The Sister of Ursula

People do not seem to like this one although they all seem certainly to like the Italian Amalfi coast and the stunning vistas and the pretty villages. I have to say that there are plenty of steps, balconies and little streets so lovely. Actually I also like the ladies and the sex which is really well done and I wouldn't have called it as sleazy but of course the dildo killings I would have. The beautiful, Barbara Magnolfi was in Suspiria (1977) the previously year and with The Suspicious Death of a Minor (1975) but has very little else for some reason. Stefania D' Amario who plays the sister in this film was also with, Zombie (1979), Nightmare City (1980) and Identification of a Woman (1982). Whether it is down to Vittorio Bernini as the cinematography or as the director Enzo Milioni who also did the story and the screenplay, it looks wonderful, all the time.

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.

The Italian giallo eventually suffered a lingering, painful death, merging with the inferior American slasher movies in the 1980's and the vastly inferior American "erotic thrillers" in the 1990's (with which today it is virtually indistinguishable). It was clear though that the rot had set in as early as the late 70's with films like "Play Motel" or this one where the sex and nudity that had always been used to season the genre seemed to become its very reason for being. The only thing that separates a film like this from crappy American softcore porn is its almost cheerful political incorrectness, appalling lapses of taste, and a general paucity of silicone breast implants.

Two sisters with a disturbed past check into a seaside hotel where the guests are suddenly being offed by a killer wielding a most unusual murder weapon, a giant dildo! (Amazingly, this was the second Italian film of 1978, after "Red Rings of Fear", to feature the "death-by-dildo" device). I won't spoil the ending by giving away the identity of the killer, but it pretty much spoils itself within the first ten minutes. This one fails utterly as a giallo (or a real movie for that matter), but I guess it kind of succeeds on the level of softcore pornography--the photography is good, the scenery is pretty, and the score is decent. The actresses are also all pretty attractive, especially the one who plays the lounge singer "Stella Shining" (although I don't know that most guys would want to bury their entire face in her backside like one Italian lothario very graphically does here).

I'd recommend this perhaps for giallo completists (and maybe serious porn addicts), but for everyone else. . .uh, probably not.

After the untimely death of their father, sexy brunette sisters Dagmar (Stefania D'Amario) and Ursula (Barbara Magnolfi) go in search of their estranged mother, with whom they intend to share their inheritance. Checking in at a luxurious hotel on the Amalfi coast proves to be a mistake when a mysterious killer starts to bump off the more promiscuous guests.

When it comes to gialli, I prefer 'em stylish, mean-spirited and gory, but, failing that, nice and sleazy does it every time. The Sister of Ursula doesn't feature all that much gore (although what there is is fairly shocking) and is lacking the visual verve of Argento or Bava, but it more than satisfies in terms of sex, nudity and general seediness.

Within minutes, delicious D'Amario has delivered the first of many full frontal nude scenes, and the bums, boobs and bush continue right through to the finalé, with virtually every woman baring all for the camera at some point. A hooker has sex with a friend for the pleasure of the killer; hotel owner Vanessa (Anna Zinnemann) has lesbian sex with her lover Jenny; cabaret singer Stella shags hotel manager Roberto; a pair of teenagers strip for sex (before being killed); and Dagmar masturbates with a gold chain while her sister sleeps in the bed next to her. While none of this is hardcore, it's still fairly graphic, with shots of both male and female genitals, some near the knuckle rubbing, and oral sex (a well-placed leg or massive '70s bush preventing it from being too explicit).

The killer's weapon of choice also adds to the sleaziness: a large carved wooden dildo is used to kill the women, resulting in a very messy downstairs department for those concerned. Makes a change from an open razor, I suppose!

Storywise, this one isn't anything special, and the killer's identity and motive probably won't come as much of a surprise, but all those attractive women in the altogether and the generally trashy tone made it hard for me to not enjoy myself.

6.5 out of 10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.

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.