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The fairytale of the wife-murdering Bluebeard is given a decadent pop-art gleen for hip 1970s viewers with this international production. Richard Burton stars as Baron von Sepper, a Nazi-esque aristocrat who keeps his castle stocked with animal trophies, weird photographs, and a freezer full of murdered ex-wives. His current wife, a sassy American (Joey Heatherton) stumbles onto his secret. She delays her own murder by encouraging the baron to talk about his past wives, who are all played by international starlets: Racquel Welch, Karin Schubert, Marilu Tolo, Agostina Belli, Nathalie Delon and Virna Lisi.
Edward Dmytryk (THE YOUNG LIONS) directed in a fragmented, hallucinatory style replete with touches of gothic horror, nudity, and humor for adult audiences. Ennio Morricone provides the slinky, sinister score. Sibyl Danning appears as a prostitute who teaches one of the wives (Delon) some lessons in love. Burton oscillates between having fun with his role and falling asleep in it, but it's interesting to watch his brooding performance clash with the brusque Americanisms of camp icon Heatherton.
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