Die Liebesbriefe einer portugiesischen Nonne (1977)

Director:

Jesus Franco

Writers:

Mariana Alcoforado (love letters)
Erwin C. Dietrich (writer)

Release Date:

10 March 1977 (West Germany)

Genre:

Drama | Adventure | Horror

Plot:

16-year-old Maria is forced into Serra D'Aires convent, secretly run by Satanists. Her confessor is in collusion with the Mother Superior...

Plot Keywords:

Mother Superior | Satanist | Sex | Inquisition | Convent

Cast

Susan Hemingway	...	Maria Rosalea
William Berger	...	Father Vicente
Herbert Fux	...	Satan
Ana Zanatti	...	Mother Alma, the Grand Priestess
Aida Vargas	...	Antónia, a Nun (as Aida Kargas)
Vítor Mendes	...	António Fernando Queiroz de Melo, the Mayor
Isa Schneider	...	Antónia, a Nun
Herman José	...	Manuel Gonçalves, the Prince (as Hermann Krippahl)
José Viana	...	The Grand Inquisitor (as Jose Viana)
Patricia Da Silva	...	Maria's Mother
Victor de Sousa	...	Inquisitor's Aid
Nicolau Breyner	...	Prince's Aid
Esther Studer	...	Josefina, a Nun
Dagmar Bürger	...	Nun
Anton Diffring	...	Old Priest

Also Known As:

Love Letters from a Portuguese Nun (USA) (video catalogue title)
Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun (USA)

Runtime:

Spain:85 min | UK:82 min (DVD) | 89 min (director's cut) | USA:80 min

Country:

West Germany | Switzerland

Language:

German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:16 (nf) | Finland:K-18 | UK:18 | UK:(Banned) (1979-2004) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Filming Locations:

Moors Castle, Sintra, Lisbon, Portugal

Company:

Ascot Film

Trivia:

The film was complete in 1975, but it went through a number of censorship bans (the first on 3 March 1976), appeals, rejections, and editing for release in different markets in 1977 and 1978.

Movie Connections:

References Rosemary's Baby (1968)

Franco's love letter to A-class horror cinema

Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun is a surprisingly professionally made movie from the king of sleaze, Jess Franco. Usually with Franco, you can count on a very thin plot and loads of sex (usually involving lesbians), but this time it's the other way round. Of course, there's still lots of room for sex (no need to worry, Franco fans) but it's definitely a secondary element to the plot. This film fits into the corner of the horror genre known as 'nunsploitation'. This is my first ever taste of nunsploitation, so I cant comment on the niche on the whole; but if it turns out to be as interesting as it's title, it should be pretty good! This film follows Maria, a sixteen year old girl that is forced into a convent after the convent's leader manipulates her mother into thinking she's in league with the devil and destined for Hell. However, this isn't a Christian convent and rather than worshipping God, these guys are actually a band of Satanists! After being forced to perform sinful acts with various members of the convent (including the Dark Prince himself...), Maria tries to escape the convent.

The message in this film is actually rather potent, and it exposes the hypocrisy of religion and, more specifically; the Christian church. The film manages to go even further than that too, with the idea of a sex scandal being pretty much timeless. Sex scandals are still a big part of our society's news stories, and I'm sure that they will continue to be; which gives this film an element of immortality where it's plot is concerned. The sex scenes are surprisingly brief, which is very surprising after watching the likes of Vampyros Lesbos and Bare Breasted Countess. The photography is smooth and nice to look at, leading me to believe that Jess Franco actually wanted to make a film, rather than just another of his usual quickies. Jess Franco made a lot of films over his career, a lot of which are forgettable rubbish; but this film hints that the man may have a lot more talent than his list of directorial credits suggests. Despite some silly sequences (such the Devil love making scene), this film is professionally handled and just well done on the whole. Maybe if Franco had put more effort into the quality of his films rather than the quantity, he would have a few masterpieces under his belt.