A Monja e o Demônio

The obvious film to compare this to is Ken Russell's 'The Devils'. Both films are explorations of cloister depravity and resulting inquisitions. Neither are exploitation movies. 'The Devils' didn't really try and be erotic, it was more a portrait of human insanity from a spiritual dark age. 'Monache di Sant'Arcangelo' has higher moral currency because it is a purposeful exploration of the subjugation of women. There's erotic value of course, but it's not gratuitous. The suppression of human sexuality can of course be used as fodder for Women-In-Prison movies or nunsploitation but also polemically. There is a lot of scope in such movies as this, one example I have seen championed is Jesus Franco's 'Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun' (1977) which is a criticism of Catholic patriarchy. Basically the movie says that the convents are used to house affluent undesirables and heaps upon the hypocrisy of the Cardinal and his vicar. Not that I would say any of the political comment in this movie is particularly trenchant.

Whilst I'm sure that such polemic was one of the main aims of the film, the main success is to be found in the love stories. Indeed it wouldn't surprise me if this movie became some sort of lesbian underground hit, because the dynamics of the relationships in the movie are quite well done. Sister Chiara's obsessive love for example for Mother Julia is very carefully studied: After Chiara is given the cold shoulder in favour of the young initiate Agnes, she takes to self-mutilation and writing poison pen letters about the nunnery to His Eminence. When they are back together again Chiara, even though she realises that the resurrected relationship is likely to be due to Julia's fear of blackmail is content to live the lie. It's clear to me though that Mother Julia felt much regret over her abandonment of Chiara, when they are back together she tenderly kisses the scars on Chiara's knees that were caused by her purposefully kneeling on broken glass. In another scene she feels remorse when she sees that Chiara has deliberately cut herself on the thorns of a bunch of roses. She is also unable to tolerate the torture of her lover. Basically it's the sapphic romance of the movie that really works well. As laudable as the politics of the film are that part of the director's vision lacked pathos. Basically the men in the movie deliver their lines flatly and the scriptwriter didn't appear to have any passion for the politics of the period.

It's always intrigued me to see relationships unimpinged by hidden breeder agendas, to look at unhinged love. This film provides ample opportunity.

It might be of interest to readers to look at the structure of the film, it is really rather like a Jacobean tragedy in many respects. We have the gratuitous and unexpected murder of Pietro, we have the Machiavellian political powerplays and joustings, the immorality of the cast - principally Don Carlos - and the scenes of torture. And then there is the protagonist's monologue, this time delivered by Julia to the inquisitorial priests, quite similar to the repentance of d'Amville from Cyril Tourneur's Jacobean play 'The Atheist's Tragedy'.

'Monache di Sant'Arcangelo' lacks great production values for me. Others will say that they are a cut above other nunsploitation movies and they are right. However this movie is still pretty unpolished compared to other period movies even though it tries very hard. This won't matter to you too much if you are interested in this film because of the dynamics of the relationships. In that sense it is successful as, say, Fassbinder's 'The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant'.

I can't give the movie higher than 7/10 however because some of the major set pieces, like a poor soufflé, fail to rise to the occasion.

