In La Strega in Amore [aka The Witch or The Witch in Love] (1966) we do not discover that the witch is a witch until the finale; nor do we discover precisely who the witch’s enigmatic "daughter" really is. Damiano Damiani (the director) does a lot of “show, not tell”—there is much in this that remains cryptic—which is precisely why it is such an enjoyable film to watch.
There is a plot that needs to be explained first. A strange older woman (Consuelo) lures the young cocksure Sergio to her stunning but decrepit mansion to offer him a job as her librarian (the library is stunning). Sergio is so sure of himself that he can only imagine that Consuelo is motivated by a desire for his sexual services, a prospect which disgusts him. Consuelo does a fairly good job of putting him back in his box on the subject. His disinterest in the job offer terminates once he meets the old lady’s daughter. A stunning Italian beauty, Aura is attractive, seductive and strange! (Within five minutes she propose they undress each other, using their teeth only! WOW.)
[Consuelo reading from her journals]
[Sergio is intrigued]
[Sergio disrobing Aura with his teeth]
Sergio wants to protect the lovely Aura from a not-very-clearly-articulated threat and takes on the job, but he discovers he must first oust the existing librarian. That entails murder which cements his connection to the strange old woman and her daughter. The first hint of witchcraft comes with a bongo drum dance and night-time action. It becomes clear that the old woman is up to no good, although it is never clear exactly what she is up to or how she is working her magic. Aura comes and goes at her leisure leaving poor Sergio bereft without her. He slowly becomes an emotional mess much like his predecessor.
[The librarian wants to avoid conflict]
In the closing moments of the film a new potential librarian arrives at which point Sergio realizes he is about to suffer the same fate as the previous librarian; a pattern repeated who knows how many times. Sergio's responce is to put Consuelo in a bonfire, an act which her identification as a witch.
[Consuelo in flames]
The intriguing aspect of the film is trying to work out the relationship between Consuelo and Aura. They do not appear on-screen together until the middle of the film and when they do they appear to mirror each other’s movements, which is disconcerting to watch but not really enough to arouse an accusation of witchcraft. It is not until Sergio locks Aura in his room that things get seriously weird. Aura has quite a hissy fit and tries to conceal herself amongst the clothes on a coat rack in an attempt to hide her transformation into Consuelo! This however does not explain how the two women can appear together (clearly Conseulo isn’t using a glamour spell on herself).
[Consuelo and Aura, mirroring each other's movements]
[Aura dancing]
Other unexplained magical elements are the (implied) sacrifice of cats, the exotic and magical herbal teas that Conseulo drinks and the telepathic link that exists between Aura and Conseulo. Other mystifying moments include Conseulo’s revelation that Aura is not her really her daughter, but she leaves the viewer hanging when she fails to elaborate on who or what Aura is!
M: Aura is a stunning seductress, but it is the story of Conseulo that is most interesting. The first meeting between Sergio and Conseulo paints the most glorious picture of this eccentric older woman. Firstly she rebuffs his suggestions of sexual interest in such a confident off-handed way that indicates both her vibrant sexual history and a high degree of impatience with his self-assurance. It makes her quite likable. The sexual tension is heightened further by her late husband’s memoirs which she encourages Sergio to read from. The memoirs reveal a young and sexually aggressive Conseulo. She is a shadowy figure that scares the younger generation! She is an old woman struggling to exist in a society which doesn’t need or want her sexual power anymore, although it burns strongly for her still. Her youth is full of sexual vigor which in the whore/virgin dichotomy, she is not entitled to enjoy. Clearly, however, she did/does enjoy it.
Her enthusiasm for Sergio fades (can't say I blame her!) and it is his fear of redundancy that pushes him over the edge into violence at the end of the film (he could have accepted his fate and just left!). Perhaps none of the 'librarians' needed to die if they had each just understood they weren’t welcome anymore and left instead of breaking the restraining order and put themselves in danger; I mean talk about STUPID. The older woman knows how to easily manipulate men’s sex drive and their bravado to her advantage, although Sergio seems to have more testosterone than previous dupes. He finds a way to punish Conseulo for her sexual desire by physically burning her for her passions; for her desire to transgress; for being ‘disgusting’, a word Sergio uses repeatedly like venom. I like her, I like her cunning and her brave sexual history.
P: It is not clear who the titular witch is (the "Strega" who is "in Amore"): Conseulo or Aura? Aura is the only one who shows affection for Sergio, she is the one who seduces, embraces, and has sex with him; while Conseulo scorns his suggestion that she is sexually interested in him, and most of her exchanges with him are more aggressive rather than seductive. But by the end of the film it is not clear whether it is possible to separate the two female characters, even though they appear on screen side by side. Disconcerting and strange.
