Story of a Cloistered Nun

This is one of the earlier Italian "nunsploitation" films and as such may disappoint those expecting a Joe D'Amato style sex romp like "Images in a Convent" or the bloody satanic pandemonium of the later Jess Franco/Hispanic variety. It is also not nearly as gruelingly realistic and incendiary as "Flavia, the Heretic", probably the best of these films. It most resembles the two films before it--"The Nuns of St. Archangel" and "The Sinful Nuns of St. Valentines". These films don't quite make up a trilogy since they are all more or less the same. A young woman is confined to a convent after she refuses a marriage arranged by her strict father. There she finds herself caught between the kindly but strict Mother Superior and a libertine bisexual nun from an influential family who is able to obtain favors like drunken, naked parties and rendezvous with men on the outside. After the young nun becomes pregnant by her boyfriend a scandal erupts and all the nuns have to unite against a common enemy--the corrupt and brutal patriarchal authority.

Although the story is pretty mind-numbing, this movie really works because of the acting. Suzie Kendall really manages to flesh out what is usually a pretty two dimensional Mother Superior role. Catherine Spaak is equally good as the wicked, libertine nun. Eleanora Giorgi plays the young novice, the role occupied by Ornella Muti and Jenny Tamburi in earlier movies, and she is more than adequate. And if you don't blink you might also see an early unclothed appearance by Paola Senatore who was later in "Images in a Convent" (and apparently hardcore Italian porn). There is some nudity, mostly by the beautiful Giorgi and the extras (Kendall, characteristically, and Spaak, quite uncharacteristically, both keep their habits on), but there is a general lack of the depravity fans have come to expect from this genre. There is one scene where Giorgi (half-naked, of course) is tied up and whipped, and a scene where Spaak is made to crawl across the floor licking it with her tongue--a striking if perhaps not really very erotic image.

This is kind of tame but definitely worth watching, especially for nunsploitation fans and other demented perverts.

Nunsploitation has to be just about the most bizarre of all the exploitation variants, and usually these films are good fun to watch. Most of the nunsploitation that I've seen has been rather nasty, featuring brutal rapes as well as the token nudity. This one, however, bucks that trend; as while Domenico Paolella's Story of a Cloistered Nun features a good deal of nudity, lesbianism and general blaspheming; it certainly doesn't have the nasty edge of films such as Images in a Convent and The Killer Nun, and that's actually not a bad thing! The plot is "based on a true story", but that doesn't mean it isn't your usual nunsploitation fare. The story concerns a young girl who was supposed to marry a man from another family due to an 'arranged at birth' marriage, but she falls in love with another man. Naturally, her parents are none too pleased; and the girl is swiftly sent off to a convent where she is degraded and humiliated, and then becomes the object of a sexually repressed lesbian nun's desires.

Considering that this is an obscure movie, made in Italy in 1973; the cinematography and production values are surprisingly good, and Story of a Cloistered Nun is actually not really a trash film at all. This is likely to annoy some viewers; and indeed, I do watch this sort of stuff mainly to see sex and violence, but I can't be too hard on the film as the director manages to keep things interesting throughout, and it's obvious that a lot of work went into it. The acting is largely good, with Suzy Kendall providing the highlight role as 'Mother Superior'. The fact that the film isn't very nasty certainly helps it when it comes to the lesbian plot as the fact that it isn't brutal or forced actually means that the film is more erotic than it otherwise might have been (NO disrespect to Images in a Convent, though). I wouldn't say that this film should be at the top of every nunsploitation fan's wishlist, but it provides something a little different from the norm and it definitely is a film worth seeing.

Well, most reviewers seem to class this as "nunsploitation" but this production is, simply, much too good to be classified as anything sleazy, in fact I felt reminded more of "The Nun's Story" than anything else. Sure, there's some nudity, but never gratuitous - even the "sisterly love" and corporal punishment scenes were handled with taste and respect. And there's real acting here, some very intense and touching scenes. The costumes and sets are simple but top-notch, the music is good, camera and light are not outstanding but serviceable, and the story progresses at a slow (fitting the theme) but relentless pace - never during the 90min runtime did I feel the need to fast-forward.

The story itself is simple enough, with the young heroine banned to a convent against her will - from there it progresses along predictable ways as she slowly gets to know the ways of the convent, a community balanced on a precarious equilibrium of powers, centered around the mother superior on the one hand and sister Elisabeth on the other (a simple nun but with family connections up to the archbishop). The mistrust between everyone is palpable, every small gesture, condescending look and so on carries meaning. Despite the slow pace the tension is high all the way through. It's no surprise that the balanced powers come crashing down in the last act, still I was a bit shocked about how cruel the resolution was. The post-credits claim that this is based on true events; I don't want to dig deeper but the bleak ending does indeed have a most realistic appeal.

Quite a surprise, this one, not at all your usual, sex and violence, nunsploitation but a much more measured and ravishingly beautiful film. Much effort has been made to give this a most believable slant and indeed claims to have been based on true accounts. It certainly has the feel of something much more than mere exploitation and it has to be said that whilst the usual ingredients make appearances they are more realistic than is usual and in some ways the more erotic for that. I see from my records that I did see this film years ago on video and was not very impressed, so whether I was disappointed, at the time, by the lack of usual goings on or unable to fully appreciate the movie without the crisp and colourful image now presented, I know not. In any event a most impressive outing.

I have watched different movies on the sub-genre Nunsploitation, this is one of the quite suitable and fitting movies on the subject. The theme is analogous to various movies on the subject; it has been handled skillfully with a balanced approach. I am of the opinion that this movie has been slightly underrated.

The movie, claimed at the ending to be a true account, pertains to the life of Carmela Simoni (Eleonora Giorgi) who is forcefully sent to be cloistered at the convent so as to restrain her from marrying at her won will. Set in the 17th century Italy, the movie depicts the tough life at nunnery including flaws, intrigues, and sufferings of the nuns.