Femina Ridens [1969]

I've been haunted by "Femina Ridens" without even knowing it. I first became aware of Piero Schivazappa's trippy kink allegory in the form of the AWESOME theme song by Stelvio Cipriani. A lounge epic with exotic female vocals and a sweeping melody, "Femina Ridens Song" wraps the listener in a blanket of delicious Eurotrashy goodness. Months later, I've got a comment from Flightless on my "Blind Beast" write-up linking to a still from another film featuring a giant female sculpture by artist Niki de Saint Phalle. A mystery package from a generous benefactor showed up on my doorstep just recently and lo--the source of this still was revealed to be "Femina Ridens."

The film tracks the intense relationship between Maria (played by gorgeous redhead Dagmar Lassander) and philanthropist-cum-control-freak Dr. Sayer (played with appropriately Teutonic iciness by Philippe Leroy). Viewing Maria as a symbol of the controlling, sexless modern woman who seeks to dominate the world that rightfully belongs to men, Dr. Sayer lures Maria to his apartment, where he drugs and kidnaps her. Sayer's theory is that women wish to steal sperm and deep-freeze it in order to reproduce without men, and he is seeking to punish Maria as a symbol for what he views as a threat to social order.

It's noteworthy that Sayer and Maria meet at the philanthropic organization that Sayer manages. She's a modern, working woman who is educated and who holds strong opinions. It's easy to see why a traditionalist like Sayer would be threatened by her!

Sayer's misogyny is portrayed in a genuinely disturbing manner. He exposes Maria to a series of physical and psychological tortures: gagging her mouth, turning a hose on her, putting her in bondage, showing her photos of other women being abused, and letting her know she's always watched. He photographs her in her distress, relishing her vulnerability. It's clear that the goal is not just physical torture, but rather an attempt to break her spirit and crush her humanity.

A particularly creepy scene involves Sayer forcing Maria to imitate sex with a life-sized doll in his exact image. He wants to show her how useless her femininity is against an unreceptive and therefore invulnerable partner. Watching him demand her to react as she would to a lover is cringe inducing. Sayer's clearly got A Thing for dummies, because a later scene earns bonus points for BDSM mannequin terror. This guy's a dummy-making fool!

About halfway through the film, it becomes clear that Maria has designs of her own and is developing a growing desire for Sayer. One amazing scene has her go-go-ing to a super-funky soundtrack in an outfit composed entirely of gauze bandages while he watches. Her finishing move is to catch one end of the gauze on a sculpture and unwind herself like the hottest mummy EVAR. Since I'm in a sharing mood, you can check it out for yourself in this helpful YouTube clip:

If you're paying attention, you'll notice those teeth on the wall behind Maria. I've got two words for you, internet: Fore. Shadowing.

In a tables-turning take on "The Collector" (aka "the book that launched a thousand serial killers"), Sayer's evil intentions are undone once Maria works her feminine wiles on him. Just as he's about to dispatch her in melodramatic style, he hesitates. He reveals his motives to her and in a Stockholm Syndrome role reversal, Sayer finds himself attached to his captive and opens himself to the possibility of falling in love with Maria. The power roles swapped, we're now given a montage of romantic romps in the countryside, dinner at a historical castle (complete with liveried little person in attendance!), and risqué activities in a convertible car. The camera reappears, this time capturing Sayer in its lens, and thereby showing him to be the vulnerable party. By the time Maria tells Sayer about how a cat fell in love with her as a little girl, even the audience almost believes her.

Whose obsessions will crumble, and who will emerge the victor in this battle of the sexes? Or is this a love-match between two damaged souls? I was kept guessing until the final twist of an ending that ties things up even more neatly than I'd anticipated.

This is a wonderful film to look at, filled to overflowing with Freudian symbolism, energetic camerawork, and lush interiors. The museum-like offices of the philanthropic organization contrast with the ultra-modern trappings inside Sayer's home. This juxtaposition of tradition with modernism underscores the theme of social upheaval that Sayer fixates upon.

Nearly every shot is artfully composed--I really began to realize this as I watched the move for screen captures. A great amount of attention was paid to balance and geometry throughout the film, yet these shots never overwhelm the players. The characters are such symbolic figures that they need to exist within this type of universe. The camerawork is lively, panning and sweeping around rooms. There are several shots in which players seem to walk through the camera's view, enhancing the immediacy as well as the voyeuristic subtext.

"Femina Ridens" is a psychedelic venture into dark sexual territory that maintains some of its bite almost thirty years later. It has moments of unflinching meanness portrayed with measured elegance. The battle of the sexes has rarely looked this groovy!

Blow up your mind with a gallery of film stills from "Femina Ridens" on Flickr.