The Nun of Monza

File:The nun of monza 1969.JPG The Nun of Monza Poster

Also Known As

• Die Nonne von Monza (Germany)
• La Monaca di Monza: Una storia lombarda
• La Monja de Monza (Spain)
• La Religieuse de Monza (France)
• The Awful Story of the Nun of Monza (UK)
• The Lady of Monza (USA)

Main Details

• Released in 1969
• Color
• Runtime: 97 min (uncut PAL)
• Rated: R
• Production Co: Clesi Cinematografica, San Marco
• Distribution Co: Tower (1970) (USA) (dubbed)

Cast and Crew

• Directed by Eriprando Visconti
• Written by Giampiero Bona (as Gian Piero Bona), Edward Bond, Mario Mazzucchelli, Eriprando Visconti
• Starring: Anne Heywood, Hardy Krüger, Antonio Sabato, Anna Maria Alegiani, Margarita Lozano (as Margherita Lozano), Giovanna Galletti (as Giovanna Galetti), Caterina Boratto, Renzo Giovampietro, Laura Belli, Maria Michi, Rita Calderoni, Michel Bardinet, Pier Paolo Capponi, Francesco Carnelutti, Tino Carraro, Giulio Donnini, Carla Gravina, Luigi Pistilli, Angelica Ippolito
• Produced by Silvio Clementelli
• Original Music by Ennio Morricone
• Cinematography by Luigi Kuveiller
• Film Editing by Sergio Montanari

Film Review

Template:Ennio Morricone

The 1600's...

Giampaolo Osio (Antonio Sabato) murders a man and tries to hide in a monastery. After a while the mother superior sister Virginia (Anne Heywood) asks him to leave. With the help of two nuns Osio rapes sister Virginia. First she feels ashamed but after a while the nun enjoys the sex. A love affair starts. She gets pregnant and gives birth to a child. The spanish dudes still looking for Osio and searching from time to time the monastery but without luck. Also Father Paolo Arrigone (Hardy Krüger) got his special thing going on with a nun. Now the pressure gets thicker from the church. And desperates times need desperate measures...

This film is about a story that really happened in the 1600's. Other film makers also did movies about the Nun of Monza. Director Carmine Gallone did: The Nun of Monza (1962) and director Bruno Mattei did: The True Story of the Nun of Monza (1980).

This is an early film in the Nunsploitation genre (which later moved on into more torture, nudity, gore and so on). I especially enjoyed the cinematography done by Luigi Kuveiller. Who also did Deep Red (1975) and A Lizard In A Womans Skin (1971). The acting overall was good. I really enjoyed the German actor Hardy Krüger. Ennio Morricone also did a solid musical score with some lovely melodies.

I should note that this Nunsploitation film doesn't contain much nudity or torture in it but like I said before this film is one of the earlier Nunsploitation genre films. From time to time I've found the movie a little bit boring storywise but that doesn't matter because it's a good flick. Watch it when you get a chance to see it (haha).

Reviewed by GBS - 05/22/08