Yet another Stendhal-inspired "Nunsploitationer" in the vein of THE NUN OF MONZA (1969) and ABBESS OF CASTRO (1974) – incidentally, MONZA's Anne Heywood dons the habit here as well, while Pier Paolo Capponi appears in all three (in this case, he is a lecherous nobleman). Actually, the film's German title translates to THE NUN OF VERONA: with this in mind, the absurd English moniker is utterly misleading…not to mention liable to confuse it with Jerzy Kawalerowicz' much superior THE DEVIL AND THE NUN aka MOTHER JOAN OF THE ANGELS (1961)! It emerges somewhat more plot-packed than usual, with several nuns being involved in illicit/corrupt business behind convent walls: apart from Heywood (who is more of a conspirator this time around and caps her performance with an effective diatribe at the obligatory trial followed by an excruciating death scene), these include Martine Brochard, Claudia Gravy (from the weird Spaghetti Western MATALO! [1970]) and Ornella Muti (most appealing when sporting short-cropped hair and masculine attire, her role is secondary but she carries it with aplomb). The Inquisition, then, is represented by a fanatical Luc Merenda (miscast) and Cardinal Claudio Gora. The oppressive medieval atmosphere is nicely caught (though the print I got hold of, featuring a reasonable English-dubbed track, is a bit too dark – furthermore, the split between its two parts irritatingly occurs in mid-sentence!) and, while the trademark nudity and violence are certainly there, these are not particularly explicit. In the long run, THE NUN AND THE DEVIL (which comedy/peplum exponent Paolella directed under the pseudonym Paolo Dominici!) is pretty solid as "Nunsploitation" films go.

Intrigues in a 16th century Italian cloister near Verona lead to gruesome happenings. Sister Giulia, pretending to save the Mother Supreme from her sickness, is really trying to kill her in order to become Mother Supreme herself. The cardinal suspects something about sister Giulia's intrigues and raids the cloister, bringing all those who did wrong to trial...

This Italian nun movie may be called "exploitation", but it certainly offers an interesting view on some historic happenings and how it might have been back then. The film even claims to be based on a true story. Whether this is true or not, it probably isn't too far away from reality. There's not very much nudity or violence in this, so fans of sick exploitation films will probably be disappointed. Surprisingly well made, and watch out for a very young Ornella Muti in a supporting role.

According to open credits this film is based on authentic 16th Century records and a story by Stendhal . During the 1570s , in the convent of Sant'Arcangelo di Baiano , after the illness of the mother superior, taking place a tragic fight power . Stars one ambitious nun , Mother Giulia (Anne Heywood) who comes from a wealthy family, as she wants to become the new abbess , that's why she will stop at nothing to get it and at any cost . Along the way, the aristocrat Spanish nobleman Don Carlos (Pier Paolo Capponi) enjoys in the convent of Sant'Arcangelo di Baiano, satisfying his desires with Sister Giulia di Mondragone and other nuns . Mother Giulia is as interested in the coveted title of abbess and she attempts to please him, and provides nuns to Don Carlos . Then a power struggle emerges and rages on. Meantime , other sisters, especially Sister Carmela (Claudia Gravy) , schemes against her . Giulia offers herself on several occasions to Don Carlos , despite being a lesbian and eager to be alone with her sweetheart : Sister Chiara (Martine Brochard) . Giulia pleases Don Carlos even when he asks her to spend a night of love with the attractive young, Sister Isabella (Ornella Muti) . Soon after , step by step , the scandal bursts : anonymous messages , murder , threats and sudden appearance of strong accusations by the sending of thorny letters to the high ecclesiastical authorities . It results in the corrupt vicar Carafa (Luc Merenda) , representative of the Inquisition is sent by the Archbishop of Naples , Cardinal d'Arezzo (Claudio Gora) to open immediately an inquistive trial against the unfortunete nuns , including tortures and beatings.

