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 The Devils (1971)

Franco's Consummate Masterpiece!

Jess Franco's "Love Letters of a Portuguese Nun" is the perfect film to show anyone who thinks all that Jess Franco is capable of is zooming in and out of tasteless sex scenes. Instead of his usual epileptic zooms, the cinematography in this is measured and carefully composed. The acting is also another plus. William Berger's portrayal as the Father Confessor is the epitome of slime and pretense. Let's not forget Susan Hemingway and her effortless performance as the innocent heroine of the title. In closing, this is a MUST-SEE picture and proof that Franco could make a film that would cater to the arthouse crowd.