---
product_id: 6684403
title: "The Slave"
price: "₨10776"
currency: LKR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 6
url: https://www.desertcart.lk/products/6684403-the-slave
store_origin: LK
region: Sri Lanka
---

# The Slave

**Price:** ₨10776
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** The Slave
- **How much does it cost?** ₨10776 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.lk](https://www.desertcart.lk/products/6684403-the-slave)

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## Why This Product

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## Description

"Silvia (Haydee Politoff) is young, beautiful and rich. She has everything - except the bondage and humiliation she craves to fulfil her erotic yearnings. Margaret (Rosanna Schiaffino) is a legendary movie star who loves to wade thigh high in 10,000 lira bank notes - and who is only too happy to give Silvia what she wants. In a strange, secluded house in Rome, the two women create a bizarre private world where Silvia's fantasies become real, as Margaret turns her into a Slave, a plaything of flesh, subject to the whims of an all powerful owner who can use her in any way she desires. Pasquale Festa Campanile (Hitch-Hike) directs a masterpiece of decadence, packed with sumptuous and shocking images. A brand new HD transfer from the original Techniscope negative. From the director of The Libertine and When Women Had Tails. Based on a scandalous European novel in the tradition of Story of "O" and The Image.

Review: A must-see for fans of this genre! - The 1960’s found mainstream (or at least respectable) cinema was ready to deal with the topic of S&M. As was often the case during this decade, European filmmakers led the charge in figuring how to handle such adult material in an artful style: films like Belle De Jour, Venus In Furs and La Prisionaire provide artful examples of this trend. Films by Radley Metzger (The Russ Meyers of S&M; his low budget - and American - films were wildly successful and semi-respectable). The Slave is one of the lesser-known examples but is no less worthy than the aforementioned titles. In fact, it offers an ambitious and unique take on the subject of S&M that helps it stand apart from its competitors. The Slave was adapted by Fellini collaborators Tullio Pinelli and Brunello Rondi from Check To The Queen, a popular Italian novel written by Renato Ghiotti. The storyline follows Silvia (Haydee Politoff), a wealthy housewife who deals with her husband’s extended business trip by accepting a job with jet-set model Margaret (Rosanna Schiaffino). The job is no typical gig: Margaret basically wants a human plaything that will do her bidding without question. Silvia already harbors unusual fantasies about lesbian domination and she enters into the relationship with a fervor that surprises both herself and Margaret. The Slave is steeped in the kind of casual decadence that defines erotic-themed Italian films of this era. Much of the film takes place in a lavishly decorated mansion, characters swan about in haute couture and the eroticism is of the cool variety where sexual encounters are interspersed with philosophical exchanges about the nature of desire. Director Pasquale Festa Campanile, best known to American viewers for the disturbing thriller Hitch Hike, gives the material an elegant treatment, using Roberto Gerardi’s ‘scope-format photography to caress the elegant surroundings and topping it off with a plush Euro-lounge score from Piero Piccioni. However, the element of The Slave that truly distinguishes it from the rest of ’60s European S&M films is its ambivalent attitude towards its subject matter. While Campanile has no problem capturing the fantasy element of S&M on screen – Silvia’s sexual fantasies are filmed in a playful, lysergic style – he’s more interested in flouting the audience’s expectations about where these kinds of adventures lead. Unlike a lot of S&M films, there is no turning of the tables between master and slave or settling into a odd yet familiar sadist/masochist domesticity. Without getting to heavily into spoilers, the third act of The Slave suggests that fantasies aren’t meant to come true and self-knowledge is as important as acting on one’s desires. This ambitious take on the subject works partly because the gutsy script and Campanile’s savvy direction but what truly makes the ideas connect are the lead’s performances. Schiaffino starts out in brash, gleeful “bad girl” mode but adds interesting shadings as she goes along, making us realize her character might have unlikeable elements yet deserves a certain respect because she knows exactly who she is and is unfailingly