Count Razumovsky (there are several different spellings of his name) was a Russian diplomat who spent most of his career in Vienna. He is mostly known for his accomplishments as a negotiator of the Treaty of Paris in 1815 (which saw the end of Napoleon’s rule), as well as being a violinist and having commissioned three string quartets from Beethoven. This makes his name fairly recognizable on both sides of the Iron Curtain, and is the inspiration for the character of Count Rasymovsky in this film.

The movie opens with Count Rasymovsky having a discussion with his wife regarding their daughter Olga’s behavior at a ball the previous night. Apparently the girl violated several etiquette protocols (laughing without covering her mouth, forgetting her fan, slipping her hand down a man’s back, for example) and has embarrassed the family in front of key members of the Vienna court. Therefore, the Count has taken it upon himself to discipline the girl. He calls her in and tells her of her shameful ways, including the fact that she is still in her sleeping-clothes, and must be disciplined. She’s told to drop her drawers and lean against the fireplace, where she’s given a spanking.

Now, I will say that the actress playing Olga (and who is unfortunately uncredited) is incredibly cute. And I do mean incredibly cute. She makes a very believable teenage daughter, so much so that I had to check to make sure the legal disclaimer was in place that all performers were over 18 when the movie was shot. She’s that good. And did I mention she’s incredibly cute?

After her spanking, she’s told to go to the kitchen to fetch two handfuls of salt. When she returns, he tells her to place the salt next to a wall, and then kneel in it, facing the wall. I've never heard of this sort of punishment, but apparently it’s a thing in Russia. Who knew? See the cross-cultural benefits here? Maybe you can get some college credits for it.

The next day, Olga is reclining on a couch, still in her sleeping clothes because her experience the day before didn't cure her of her lazy and uncouth ways. Such a bad seed she is! So bad, in fact, that she’s taken a liking to the works of a French marquis… the Marquis de Sade! As she peruses his fine works, she begins to touch herself in ways a young lady should not.

She even rolls over and gives herself some anal penetration! What a jade she is!

Obviously this is a girl in need of some serious correction, and her father, who interrupts her little playtime with a harsh spanking, decides that he needs to bring in someone who can get the job done right. This is a tough assignment and will need someone with some experience at dealing with wayward girls and their sinful ways. Someone with experience in corporal punishment. Someone who won't shy away from torture, because this could get ugly. There’s only one solution.

This is a job for The Church.

I have to give the mystery actress playing Olga credit here, both for bearing up well during her two spankings and for not laughing during the Count and Countess’ histrionics. Our Russian comrades have a gift for being overly dramatic, and in this movie that is a good thing; a very good thing. I like the comedic aspect it brings to lighten the mood, and I can only imagine how much lip-biting it took for both the actress and the crew doing the filming to not laugh at the carrying-on of the actors. She either has some acting training or is a natural actress, because she not only manages to keep a straight face, she even manages to look somewhat sorrowful.

Eat your heart out, Jennifer Lawrence!

Father Gavriil arrives on the scene and is told of poor Olga’s sinful ways. He’s shown the book that Olga was reading and contemplates what action to take. As you can imagine, his course of action is bad for Olga but good for us! She’s taken back to the convent (which looks very much like the ballroom of the Count’s palace, but never mind that), and told of her first punishment. Then she’s slapped in the face three times (must be a Russian thing) and forced to strip. She’s trussed up Japanese-style and suspended from a gallows-type frame. As she hangs, the good Father whips her all over her body with a coiled-up rope.

I will say this for the actress, not only is she (a) cute, and (b) a good actress, she’s also blessed with skin that marks quickly, easily, and readily. You can see where the rope-whip found flesh. During her spankings, you can see every finger of the Count’s handprint in the red marks on her ass! RS did a good job casting this girl. She’s absolutely perfect for the role.

Now comes the reason I wanted to watch this film in the first place. Olga is bound in a standing spread-eagle, her wrists and ankles roped against the gallows, her body open and exposed to whatever punishments Father Gavriil has planned for her. And what does he select? Oh, a little full-body whipping; top to bottom, front and back. One of my favorite punishments, as a matter of fact. But first, he recites the mandatory Evil Guy threats, which brings us to one reason why I like these Russian Spanking films – the bad dialogue! Where else can you get a speech like this and not have it come off campier than the rest of the film? Nowhere, that’s where!

After her whipping, she’s left bound to the frame. The camera pans all over her body, showing us the welts and lacerations from the whip. Her skin marks up beautifully and her wrists are bound so tightly that her hands begin to turn purple. If you're looking for authentic bondage and a Don't-Want-To-Kill-Her whipping, this scene certainly delivers. I certainly enjoyed it. But, her punishment is not done yet.

The next day she’s bound to a different frame, on her knees with her hands roped to some very thick posts. Father Gavriil walks in and we get another golden gem of dialogue.

That birch rod she is kissing is about to be used to cane her ass, and a cute ass it is. It doesn't take long for that cute ass to be marked rather severely by that birch rod; about five strokes, actually, before the good Father decides to switch to a different birch rod, which must also be kissed. That rod, in turn, is later discarded and she must kiss a third birch rod, as well as his hand because it holds the birch rod. Then her birching continues – quite deliciously – and if you're into that sort of thing, this scene is your manna from heaven. It might actually deliver a little too much, as her caning looks quite severe.

That’s not make-up. That’s not special effects. That’s Russian brutality on tender female flesh. And there are ten more after this. Fifty-three strokes by my count. That’s a lot.

This film delivers in bondage, actress, and abuse. The last two scenes are extremely powerful and make this film worth the investment. It also delivers on overall entertainment because of the campy acting, the quick jokes, and the over-the-top costuming of the count and countess. I will give the Russians credit for two things: finding the perfect actresses for the roles, and campy humor. Where this film fails the most is in the sound department. It’s absolutely terrible. I've seen wedding videos with better sound. Another weakness is the camerawork. They used two cameras and neither one was synched to match colors with the other. One camera has lusher color, as you may have noticed in the vidcaps. The camera operator also tends to “wander” as if trying to make adjustments clumsily with a tripod. The framing of the shots in some scenes is strictly amateur as well, which is a shame because the actress is really turning in a good performance. There is still some clumsy continuity issues, but eventually you'll learn that this is the Russian way and you must accept things as the way they are. Like Olga, you must surrender to the pain.

Get this movie for the actress, the whipping, and the caning. Then, when you watch it, just turn the sound off. The movie plays better that way.