Le Couvent de la bête sacrée

Nunsploitation is a sub genre more often associated with trashy cheap Italian cinema; but Japan made a few as well, and while the bizarre Wet & Rope was worth seeing - their real masterpiece was this film, School of the Holy Beast. The most popular religions in Japan are Shinto and Buddhism, so it's rather strange to see Japanese women dressed in habits in a Roman Catholic convent, but even so - that hasn't stopped director Norifumi Suzuki from creating a fine slice of nunsploitation. One of my favourite things about this sub-genre is the fact that the films are often well photographed, and the directors take care with shooting the convent itself, and this is something that is adhered to with this film. There isn't a great deal of plot to speak of, but the central thread follows a beautiful young woman named Maya, who gets bundled off to a convent shortly after having sex with some guy. It soon becomes apparent that, like every other nunsploitation film, not everything at the convent is completely above board - as the nuns themselves are subjected to all manner of sexual punishments.

The attention to detail in the film is stunning, and the director delights in dishing up some stunning shots of the locations and his actresses. Japanese cinema is well known for being stylish, and that is certainly true of this film. There's plenty of sleaze on offer, but it all feels very artful and despite the fact that we're watching things such as whippings, lesbianism and rape, it never feels very shocking and that's because it's all very easy on the eyes. The script doesn't extend well to characters and character development, but it's not all that important and it is good to see that the story does develop past the basic plot layout - which certainly can't be said for every film of this type. Debutant Yumi Takigawa takes the lead role, and does well with it. Admittedly, it's not really because of her acting talent; but she does look good with her top off, and the director obviously knew that as he makes a meal out of scenes that see her half naked and bound with ropes. Overall, this is a fascinating cult film and comes highly recommended to anyone that enjoys this sort of cinema!

School of the Holy Beast (1974)

*** (out of 4)

Notorious Japanese nunsploitation film from director Norifumi Suzuki has a simple storyline but borrows heavily from the Euro erotic genre. A rebellious woman enters a convent so she can learn the truth behind her mother's death eighteen years earlier. Her rebel attitude doesn't sit too well with the higher up nuns who aren't afraid to resort to torture by whip. The first half of the film is mostly an erotic movie and I'm not going to lie, Japanese women are quite sexy so the erotic nature of the film worked for me. Japan censorship laws were pretty heavy back in the day so the director comes up with a couple very good scenes to get his point across without having to resort to hardcore scenes, ala Euro flicks. There's an oral sex scene, which isn't shown how you'd expect but it's highly erotic and gets its sexuality across better than most Euro films of this genre. The second half of the film slows down quite a bit as the "mystery" surrounding the mother's death is revealed. The direction is quite strong and the cinematography is excellent.

Norifumi Suzuki's "School of the Holy Beast" is a masterpiece in it's own right. This film about a girls journey into depravity is one of the most erotic films I have ever seen. With each new scene, it gets more beautiful, like an exotic, poisonous flower opening to reveal it's center. Filled with breathtaking color and endless mystery, this is the first film i have seen featuring the amazing actress Yumi Takigawa. She plays her part of Maya with a delicate and subtle perfection rarely seen in this genre of film. Maya is a modern Japanese woman, who enters the "Sacred Heart", a convent shrouded in lies, hypocrisy and sexual power games. It seems as if everyone has something to hide. This film seems to be a direct attack on the Catholic church. The beginning of the film is a bit deceptive, as we are led to believe that there will not be much in the way of a real story here. But when we find out the reason why the beautiful Maya has entered this place, the tension begins to mount. To hear certain people referring to these films as trash, and exploitation, saddens me greatly, as it is so undeserved here. This film is top-notch in every way. The camera work, the editing, the beautiful, dreamlike cinematography, is far superior to anything coming out of Hollywood these days. Sadly, this style of film making is a thing of the past. We are fortunate however, with the advent of DVD technology, that these little-known 1970's masterpieces are again available. One of the classiest, and most elegant Japanese "pink" films ever made. I give this one the highest rating.

School of the Holy Beast is a weird concoction of exploitation who's very unusualness makes it worth watching. A girl enjoys her last night of freedom before entering a convent. The convent, of course, turns out to be a hotbed of immorality that de Sade might have scripted. Expect plenty of flagellation, lesbian trysts, and displaying of breasts – all in a style that crosses Hammer Horror with Russ Meyer mammary voyeurism. But throw in a script that plays hard and loose with Christianity in a way that only a foreign country could and it starts to appeal for its sheer audacity. I found the scene of one of the nun's punishment - being tied with rose briers and then whipped with bunches of red roses particularly aesthetically pleasing.

When a young woman named Maya(Yumi Takigawa)decides to investigate her mother's death by entering a convent school,she discovers a horrific den of pleasure and sadomasochistic activities.Encounters with a randy archbishop and a lesbian mother superior lead to episodes of torture,which include the poor girl being bound topless by thorny vines and beaten with long-stemmed roses.Norifumi Suzuki's "School of the Holy Beast" is a chock full of sleaze,violence and blasphemy.Still the film is visually stunning and the use of colors is execellent.The script pulls no punches in criticizing the hypocrisy of the Catholic church.The story is interesting,the nudity is expicit and there is plenty of symbolism.Overall,I enjoyed this film very much and you should too,if you are a fan of sleazy nunsploitation sub-genre.9 out of 10.