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Released by: Twilight Time Releasing
Released on: November 8th, 2022.
Director: Domenico Paolella
Cast: Anne Heywood, Martine Brochard, Ornella Muti, Muriel Catala, Claudia Gravi
Year: 1973
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The Nun And The Devil – Movie Review:
Directed by Domenico Paolella, the same man who gave us Story Of A Cloistered Nun, 1973’s The Nun And The Devil (known as Le Monache di Sant'Arcangelo in its native Italy) takes place in the sixteenth century. Here, in a remote convent, the current Mother Superior passes away, leaving three nuns each hoping to step up and replace her. Sister Giulia (Anne Heywood) and Sister Carmela (Claudia Gravy) both have eyes on the position but technically her successor should be Sister Lavinia (Maria Cumani). Cardinal d'Arezzo (Claudio Gora), however, decides that he and Vicar Carafa (Luc Merenda) will be taking it upon themselves to decide who will be the new Mother Superior, basing their decision on who will best suit their own needs and help them profit off of the Church and their role in it.
Meanwhile, Giulia and Sister Chiara (Martine Brochard) are exploring the lesbian desires that they clearly share for each other. If that weren’t enough, Sister Carmela carries on an affair with a man named Pietro (Duilio Del Prete) who somehow seems to be able to sneak into the nunnery anytime he pleases without getting caught.
As Giulia makes some power moves hoping to secure her spot, she plots against Lavinia and Carmela both by framing them for crimes and sins alike. Throwing a wrench into things, however, is the arrival of Giulia’s young niece, Isabella (Ornella Muti), whose father has her interred in the convent to keep her away from a man she likes but of whom he disapproves. While Giulia first sees Isabella as a tool she can use in her plot, she soon learns that the new arrival is far more cunning then she initially realized, all while both Cardinal d'Arezzo and Vicar Carafa keep a close eye on how everything is playing out, making sure it all winds up in their favor.
Those expecting the graphic sex of some of the better known and more notorious nunsploitation pictures should know ahead of time that this is a tamer offering in comparison, but The Nun And The Devil is, if not an exploitation-fest, a very well-made movie. The production values, locations and costuming are all handled very well, giving the film a believable look and never coming across as looking cheap or fake. The score from Piero Piccioni is quite good, it does a fine job of accentuating tension and drama, while the cinematography from Giuseppe Ruzzolini is also very solid.
The performances are strong across the board. Anne Heywood is a great choice for the lead, her character is well-written and she delivers very believable work in the film. Claudia Gravy and Maria Cumani are her two foils are also very good. Luc Merenda, cast against type here as one of the heavies, is a strong choice, although those familiar with him as a tough guy antihero type may need some time to get used to seeing him play a priest in a period film. Ornella Muti and Claudio Gora also do a nice job with their respective parts.
The Nun And The Devil – Blu-ray Review:
The Nun And The Devil is presented on a 50GB disc with the feature using 32.3GBs. The AVC encoded 1080p high definition image is framed at 1.85.1 widescreen. Picture quality is quite strong, with good depth and detail noticeable and impressive texture as well. The image is quite clean, showing no real print damage but retaining the expected amount of natural film grain. Colors look very good, and while most of the movie takes place inside the convent which isn’t the most colorful location ever seen, the outdoor scenes pop quite nicely. Black levels and skin tones also look good – no complaints here.
The disc offers 24-bit LPCM 2.0 Mono tracks in English and Italian with optional English subtitles available for each track. Both are properly balanced and free of any notable issues, free of any hiss or distortion.
Extras, all of which appear to be ported off of the earlier Blu-ray release from 88 Films in the UK, start off with an audio commentary with critic Kim Newman and Italian cinema expert Barry Forshaw that does a nice job of peeling back the layers of the history of the film. They detail Domenico Paolella’s career and go over the cast and crew while discussing some of the themes that the film explores along the way.
The disc also includes a twenty-four minute featurette with actor Luc Merenda titled Judging Luc. He speaks here about getting the part, working with his different co-stars and with Domenico Paolella. The Devil And Martine is a seventeen minute interview with actress Martine Brochard that follows suit, allowing the actress to discuss her work on the picture and her thoughts on the movie. A third featurette is the thirty-five minute Paolella Connection, which is a profile of director/co-writer Domenico Paolella that offers some welcome insight into his life and his career.
Finishing things up on the disc is Horny Devils: Nunsploitation Explained, which is a seven minute interview with film historian Marcus Stiglegger that goes over the basics of the genre, an original theatrical trailer, menus and chapter selection options.
Included inside the keepcase alongside the disc is a twelve page illustrated full color insert booklet with an essay on the film by Mike Finnegan and credits for the disc.
The Nun And The Devil - The Final Word:
The Nun And The Devil is more of a historical drama than an exploitation picture but the direction is strong and the performances impressive across the board. The Blu-ray edition from Twilight Time offers up the movie in a very nice presentation and with a strong selection of extra features that do a nice job of exploring its history. All in all, a fine package for a very good film.
Click on the images below, or right click and open in a new window, for full sized The Nun And The Devil Blu-ray screen caps!
