Review of Nun And The Devil, The

Introduction

Fans of seventies Hammer, as well as the seventies euro horror sexploitation of Jess Franco and Jean Rollins, will clearly be intrigued by this movie; supposedly based on "authentic sixteenth century records and a story by Stendhal".

Made in 1973, some two years after Ken Russell`s `The Devils`, the hype on the case suggests that this is "the best of the sex-and-violence-in-a-convent movies" (attributed to the Aurum Horror Encyclopaedia). Now I don`t know much about this particular genre so I can`t say easily how this ranks, though it`s an intriguing enough notion.

The wrap also describes it as the "Restored Full Uncensored Version", which suggests debauchery and salaciousness in the extreme. Sadly, by today`s tawdry standards, the movie would hardly raise a choirboy`s eyebrow.

The movie is more about power and politics that it is about `tawdry habits` where the nuns at Sant`Arcangelo Convent vie to succeed their fast-fading Mother Superior.

Sister Julia (former Miss Great Britain Anne Heywood) will stop at nothing to achieve her evil ambition and when the obvious choice of the convent`s oldest sister Lavinia (Maria Cumani Quasimodo) gets appointed Julia poisons her, and then banishes her to a cellar in case she contaminates the other inhabitants.

Julia puts pay to her major rival for the number one spot (Sister Carmela) by discovering her late night rendezvous with (shriek) .a MAN!!! (Pietro).

But no success runs smooth, and like the convoluted plot of gothic soap `Dark Shadows` the plot soon thickens further. Julia`s niece Isabella is sent to Sant` Arcangelo by her family who disapprove of her liaisons with a young man. Initially it is clear that Julia is sexually attracted to her Niece though it isn`t long until she too is used in her Aunt`s diabolical plans for convent domination.

But all doesn`t run to plan. Sister Chiara (Martine Brochard, a Tinto Brass regular) decides that, now Julia`s affections seem to be elsewhere, that she will spill the beans on all the ungodly goings on. She writes a letter to the Cardinal and he sends his assistant Carafo to investigate. This is the perfect excuse for some sadistic torture which leads him to discover Mother Julia`s scheming.

There is very little explicit sex in the movie (despite the `full uncensored` banner), though it is certainly highly suggestive with some small amount of nudity and a healthy dose of suggestion.

It`s all nicely shot and lit (lighting cameraman Giuseppe Ruzzolini also shot Sergio Leone`s A Fistful of Dynamite), and sensitively directed by Domenico Paolella who opts for a brooding, suppressed eroticism rather than anything too explicit.

Video

In non-anamorphic 1.78:1, this isn`t a bad print with very little sign of wear and tear. But it suffers from that period `grey grain` so popular at the time, which really dates the look and feel of the piece.

Audio

Dolby 2.0 soundtrack and English too - though only just. Like many Italian originated movies of the time, some of the post-dubbing seems to be a frame or two out, giving this a `dubbed` air, despite the fact that dialogue was English originally.

Features

Not a stitch I`m afraid.

Conclusion

`The Nun and the Devil` sounds like a titillating prospect on paper, and this notion is further enhanced by the hype on the wrap, claiming that this is a `Restored Full Uncensored Version` and with review-bites that claim this is a `ferocious Italian answer to `The Devils` with a heavy erotic element`. In truth, by today`s standards it`s relatively mild stuff, relying on only modest nudity and suggestion.

This is a slightly more sophisticated film than might be imagined; a kind of political soap opera that just happens to be set in a 16th Century Convent.

The principals are all extremely kind on the eyes and the sets are beautiful period locations, nicely shot.

In the final analysis though I`d have to say that it`s not the kind of movie that`s ever likely to find its way onto anyone`s top ten and however intriguing it may seem, I`d advise a rental first before rushing out to buy. Life is short, movies can be long - and this is certainly not a film that I`d sit through twice.