honest about it. Politoff offers an counterweight to Schaffino’s work, creating an internalized performance where she uses her passive nature and vacant gaze to manipulate others. On a side note, Italian exploitation fans will also be happy to see an early performance from Gabriele Tinti as a randy actor who works with Margaret. The Slave conveys the allure of its S&M theme nicely but makes itself more interesting by offering how challenging it can be to apply such fantasy-inspired sexual concepts to real life. As such, it’s worthy of study for any students of erotic cinema’s development during the ’60s. The transfer is pretty impressive, particularly in its blu-ray incarnation. It was taken from the original negative and offers the film’s Techniscope framing in all its glory, with rich colors and a nice depth of detail. This transfer utilizes the original Italian mono soundtrack, presented with English subtitles, and it’s a solid mix for a film of this vintage. The extras begin with a pair of interview featurettes. The first is with film historian Roberto Curti, who covers a lot of material about Pasquale Festa Campanile and The Slave in just under 28 minutes. He begins with a thumbnail sketch of Campanile’s career and his place in Italian film history then segues into a discussion of The Slave‘s history, including biographical sketches of the different collaborators, differences between the novel and the film (most notably, the ending) and how the film was received by local audiences. Curti’s style is brisk and informative, making this a pleasant way for Euro-cultists to learn about this film and its director. The second featurette features Justin Harries, who runs Filmbar 70, a London establishment devoted to the Italian genre cinema of the ’60s to early ’80s era. After a few minutes about why such films are appealing to his audiences, he discusses a number of related and interesting topics. He contextualizes The Slave as part of a “bourgeoisie baiting” trend in Italian cinema of the late ’60s, explains how the sex comedy actually dominated the ’70s output of Italian genre cinema and covers the different reasons that genre filmmaking came to an end at the dawn of the ’80s in Italy. Harries has an interesting perspective and students of Euro-cult material will be intrigued by his scholarly approach. Some text-driven supplements follow. The first is a brief “about the film” essay that covers a lot of making-of and contextual info about The Slave in about five panels. Next up are a series of text bios for stars Rosanna Schiaffino, Haydee Politoff, Campanile and composer Piero Piccioni. All are illuminating – the story of how Politoff became an accidental star and ended up with such a bizarre filmography is particularly interesting – but viewers should be sure to go to the credits sections on the Politoff and Campanile bios as they feature several optional trailers and film clips. Given the eclectic careers of this duo, there’s a lot of colorful viewing to be found there. The final extra is the one you see on every Mondo Macabro release, their wild preview reel for their other releases: if you’ve never seen it, it’s a gonzo blur of monsters, sexy ladies and sudden bursts of surrealism.
Review: Beautiful film - I'm not sure I understand the low average rating for this film. I thought it was a stunning work of art. No, it's not your typical exploitation film, it actually goes a lot deeper than that. If you're just watching this for nudity, there is some of that, but The Slave is more psychological than titillating. I would imagine that people who are deeply involved in B&D and S&M would enjoy this film for its realistic, though artful, depiction of a young woman who longs to be subservient, degraded, dominated. This movie has a lot of extravagant sets and costumes and is a wonderful example of late 60s/early 70s Italian filmmaking from the director who later made the exploitation cult classic, Hitch-Hike.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| ASIN  | B00KI5SH02 |
| Actors  | Gabriele Tinti, Haydee Politoff, Romolo Valli, Rosanna Schiaffino |
| Best Sellers Rank | #174,618 in Movies & TV ( See Top 100 in Movies & TV ) #3,091 in Mystery & Thrillers (Movies & TV) #10,251 in Drama Blu-ray Discs |
| Customer Reviews | 3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars (14) |
| Director  | Pasquale Festa Campanile |
| Media Format  | Anamorphic, Blu-ray, Dolby, Limited Edition, Multiple Formats, NTSC, Widescreen |
| Number of discs  | 2 |
| Product Dimensions  | 0.43 x 6.68 x 5.29 inches; 3.52 ounces |
| Release date  | September 9, 2014 |
| Run time  | 1 hour and 40 minutes |
| Studio  | Mondo Macabro |

