''Ms. Stiletto'' (), is a 1969 historical
adventure film
The adventure film is a broad genre of film. Some early genre studies found it no different than the Western film or argued that adventure could encompass all Hollywood genres. Commonality was found among historians Brian Taves and Ian Cameron in ...
, directed by
Bruno Corbucci. The setting is the
Kingdom of France
The Kingdom of France is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the Middle Ages, medieval and Early modern France, early modern period. It was one of the most powerful states in Europe from th ...
in the early 17th century, while
Louis XIII is still underage. An Alsatian baron kills the family of a Duke and claims their
Château for himself. The Duke's daughter is rescued by a
gypsy tribal leader. Several years later, the girl has become a
teenager and seeks
revenge
Revenge is defined as committing a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. Vengeful forms of justice, such as primitive justice or retributive justice, are often differentiated from more fo ...
.
Plot
Early 17th century, France. Eric von Nutter, a greedy
Alsatian baron
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...
raids
Duke
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...
de Frissac's family estate Château Salins and kills his entire family except Isabella, his little daughter. Isabella is saved by Melicour, the head of a
gypsy tribe nicknamed The Devils.
Years later, Isabella is a beautiful and courageous teenage girl. By chance, she encounters
François de Bassompierre and gets the opportunity to reclaim her title but Château Salins is now possessed by Von Nutter. France is going through political instability under the child king
Louis XIII and needs support from German princes. Therefore, Isabella is barred from possession of Château Salins by the
Louvre
The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...
and a young
viscount
A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty.
In the case of French viscounts, the title is ...
, Gilbert de Villancourt is assigned as a guardian to her. However, following a failed assassination attempt by a minion of Von Nutter, Isabella vows to avenge her family and take Château Salins back.
Cast
Background
''Ms. Stiletto'' is an adaptation of the ''
fumetto'' ''
Isabella, duchessa dei diavoli'', a
comic book
A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...
series by
Renzo Barbieri, who created the character of Isabella, and
Giorgio Cavedon, who wrote the stories. The comic series became popular in Italy and was Italy's first openly erotic comic strip.
The film was part of a minor trend of comic strip adaptations that emphasised mild
sado-masochism and late 1960s fetish gear, which started with ''
Danger: Diabolik'' and ''
Barbarella''.
Release
''Ms. Stiletto'' was released in Italy in 1969. The film was released on home video in the United States under the title ''Ms. Stiletto'' in the mid 1980s. As of 2016, the film is only available in the United States through a
VHS tape from the
Force Video label. Italian film historian and critic described this tape as "badly cropped VHS" that is "sold at a very high price among collectors."
See also
*
List of Italian films of 1969
References
Footnotes
Sources
*
*
External links
*
{{Bruno Corbucci
1969 films
1960s historical adventure films
1960s exploitation films
1960s teen films
Italian historical adventure films
West German films
1960s Italian-language films
Films directed by Bruno Corbucci
Italian sexploitation films
Films set in France
Films set in the 1610s
Italian swashbuckler films
Films based on Italian comics
Live-action films based on comics
1960s Italian films
Cultural depictions of Louis XIII
German films about revenge
Italian films about revenge
Films about nobility