Interno di un convento (1978)

Director:

Walerian Borowczyk

Writers:

Walerian Borowczyk (writer)
Stendhal (novel)

Release Date:

26 January 1978 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A zealous, handsome priest, who is the confessor for a convent full of women, encourages the equally...

Plot Keywords:

Scandal | Abbess | Convent | Priest | Lesbian

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Ligia Branice	...	Sister Clara
Howard Ross	...	Rodrigo Landriani
Marina Pierro	...	Sister Veronica
Gabriella Giacobbe	...	Abbess Flavia Orsini
Rodolfo Dal Pra	...	Bishop
Loredana Martínez	...	Sister Martina
Mario Maranzana	...	Father Confessor
Alessandro Partexano	...	Silva
Olivia Pascal
Gina Rovere
Dora Calindri
Francesca Balletta
Maria Cumani Quasimodo		(as Maria Cumari Quasimodo)
Carole Fouanon
Miana Merisi

Also Known As:

Behind Convent Walls
Sex Life in a Convent
Within a Cloister (USA) (video title)
Within the Convent (UK) (festival title)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Telecolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Germany:16 (re-rating) (2007) | West Germany:18 (original rating) | Finland:K-18 | France:-16 | UK:18 | Iceland:16

Company:

Lisa-Film

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ban the Sadist Videos! (2005) (V)

Walerina Borowczyk - cynical smut peddler or misunderstood maker of art movies? You decide. I'm still thinking about it!

This is the fourth movie by Walerian Borowczyk that I've seen (after 'Goto, the Island Of Love', 'The Beast', and 'Dr Jekyll and His Women', all of which I highly recommend), and the more I see of his work, the more I like it, but also the less I understand where he is coming from. Jess Franco and Jean Rollin were blurring the boundaries between art and exploitation movies around the same time as Borowczyk, but they are both a little easier to get a handle on. What Borowczyk was aiming for in 'Behind Convent Walls' is difficult to work out, but it's fascinating viewing nevertheless. I suppose "nunsploitation" is an apt description of the movie, but it is quite unlike other examples of that genre I have seen that were made after the success of Ken Russell's 'The Devils' (e.g. 'The Sinful Nuns Of Saint Valentine' or my personal favourite 'Flavia The Heretic'). Borowczyk's approach is very different from those other movies, and 'Behind Convent Walls', despite it's most notorious scene (more on that in a minute), is quite tame compared to the eye-popping quasi-porn of 'The Beast'. This movie is mainly silly and smutty and not all that explicit as you would imagine from the title and Borowczyk's reputation. There are lots of shots of half naked nuns or nuns in their undies cavorting around,etc.etc. and it is even quite innocent for the most part. The most notorious scene in the movie, which has gone down in exploitation movie legend, is often censored from most prints (but fortunately not the version I watched), and involves an amorous nun using a homemade dildo with the face of Jesus stuck on it. It's quite a surprise when it happens, and unlike most of the rest of the movie. In some ways I was disappointed with 'Behind Convent Walls', but in other ways it was better than I expected. If that sounds confused, yes it is, but it's an honest reflection of how I feel about Borowczyk's perplexing work. He's without doubt one of the most interesting and unusual directors of all time, and his movies will make you question your preconceived ideas of what a movie can/should be. Cynical smut peddler or misunderstood maker of art movies? You decide. I'm still thinking about it!