## Images

![The Slave - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61eyIeZQ-8L.jpg)
![The Slave - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81ExElH6sdL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A must-see for fans of this genre!
*by A***. on April 15, 2020*

The 1960’s found mainstream (or at least respectable) cinema was ready to deal with the topic of S&M. As was often the case during this decade, European filmmakers led the charge in figuring how to handle such adult material in an artful style: films like Belle De Jour, Venus In Furs and La Prisionaire provide artful examples of this trend. Films by Radley Metzger (The Russ Meyers of S&M; his low budget - and American - films were wildly successful and semi-respectable). The Slave is one of the lesser-known examples but is no less worthy than the aforementioned titles. In fact, it offers an ambitious and unique take on the subject of S&M that helps it stand apart from its competitors. The Slave was adapted by Fellini collaborators Tullio Pinelli and Brunello Rondi from Check To The Queen, a popular Italian novel written by Renato Ghiotti. The storyline follows Silvia (Haydee Politoff), a wealthy housewife who deals with her husband’s extended business trip by accepting a job with jet-set model Margaret (Rosanna Schiaffino). The job is no typical gig: Margaret basically wants a human plaything that will do her bidding without question. Silvia already harbors unusual fantasies about lesbian domination and she enters into the relationship with a fervor that surprises both herself and Margaret. The Slave is steeped in the kind of casual decadence that defines erotic-themed Italian films of this era. Much of the film takes place in a lavishly decorated mansion, characters swan about in haute couture and the eroticism is of the cool variety where sexual encounters are interspersed with philosophical exchanges about the nature of desire. Director Pasquale Festa Campanile, best known to American viewers for the disturbing thriller Hitch Hike, gives the material an elegant treatment, using Roberto Gerardi’s ‘scope-format photography to caress the elegant surroundings and topping it off with a plush Euro-lounge score from Piero Piccioni. However, the element of The Slave that truly distinguishes it from the rest of ’60s European S&M films is its ambivalent attitude towards its subject matter. While Campanile has no problem capturing the fantasy element of S&M on screen – Silvia’s sexual fantasies are filmed in a playful, lysergic style – he’s more interested in flouting the audience’s expectations about where these kinds of adventures lead. Unlike a lot of S&M films, there is no turning of the tables between master and slave or settling into a odd yet familiar sadist/masochist domesticity. Without getting to heavily into spoilers, the third act of The Slave suggests that fantasies aren’t meant to come true and self-knowledge is as important as acting on one’s desires. This ambitious take on the subject works partly because the gutsy script and Campanile’s savvy direction but what truly makes the ideas connect are the lead’s performances. Schiaffino starts out in brash, gleeful “bad girl” mode but adds interesting shadings as she goes along, making us realize her character might have unlikeable elements yet deserves a certain respect because she knows exactly who she is and is unfailingly honest about it. Politoff offers an counterweight to Schaffino’s work, creating an internalized performance where she uses her passive nature and vacant gaze to manipulate others. On a side note, Italian exploitation fans will also be happy to see an early performance from Gabriele Tinti as a randy actor who works with Margaret. The Slave conveys the allure of its S&M theme nicely but makes itself more interesting by offering how challenging it can be to apply such fantasy-inspired sexual concepts to real life. As such, it’s worthy of study for any students of erotic cinema’s development during the ’60s. The transfer is pretty impressive, particularly in its blu-ray incarnation. It was taken from the original negative and offers the film’s Techniscope framing in all its glory, with rich colors and a nice depth of detail. This transfer utilizes the original Italian mono soundtrack, presented with English subtitles, and it’s a solid mix for a film of this vintage. The extras begin with a pair of interview featurettes. The first is with film historian Roberto Curti, who covers a lot of material about Pasquale Festa Campanile and The Slave in just under 28 minutes. He begins with a thumbnail sketch of Campanile’s career and his place in Italian film history then segues into a discussion of The Slave‘s history, including biographical sketches of the different collaborators, differences between the novel and the film (most notably, the ending) and how the film was received by local audiences. Curti’s style is brisk and informative, making this a pleasant way for Euro-cultists to learn about this film and its director. The second featurette features Justin Harries, who runs Filmbar 70, a London establishment devoted to the Italian genre cinema of the ’60s to early ’80s era. After a few minutes about why such films are appealing to his audiences, he discusses a number of related and interesting topics. He contextualizes The Slave as part of a “bourgeoisie baiting” trend in Italian cinema of the late ’60s, explains how the sex comedy actually dominated the ’70s output of Italian genre cinema and covers the different reasons that genre filmmaking came to an end at the dawn of the ’80s in Italy. Harries has an interesting perspective and students of Euro-cult material will be intrigued by his scholarly approach. Some text-driven supplements follow. The first is a brief “about the film” essay that covers a lot of making-of and contextual info about The Slave in about five panels. Next up are a series of text bios for stars Rosanna Schiaffino, Haydee Politoff, Campanile and composer Piero Piccioni. All are illuminating – the story of how Politoff became an accidental star and ended up with such a bizarre filmography is particularly interesting – but viewers should be sure to go to the credits sections on the Politoff and Campanile bios as they feature several optional trailers and film clips. Given the eclectic careers of this duo, there’s a lot of colorful viewing to be found there. The final extra is the one you see on every Mondo Macabro release, their wild preview reel for their other releases: if you’ve never seen it, it’s a gonzo blur of monsters, sexy ladies and sudden bursts of surrealism.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Beautiful film
*by R***K on May 26, 2016*

I'm not sure I understand the low average rating for this film. I thought it was a stunning work of art. No, it's not your typical exploitation film, it actually goes a lot deeper than that. If you're just watching this for nudity, there is some of that, but The Slave is more psychological than titillating. I would imagine that people who are deeply involved in B&D and S&M would enjoy this film for its realistic, though artful, depiction of a young woman who longs to be subservient, degraded, dominated. This movie has a lot of extravagant sets and costumes and is a wonderful example of late 60s/early 70s Italian filmmaking from the director who later made the exploitation cult classic, Hitch-Hike.

### ⭐ Beautiful movie, forced subtitles
*by H***N on November 15, 2015*

Dear Mondo Macabro you have published a wonderful ignored movie in such beautiful look why have you ruined it all with forced subtitles? If you can not yet in 2015 for whatever reason bring out a bluray with optional subtitles is better do not even release the product. It's such a shame to waste the video with not removable text. I've bought Valerie and her week of wonders I don't speak Czech and I have to read the english subtitles but I'm really glad that Criterion have made subtitles optional. Plus the title The Slave is very ugly the original Scacco alla Regina (Check to the Queen) is so beautiful. There is not any deleted scenes but maybe I'm not really good to look for it. The vote is for Mondo Macabro, the movie is 5/5.

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