Jon Smithie
Tribune
And although she doesn’t belong here, just thought I’d throw her in.
Madame Natalia Lapuchin was a beautiful and charming adornment of the court of Empress Elizabeth of Russia. She became involved in intrigues with foreign diplomats and was sentenced to have her tongue cut out and be broken on the wheel. Elizabeth commuted this sentence to a knouting with the lesser knout and banishment. Here's an account: https://books.google.com/books?id=R...HoECAcQAQ#v=onepage&q=madame lapuchin&f=false
The story is a natural for film treatment. I hope the Russians take up the challenge, they obviously know their way around an historical epic.
Madame Lapuchin's story is similar to the story of Jeanne de la Motte-Valois, which has been given a few film interpretations, most lately 2001's The Affair Of The Necklace, a really disappointing film starring Hillary Swank. Disappointing because historical accounts say that Jeanne was stripped either naked or to the waist for the beating she took, but in the movie, Hillary is always modestly covered. The movie was a critical flop, primarily I suspect, for that reason. Some screencaps:
Jeanne (Hillary Swank) was beaten with rods, and then branded on the breast with the "V" for "Voleuse": Thief.
Movie makers get a clue! Strip the actress for her flogging!
A few more of Madame Lapuchin being horsed and knouted:
Although not Madame Lapuchin, I like it anyway: