his new mistress Wanda, who humiliates him with relish in ever new games. With the arrival of Bruno, the situation gets out of control.

Shooting began in Spain in 1986, but had to be moved to West Germany due to censorship regulations. The original version of the film was never released in Italy because the sex scenes were too daring. In order to be able to release the film after all, a new framework plot was devised under the direction of Paolo Heusch. The character of Severin was renamed to Xavier, who has to stand trial for Bruno's murder. In flashbacks, he and others involved tell how Xavier entered into a fatal love affair with Wanda, who is ultimately responsible for the murder of Bruno. After his acquittal, Xavier sets out to find Wanda, until he finally meets a prostitute in Spain. When he recognizes her as his wife, he takes her into a room and strangles her. The version was released in 1975, six years after the original version, under the title Le malizie di Venere. The title alludes to Malizia, which was released in 1973 and also features Laura Antonelli in the leading role. The reviews were mixed and the new version was not very successful in Italy. This is no surprise, because the elegant sado-masochistic love drama turned into a slow, at times unbelievably boring courtroom drama, which was distorted in many aspects.

Both versions are included on the Italian DVD

In Italy, CG Home Video / Nocturno released a DVD containing both the original version and the Italian version. The original version is available in English with optional Italian subtitles, while the Italian version offers only the Italian sound with optional Italian subtitles. As already mentioned, the Italian version is very distorted, which leads to far-reaching differences. In general, the differences can be summarized as follows:

• The Italian version has a new framework story in which Xavier/Severin has to answer in court for the murder of Bruno
• Since the story is told in flashbacks, various scenes were shifted and the context was changed, sometimes massively
• Severin's preference for being whipped has been softened in the Italian version
• The dream scene in sepia, in which Bruno mistreats the women and Severin is forced to watch, is a plot scene in the Italian version. The participants celebrate a wild drug party in which Bruno is killed by Wanda. In the original version, Bruno does not die.
• The ending has been changed. In the Italian version, Xavier sets out to find Wanda, including a trip to a nightclub in Paris, and finally kills her when he finds her as a prostitute. In the original version, Severin enjoys the pleasure of being whipped by the prostitute again.

The adaptations for the Italian version can be described as a failure. The court scenes with the seemingly endless interrogations are only moderately or barely interesting. Through the constant retrospection, the structure and elegance of the film was destroyed and the plot alienated. The sado-masochism study degenerates into a crude court drama with banal resolution and a horrendously bad finale. As a small consolation, at least Paul Müller can be seen in the role of the public prosecutor. You should clearly give preference to the original version here.

Picture comparison:

Original Version:

Italian version:

Runtimes:
Original version: 83:14 min.
Italian version: 83:04 min.

The Italian version was compared to the original version.

[00:00:00][00:00:00]

In the original version, Severin and Wanda lie naked in bed. Tenderly, Severin lets his fingers glide over her body while the titles are faded in. There are no dialogues to be heard although both move their lips.

Afterwards you see Severin standing at the lake with a book in his hand. Elsa goes for a walk with her dog and goes to him. A conversation develops in which Severin explains to her that he uses the time here more for relaxation and less for work. Elsa is called to welcome her guests. Severin looks after her.

The IT has a different opening credits in which a picture OV Wanda slowly becomes visible. The titles are faded in.

Afterwards, Xavier winds himself on a flatbed. He has a nightmare in which he catches a woman with a man. Afterwards, he sees how one man mistreats two women. His colleague wakes him up and they both smoke a cigarette. He asks him why he killed them, but Xavier thinks that Wanda is alive. He remembers the beauty OV Wanda and tells him that he met her on vacation.

[img-022. jpg]

OV: 2:21 min.
IT: 5:27 min.


[00:02:40][00:05:46]

The women can be seen a little earlier after their arrival.

OV: 1 sec.


[00:03:30][00:06:35]

In the original version, Severin can be seen longer. He goes into a room, draws the curtains and looks through a hole in the wall, which was hidden behind a picture, into the next room. There Wanda is standing under the shower. Severin watches her and how she dries herself. Then Wanda puts on a plate and poses with a fur coat in front OV the mirror. She begins to masturbate.

[img-040. jpg]

Severin talks about how he remembers his childhood. You can see him watching the maid Katharina having sex with the chauffeur.

