Le scomunicate di San Valentino (1974)

Director:

Sergio Grieco

Writers:

Sergio Grieco (screenplay)
Sergio Grieco (story)
(more)

Release Date:

26 March 1974 (Italy)

Genre:

Horror

Plot:

Lucita has been locked away in a convent by her family in order to keep her away from her lover, Esteban...

Plot Keywords:

Convent | Abbess | Catholic Priest | Kinky | Nunsploitation

Cast

Françoise Prévost	...	The Abbess
Jenny Tamburi	...	Lucita
Paolo Malco	...	Esteban
Franco Ressel	...	Don Alonso - Lucita's father
Corrado Gaipa	...	Father Onorio
Gino Rocchetti
Pier Giovanni Anchisi	...	Isidro (as Piero Anchisi)
Calisto Calisti
Aldina Martano	...	Sister Rosario (as Alda Martano)
Bruna Beani	...	Josefa
Barbara Herrera
María Luisa Sala
Adriana Facchetti
Dada Gallotti
Cinzia Greco
Eleonora Spinelli
Attilio Dottesio
Teresa Rossi Passante	...	Lucita's mother (as Teresa Passante)
Carla Mancini	...	(credit only)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Lina Franchi	...	Nun (uncredited)
Franca Scagnetti	...	Nun (uncredited)

Directed by
Sergio Grieco

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Sergio Grieco		screenplay
Sergio Grieco		story
Victor Hugo		loosely inspired by a drama by
Luigi Mordini		story
Max Vitali		writer

Produced by
Gino Mordini	....	producer

Original Music by
Coriolano Gori		(as Lallo Gori)

Cinematography by
Emore Galeassi		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Mario Gargiulo

Production Design by
Antonio Visone

Production Management
Massimo Alberini	....	production manager

Production Companies

• Claudia Cinematografica

Distributors

• Salvation Films (2006) (UK) (DVD) (as Redemption)

Also Known As:

The Sinful Nuns of Saint Valentine (USA) (video box title)

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color (Telecolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:18 | Australia:MA (cable rating)

Company:

Claudia Cinematografica

Jenny Tamburi! --'Nuff Said

This movie is such a complete waste of time even for people like me who kind of like the much-maligned "nunsploitation" genre that I'm going to focus on the ONLY conceivable reason to endure this swill--lead actress Jenny Tamburi (who died earlier this year by the way, lest I come off sounding like a stalker). Tamburi (aka Lucia Della Robbins) was one of a truly incredible crop of young Italian actresses that got their start in early 1970's Italian/European genre films. Of them, only Ornella Mutti became a big international star, but Gloria Guida made quite an impression in softcore sex films. Daria Nicolodi kind of fell into the shadow of Dario Argento (but DID give birth to Asia Argento)while Agostina Belli was breathtakingly beautiful but not a strong enough actress to really break into the big leagues. There's MANY other actresses of this era I could mention, but the one talent that I really felt was wasted was Jenny Tamburi.

Tamburi was excellent in a pretty decent Italian giallo "Smile Before Death", but unfortunately I might be the only person who's seen it. (I'd try to describe the incredible nude photography scene she has with Rosalba Neri in that movie, but I don't want to drool all over my keyboard). She was in Fulci's "Seven Black Notes" all too briefly but really managed to liven up that rather dull film while she was on-screen. She was also in "Frankenstein All'Italia" which has never been translated into English, Sergio Martino's "Suspicious Death of a Minor" (which is being released on DVD in September 2006), and the lurid mother/daughter sex fantasy film "La Seduzione" (like Ornella Mutti, she got kind of typecast into sexy teen roles well into her twenties, but unlike Mutti she never got beyond it).

Normally I wouldn't recommend a dire movie like this based on one pretty girl (or even one pretty, naked girl), but then again I've seen every Jess Franco movie featuring Soledad Miranda and a shameful number of them with Lina Romay, so why listen to me? Put it this way: if you enjoy seeing beautiful and talented young Italian actresses from the golden age of Italian exploitation films, I'd recommend checking out ANY available movie on Jenny Tamburi/Lucia Della Robbin's CV--even this one.