Dværgen (1973)

Director:

Vidal Raski

Writers:

Harlan Asquith (screenplay)
William Mayo (story)

Release Date:

December 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Horror | Adult

Tagline:

Hvad var den mystiske dværgs perverse hemmelighed??? (What was the mysterious dwarfs perveted secret???)

Plot:

Olaf and his mother run a boarding house and a white slavery ring. They also smuggle heroin to keep...

Plot Keywords:

White Slavery | Slavery | Landlord | Heroin | Revolver

Cast

Torben Bille	...	Olaf the Dwarf
Anne Sparrow	...	Mary, Wife
Tony Eades	...	Peter, Husband
Clara Keller	...	Lila Lash
Werner Hedman	...	Santa Claus the Drugdealer
Gerda Madsen	...	Winnie, Lilas friend
Jeanette Marsden	...	Sex-slave in attic
Lisbeth Olsen	...	Sex-slave in attic
Jane Cutter	...	Sex-slave in attic
Dale Robinson	...	Customer of the Dwarf
Ben Haley
Ted Neumann
Peter Gaumont
Richard Wilder
Steve Brace
Richard Dalton
Berni Weiss
Jens Nilsen

Directed by
Vidal Raski

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Harlan Asquith		screenplay
William Mayo		story

Produced by
Nicolas Poole	....	producer

Original Music by
Ole Ørsted

Cinematography by
Lasse Björne

Set Decoration by
Torben Bille		(as T. Bille)

Costume Design by
Anne Williams

Sound Department
Erick Jolley	....	audio restoration (uncredited)

Distributors

• Cinema Epoch (2007) (USA) (theatrical)
• Cinépix Film Properties (CFP) (1975) (Canada) (theatrical) (as "Teenage Bride")
• Pathfinder Pictures (2006) (USA) (theatrical)
• Another World Entertainment (2008) (Denmark) (DVD) (Original uncut version)
• Boxoffice International Pictures (BIP) (USA)
• Filmfreak Distributie (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Severin Films (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• Something Weird Video (SWV) (video)

Also Known As:

"The Sinful Dwarf" - International (English title)
"Das Haus der verlorenen Mädchen" - Austria (imdb display title), West Germany
"Den Syndige Dvärgen" - Sweden (theatrical title)
"Satanika orgia" - Greece (transliterated ISO-LATIN-1 title)
"Syntinen kääpiö" - Finland (DVD title)
"Teenage Bride" - Netherlands (video box title)

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

Denmark | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-18 (DVD rating) (2008) | USA:Unrated (DVD rating) | USA:X (DVD uncut version) | Australia:R | Sweden:(Banned) | New Zealand:R18 (cut)

Filming Locations:

Copenhagen, Denmark

Trivia:

This movie only sold a few thousand tickets at the box office in its native Denmark.

Quotes:

The Dwarf:I have more toys... upstairs!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The Cinema Snob: The Sinful Dwarf (#3.32)" (2011)

Soundtrack:

The Game of Love

One of the most bizarre and depraved exploitation films I've seen

Reading the plot line, I expected "The Sinful Dwarf" to be tasteless. However, I didn't think it would end up being this depraved! After hearing about this legendary exploitation film for years, I can honestly say "The Sinful Dwarf" not only met, but topped my expectations. This is one of the sickest movies ever made. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who isn't a fan of exploitation films, but for us psychotronic fans its compulsive watching. Just make sure to have a cold shower ready afterwords. Nothing else in the catalog of David Friedman even comes close to the sick-mindedness in this film. As many other reviewers have noted, imagine a cross between "Bloodsucking Freaks" and "Pink Flamingos" with absolutely no attempts at humor, and you're coming close. As you can picture, this is the kind of film you could only get away with in the 70s.

This film sticks out from the pack for several reasons. Mainly, like the other examples of Scandinavian exploitation film-making, the alien settings and style add a surreal layer to an already bizarre film. Even though the concept is completely far fetched, its actually unnerving just because of how otherworldly it is. The performance by Torben Bille as the chuckling little homunculus of the title is very creepy. Its not exactly accomplished, but it is memorable. The film isn't well made, but its compellingly bizarre and even disturbing. Also, the sex scenes are very explicit, and while not actual penetration is shown, this is very close to hardcore (they certainly don't use body doubles). No wonder Image Entertainment (Something Weird Video's partner) is hesitant about releasing this.

Most of all what makes this film a very memorable experience however is just how depraved it is. The film's plot revolves around a former showgirl and her dwarf son running a white slavery ring (the girls remain chained and naked in a back room) in their hotel. Hows that for political incorrectness? The film is utterly evil and vile. This combined with a weirdness that seriously rivals David Lynch, and you have a must-see for fans of exploitation cinema. "The Sinful Dwarf" is an experience I'll never forget despite the fact I may want to. (7/10)