The Devil Is a Woman (1974)

The Mother Superior of a convent wields power in its most vicious forms. And as she as she destroys the people in her care, she herself becomes her own victim as she draws on all her spiritual powers to drive out the tempter.

Director:

Damiano Damiani

Writers:

Damiano Damiani (story), Damiano Damiani (screenplay)

Stars:

Glenda Jackson, Claudio Cassinelli, Lisa Harrow

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Glenda Jackson	...	Sister Geraldine
Claudio Cassinelli	...	Rodolfo Solina
Lisa Harrow	...	Emilia Contreras
Adolfo Celi	...	Father Borelli
Duilio Del Prete	...	Monsignor Salvi
Arnoldo Foà	...	Monsignor Badensky
Gabriele Lavia	...	Prince Ottavio Ranieri d'Aragona
Francisco Rabal	...	Bishop Marquez
Rolf Tasna	...	Monsignor Meitner
Eugenio Bottari	...	(as Eugenio Bottai)
Sara Sperati	...	Princess Alessandra Ranieri d'Aragona (as Adele Sperati)
Edoardo Canali
Enrico Ribulsi	...	Professor Villa
Edda Ferronao	...	Kitchen maid
Ely Galleani	...	Rodolfo's girlfriend

Storyline

A Roman religious institute is directed by a nun. Its regular guests are religious if not for various reasons, in the eyes of the Vatican, they must remain out of this world: there is a woman, Emilia, saved in her country, Bolivia, from a secure death penalty from church intervention; a worker priest; a Cuban bishop who supports the Castro regime; a Polish priest accused of collaborating with the Nazis; a scion prince of an aristocratic family linked to the Vatican. The arrival of an agnostic writer, called by the Polish priest to help him write his own memories of the time of Nazism, which challenges the questionable psychological methods of the mother superior, causes a real upheaval in the monotonous and flat cloistered life of all the characters.

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Plot Keywords:

giallo | psychotronic film | british giallo | priest | monsignor | 

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Taglines:

The forbidden experience.

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Trailer Trauma Part 4: Television Trauma (2017)

User Reviews

Exploration the pshcho-sexual dark side of Catholicism.

I haven't seen this film since it was released in the US as "Devil Is A Woman" in 1975, but the story and images are still vivid. For me, it was one of those films that changed forever the possibilities of cinema. This is a must see gem.

Details

Country:

Italy UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 January 1974 (Italy)

Also Known As:

The Devil Is a Woman

Filming Locations:

Incir De Paolis Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Euro International Film (EIA), Lifeguard Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1