A dramatic film about the sad messes taking place at the convent of St. Archangel , in which there is a struggle for lust & love among wicked nuns . Somewhat surprising for such an exploitative , eroticism type of cinema, this film is actually handled with a degree of seriousness . It shows a religious community in which predominates bad actions as jealousy , corruption, treason , poisonings , wickedness , traps , complaints and fake accusations leading to a wild war to determinate who will succeed to the deceased abadess in her duties and functions . Well set in XVI century in the Kingdom of Naples, 1577 , providing an actual authenticity , -in fact , the production got permission to shoot the scenes in a real , ancient convent : Fossanova Abbey in Priverno, Latina, Italy-, when the Roman Inquisition and the witch-hunt were in complete action and torture is authorized in the trials , while the people live in misery , despair and fear , leading eventually to degradation and punishments , resulting in an inquisitive process in which various sisters are tortured and made to confess . Interpretations are acceptable enough , such as Anne Heywood as a powerful ecclesiastic who aspired to the title of abbess of the convent and is willing to do anything to get it . She's well accompanied by a number of gorgeous actresess usual in B-films in the Seventies and Eighties , such as : Ornella Muti , Martine Brochard , Muriel Catalá and Claudia Gravy . Le monache di Sant'Arcangelo (1973) belongs to nunsploitation tendry , being one of the first fims in this peculiar exploitative sub-genre that would be politically incorrect for nowadays's standards. The main representives of this kind of genre with full of lesbian-nun sex , luridness , erotism, delirium and sleaziness were the Italians with directors as Joe D'Amato , Bruno Mattei, Claudio Fragasso and others , with pictures as "The Nun of St. Monza", Joe D'Amato's "Images from a Convent", ¨Suor Emanuelle¨ by Giuseppe Vari with Laura Gemser, "Flavia, the Heretic", Bruno Mattei's ¨The True Story of the Nun of Monza¨, ¨Le couvent infernal¨, Walerian Borozyx's "Behind Convent Walls" . And Spanish directors also made some films like Jess Frank's "Love Letters of a Portugese Nun" and Jorge Grau's ¨Love Letters of a nun¨. And in the 2000s prevailed supernatural , terrifyng and pseudo-slasher ghost stories in which find evil nymph nuns seeking vendetta against unfortunate people, such as : ¨The Nun¨ 2005 by Luis de la Madrid with Anita Brien , Belén Blanco and The nun (2018) by Corin Hardy with Demián Bichir and Taissa Farmiga.

The motion picture was professionally directed by Domenico Paolella, though it has some flaws, gaps and failures . He was a director and writer, known for filming all kind of genres such as Nunexploitation : ¨The nun and the devil¨, ¨Unholy Convent¨ , Peplum : ¨Maciste Nell'inferno Di Gengis Khan¨, ¨Il Gladiatore Che Sfidò L'Impero¨ , ¨Golia Conquista Di Bagdad¨ , ¨Ercole Contro Tiranni , ¨Maciste against Mongols¨, among others . Rating : 5.5/10 . Acceptable and passable .

I love the nunsploitation genre when it's at its most exploitative and depicts the servants of God during various sequences of debauchery and blasphemy. Unfortunately, The Nuns of Saint Archangel prefers to spend its runtime mostly on talky drama, which does focus on blasphemy, but unfortunately not much of it is actually shown. On the plus side, the production values are great and director Domenico Paolella (who also directed decent nunsploitation Story of a Cloistered Nun in the same year) produces some nice visuals. The plot focuses, as you would expect, on a convent. The Mother Superior has passed away, and so a vacancy has arisen for that particular post. This leads to several nuns at the convent trying to get the position over the others. Giulia believes she would be best for the post; and so proceeds to take out her rivals; by poisoning one and arranging for the other to be caught canoodling with a man. Meanwhile, she's making her own bargains to secure her wanted position; and showing the corruption of the church in the meantime.

Most people that watch these films will undoubtedly do so mainly to see some hot women dressed as nuns involved in lesbian scenes (or so I've heard...), but unfortunately (err...for those people), this movie does not make lesbian sex it's main focal point. It really does have to be said that the movie is far too talky and this is a problem since a lot of the dialogue is not even all that interesting. I do have to admit that despite having seen quite a few Italian films about nuns; I really don't have that much of an interest in Christianity and how the church is ran. The film stars Anne Heywood, who is good in the lead role (and mostly keeps her clothes on). She receives good feedback from Martine Brochard and Omella Muti, as well as Luc Merenda. I do have to admit that the story itself is actually not bad in the way it is constructed; I just found it rather dull. Despite the genre label; 'nunsploitation', I've found many of these movies to be rather high quality in terms of production values - this one being above average. Overall, I can't say that this film is a favourite of mine; but it is just about worth seeing.