Wanda climaxes. Severin lets himself fall on the bed. He writes down his thoughts about the erotic power OV a woman in fur.

In the next shot, you can see Wanda coming out OV the room earlier.

Instead, IT shows how Xavier talks to his cell mate.

OV: 4:44 min.
IT: 13 sec.


[00:08:47][00:07:21]

As Wanda drinks her cOVfee, the camera pans to the other guests in the garden. Another cut on Wanda.

OV: 11 sec.


[00:09:09][00:07:32]

In the OV, Wanda puts her cup away, then you can see her getting up earlier.

In IT, Xavier talks to his cell mate. He remembers Wanda, then you see some shots in which he secretly observes her.

A guard comes into the cell to pick up Xavier. With his lawyer, Xavier talks to the prosecutor. He says that Xavier has confessed to the crime, but he wants to know the motive. The prosecutor wants to know from him how he met Wanda. His lawyer asks him to tell the story.

OV: 4 sec.
IT: 2:52 min.


[00:09:39][00:10:50]

The OV has two more shots OV Wanda in the stand basket. The sailor is looking at them.

OV: 6 sec.


[00:09:57][00:11:02]

After Wanda has looked to the side, she talks to the sailor.

OV: 14 sec.


[00:10:15][00:11:05]

After Severin could be seen, IT showed the scenes OV Wanda and the sailor.

Afterwards, Xavier is questioned by the prosecutor.

IT: 30 sec.


[00:10:37][00:11:57]

After Severin has gone to his apartment, OV shows how he writes something at his workplace. He hears noises from the next room and looks through the peephole.

OV: 9 sec.

[00:11:32][00:12:43]

In the OV, Severin watches Wanda enjoying herself with the sailor. In between, there are two flashbacks OV his childhood watching the maid with the chauffeur.

OV: 40 sec.


[00:12:17][00:12:48]

The OV shows another flashback. The maid notices how Severin is watching her and slaps his face. Severin begins to cry and is immediately comforted by the maid. He says that this experience has shaped him.

OV: 29 sec.


[00:12:57][00:12:58]

The OV shows Severin a little earlier before the camera starts to turn.

OV: 6 sec.


[00:15:13][00:15:08]

Severin and Wanda kiss for a longer time at the lake.

A sex scene follows between the two in the apartment.

After sex, Wanda gets up and flips through a book. She shows Severin a photo OV herself when she was a striptease dancer. Severin is thrilled and wants to see her strip routine. Wanda waves a whip around and accidentally hurts Severin. He starts to kiss her and the two fall back on the bed. Severin demands from Wanda to hit him with the whip.

In the next scene, Severin and Wanda dance in a club. Wanda confesses to Severin that she is in love. She also confesses to him that she knew that Severin was watching her. Severin says that he wants to suffer at her hands.

They walk around the lake. Severin tells her about his views on how a relationship is always revived. Wanda finds his ideas a bit strange. Severin tells her that she is his mistress. Wanda hits him with a branch.

Eventually, we see Severin doing water sports.

OV: 7:35 min.


[00:22:52][00:15:12]

After the swan was shown, the lake follows. Severin lies down with Wanda and begins to stroke her.

The Italian version fades in a little at the right edge OV the scene. This was probably intended to cover up Severin's bulging shorts a bit. It also conceals the fact that Wanda is orally satisfied by Severin.

OV: 30 sec.


[00:26:11][00:18:00]

After the sex scene at the lake, the two versions differ again.

Severin and Wanda return from a ride. When the two have given back the horses, Severin meets his friend, the horse breeder Heshwan. He wants to show them something interesting. He leads them to a stable where a stallion is about to mount a mare. They watch with interest.

[img-147. jpg]

In IT, Xavier is questioned by the prosecutor, who is not satisfied. The lawyer asks Xavier to tell everything.

Afterwards, you see Xavier at the psychiatrist. The psychiatrist questions him. The scene follows in which Xavier and Wanda go for a walk. The whipping with the branch is missing here. Xavier also tells him how he secretly watched the maid and got a slap from her.

Xavier continues to report to the prosecutor. You can see him running through a bush.

OV: 4:43 min.
IT: 5:53 min.