Story Of A Cloistered Nun Review (88 Films Blu-Ray Release)
88 Films continues its endeavours to bring obscure Italian films to mainstream attention with a detailed, lovingly curated re-release of Domenico Paolella’s 1973 nunsploitation flick Story Of A Cloistered Nun. The film focuses on Carmella Simoni (Eleonora Giorgi), a young aristocrat who is sent to live in a convent to become a nun after refusing her marriage arranged by her parents. When she arrives, she spends a month in isolation and is pushed to the point of near-starvation while forced to learn the rules of the convent. After the gruelling period, she is introduced to the Mother Superior (Suzy Kendall) while befriending Sister Elisabetta (Catherine Spaak). As she spends more time in the convent, Carmella begins to realise the dark secrets of her fellow nuns, from those breaking vows of chastity to far more sinister power trips.
Story Of A Cloistered Nun never lets audiences forget they’re watching an exploitation film, with repeatedly bleak and miserable scenes showing Carmella’s slow deterioration. As she arrives at the cloister, she is stripped of all of her possessions – including her clothes – while her fellow nuns gaze upon her. Sexuality and nunsploitation films go hand in hand, and this title is no different with the nuns experimenting with relationships with each other, and with men outside of the convent in the case of the devious Sister Elisabetta. The opulent period setting, luscious sets, and sumptuous colour palette accentuated by 88 films’ restoration heighten both the erotic and seedy atmosphere of the film in tandem, ebbing between the heart-racing sexuality of the nuns as well as the terrible actions happening behind closed doors.
It’s easy to see why Story Of A Cloistered Nun was at the forefront of kickstarting the nunsploitation boom, and 88 films’ release gives Paolella’s masterpiece the respect it deserves. It is eye-catching before even pressing play, packaged in an original poster reversible sleeves with holographic detailing that matches the gorgeous restoration of the film itself. It includes both an English and an Italian dual mono with English subtitles, with voice actors using inflection and emotion to match the stars onscreen, keeping you immersed in the narrative. Audio commentary with Italian cinema experts Troy Howarth and Eugenio Ercolani walks you through the context of the film, adding an extra layer of appreciation to the filmmaking process, alongside new interviews with Martine Brochard. The release also includes an incredible video essay by Andrea Meroni as well as a booklet with an essay by Daniel Burnett examining the themes and interpretations of one of the greatest nunsploitation films of our time.
A must-have for fans of nunsploitation and Italian cinema, 88 Films’ release of Story Of A Cloistered Nun is an expertly curated exploration of the genre as a whole and Paolella’s beloved racy genre film.
Story Of A Cloistered Nun is out now on 88 Films that you can buy here. / Eleonora Giorgi, Catherine Spaak, Suzy Kendall, Martine Brochard, Tino Carraro, Umberto Orsini / Domenico Paolella / 18
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