Gioia Desideri began her career in the late 1960s, making her mark in Italian cinema with a focus on erotic and cult genres. In The Labyrinth of Sex (1969), she delivers a compelling performance that captures the film's provocative essence. Desideri also appears in Isabella, Duchess of the Devils (1969), where her role further solidifies her presence in the realm of exploitation cinema. Her work in Night of the Scorpion (1972) continues to explore the darker themes prevalent in giallo and grindhouse films, making her a notable figure in the SassyFlix catalog.
Isabella, Duchess of the Devils
Early 1600s, France. Eric von Nutter, a greedy Alsatian baron raids Duke 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 and a young viscount, 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.
