La sorella di Ursula

LA SORELLA DI URSULA (aka. "The Sister of Ursula" / "Curse of Ursula") of 1978 is an incredibly sleazy Giallo that is primarily recommendable for its perverted sleaze, beautiful settings and beautiful female cast members. Directed by the rather un-known Enzo Milioni, the film is certainly not a particularly memorable, suspenseful or convoluted example for Suspense-cinema's most intriguing genre, but, overall, the genre-typical combination of sleaze and elegance (the focus is on the sleaze-part in this case) makes it interesting enough for my fellow Giallo-enthusiasts to track down.

The beautiful Austrian sisters Ursula (Barbara Magnolfi) and Dagmar Beyne (Stefania D'Amario) come to Amalfi in Southern Italy in search of their mother, who left their late father a long time ago. Upon their arrival, a prostitute is murdered in a highly perverted and gruesome manner. Ursula, who has been traumatized by the death of her beloved father, seems hostile towards others and is sure that somebody is out to kill her as well...

The film is incredibly sleazy, though not particularly brutal for Giallo-standards. It starts out well, but gets a bit repetitive after a while. In its sleaziness, is sometimes compared to GIALLO A VENEZIA (1979), another incredibly sleazy Giallo made after the genre's heyday (which I would call the years 1970-1975), though that film was arguably the most graphically sadistic Giallo of all. LA SORELLA DI URSULA is far more elegant, however. The coastal small-town Amalfi in Campania, Italy is incredibly beautiful, and a wonderful location for any film, especially a Giallo. The hotel in which most of the film takes place is full of incredibly cool set-pieces. The genre-typical score featuring a mysterious female singing voice is beautiful and supports the film's elegance and eerie atmosphere. The murders are nasty, but not particularly brutal, since the killings as such are not that graphic. There are tons of sleaze and gratuitous female nudity, which is very graphic even for softcore-pornography standards. This is very welcome, since the female cast consists entirely of stunning beauties. The most ravishing woman in the film is Barbara Magnolfi, who will be recognized by any fan of Italian Horror for her supporting role in Dario Argento's masterpiece SUSPIRIA (1977), most likely the most famous of all Italian Horror films. She's also a fine actress, and delivers the most convincing performance here. Stefania D'Amorio, who plays her eponymous sister, is also very beautiful, as are the other female cast members. The male cast includes Cult-cinema regular Marc Porel in a shady role.

Overall, LA SORELLA DI URSULA isn't a must-see, and there are numerous Gialli that should be seen before this one. However, it provides sleazy and elegant entertainment, and while it isn't the most suspenseful specimen of the genre, my fellow Giallo-fans should have a good time watching it. Just don't expect anything on a par with Sergio Martino or Dario Argento.

Hey, aspiring filmmakers, here's a tip: If you want to give your picture an automatic 2 stars right out of the gate, shoot it on Italy's Amalfi Coast, a district so incredibly gorgeous that it makes any film look good! Case in point: the sleazy giallo "The Sister of Ursula" (1978), an otherwise tawdry, far-fetched affair whose stunning backdrop (the area between Positano and Amalfi, and nearby Ravello) is its main selling point. In the film, the two Austrian sisters of the title--randy, normal Dagmar (Stefania D'Amario) and fey, unpleasant Ursula (Barbara Magnolfi)--come to a luxurious hotel after the recent death of their father, but at an unfortunate time. It seems that a local whackjob has taken to killing nubile ladies using an enormous, phallus-shaped...oh, I guess I'd better not say...on the gals' northern Virginias (shades of 1971's "What Have You Done To Solange?"). Many suspects abound, including the hotel's handsome manager (Vanni Materassi) and the resident smack-addicted stud (played by giallo vet Marc Porel, a real-life addict himself). The film features copious amounts of male and female full-frontal nudity; tepid, simulated sex scenes (straight couples, lesbians, female masturbation); and even a surprising glimpse of pudendum. As far as violence is concerned, the dastardly deeds are blessedly done offscreen, with only the gory aftermaths on display. The picture also gives us a lush, catchy theme song in Mimi Uva's "Eyes," stylish direction from Enzo Milioni, and very decent acting by the four leads, but the killer's motivation and demise ultimately seem forced and unsatisfying, somehow. In all, a great-looking mixed bag, nicely presented on this Severin Films DVD, with excellent subtitling and a fascinating, 30-minute interview with Milioni himself.

Sister of Ursula is a bit of an obscurity. It's not a nunsploitation film as the title suggests. It's a twisted giallo with typical themes of Freudian Daddy issues, a killer with black gloves and some gorgeous locations in Amalfi.

It really ups the sleaze factor with full frontal nudity every 10 minutes and some sex scenes. It's actually low on violence apart from the aftermath of dead bodies which are well worth seeing for shock value. The soundtrack is very good, not up there with those by Goblin, Morricone or Riz Ortolani, but memorable enough.

It's not as jumbled plot wise as "In The Folds Of Flesh", but it's also not as exciting as most Giallo. Beyond the cinematography which is easily as good as anything from the luminaries like Bava, Argento and Fulci it's difficult to recommend other than to Giallo fans who want something a bit sleazy without going into the extremes of "New York Ripper" or "Malabimba" territory.

The film was released uncut 18 by Shameless/Argent Films in the UK for DVD and features a nice print.

This is a great movie for the cinematography alone- it features some of the most gorgeous scenes i've ever seen in a film, ever. Hands down. THe locations, the decor, everything! It's just so luxurious and opulent and beautiful. I guess this is what Howarth meant when he wrote that 'giallo often confuses or replaces the plot with the mise en scene itself'; If only the pacing had been a little tighter to create more tension and the dialogue a little less trite this could have been a truly top tier film. It's sad to see what could have been a phenomenal film reduced to merely pretty damn good but at the end of the day it's one I really enjoyed and will surely watch again.

Two sisters (Barbara Magnolfi and Stefania D'Amario) check into a sea-side resort hotel, hoping for some peace and quiet. Ursula (Magnolfi) seems unable to relax, feeling as though something terrible is going to happen. Meanwhile, a mad killer is on the prowl, preying on unwary lovers.

THE SISTER OF URSULA is a solid giallo with strong horror elements. Ursula appears to have a psychic ability / clairvoyance, as well as an empathic sense. She's a very interesting character. Her sister, Dagmar (D'Amario) is generally annoyed by her episodes.

As with many of the later giallos, there's a lot of sexual content, in the form of simulation. So, if you're a fan of the female form, this movie certainly has its share of full-on, heavenly bodies on display! Yep, there's a rich vein of sensuality running through this one. As a matter of fact, the killer has quite an unusual trademark, er... weapon. Let's call it the "torpedo of death".

There are some nice twists toward the end, leading up to a terrific finale...