Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.5

Cristiana Devil Nun Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 25, 2021

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Nasty Habits: The Nunsploitation Collection.

Maybe just a little hilariously, the film cited in this set in at least a couple of supplements as having started the relatively brief but decidedly provocative "Nunsploitation" phase in global (and, notably, Italian) cinema, Ken Russell's 1971 The Devils, is as of the writing of this review nowhere to be seen on Blu-ray, but niche labels like Severin Films evidently have had little trouble finding all sorts of other films featuring randy women in wimples (and, frequently, little else). Two of the films aggregated in this set, Cristiana Devil Nun and Story of a Cloistered Nun, come from relatively early in the Nunsploitation craze (at least if one takes The Devils as a starting point), while the other two, Images in a Convent and The True Story of the Nun of Monza, stem from 1979 and 1980, when exploitation tastes may have moved on to other peculiar pleasures. Severin has assembled some interesting supplements to accompany the films, and the set is housed in a nicely designed slipbox.

Cristiana (Toti Achilli) is something of a libertine, at least as evidenced by the fact that Cristiana Devil Nun opens with the character having sex with her boyfriend on a crowded jet, evidently as part of a dare, while some onlookers look on approvingly, and others, notably some nuns, are obviously less than pleased. Somewhat hilariously (at least presentationally if not narratively), the plane encounters a storm and is close to crashing, which puts the fear of Jesus (or some kind of Divine Being) into Cristiana, who promptly repents (supposedly, anyway) and swears she'll take vows if only she survives. She survives. The vow taking part is observed on a surface level at least, but Cristiana is not your father's nun, so to speak.

Cristiana's sexual adventures are only increased in the nunnery, and her dalliances include her fellow sister Eleonora (Magda Konopka), a male painter interested in memorializing her, and the guy Cristiana was having sex with on the plane. Suffice it to say reciting the rosary has to take a back seat among all this action (in both senses of the word). Cristiana Devil Nun has been released under an almost comical number of different titles, but in that "a rose by any other name" category, the fact that this was written and directed by Sergio Bergonzelli may be the biggest determining factor in assessing what's in store. This is a typically gonzo effort from Bergonzelli that has some outlandish humor (one of Cristiana's sex partners manages to ring the church bells by having the ropes tied to his ankles during intercourse), along with more putatively dramatic moments (Cristiana's "journey" is kind of like the female equivalent of The Rake's Progress).

Cristiana Devil Nun Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Cristiana Devil Nun is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an MPEG-2 encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1 (kind of oddly, two of the films in this set were encoded via MPEG-2, and two via the more commonly used AVC). This release's back cover states this is the "worldwide disc premiere of the Italian and X Rated American versions". The X-rated version, deemed the "main" feature of the disc (an extended Italian version is also included, see the supplements section below) begins with the following information:

The 35 mm print used for this scan is the only known surviving element of the X rated U.S. version.

That X rating comes courtesy of a couple of hardcore inserts ("inserts" being a salient term, if you catch my drift), that somewhat hilariously seem to offer the same male body double despite the fact that the two actual scenes feature different performers. While the longer Italian cut comes with its own disclaimer about the condition of the element, I have to say I frankly didn't notice any real difference between the shared footage in the X rated version and the Italian version, which is relevant in terms of the fading that is also on display in the X rated version. Detail levels are still relatively intact, and there doesn't appear to have been any overly aggressive digital tweaking of the source. A few darker moments can look decidedly rougher than the bulk of the presentation (see screenshot 9).

Cristiana Devil Nun Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Cristiana Devil Nun features a generally spry sounding English dub in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono for the main feature (see the supplements section below for information on the audio offerings of the longer Italian version). While there's a prevalent boxy sound in terms of the dubbed dialogue which can sound occasionally a bit "dry" when compared to the really reverberant effects (listen to the almost phased sound of the jet in the opening, to cite one example), and recurrent background hiss is discernable, dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. The film's score includes an enjoyable theme song which sounds full bodied. Optional English subtitles are available.

Cristiana Devil Nun Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Extended Italian Cut (HD; 1:41:42) is presented with either full Italian or partial English soundtracks. The Italian track is in DTS- HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono and the English track is in Dolby Digital 2.0 mono. The film comes with the following text prologue:

  This presentation is compiled from a rare 35 mm Italian release print - which includes an additional 10 minutes of footage - and the U.S. version. Due to the ungodly conditions under which the Italian print had been stored for 45+ years, there is slight damage and color loss.

• Sisters of Vice and Virtue: The Marquis de Sade and Nunsploitation (HD; 12:49) is an interesting video essay by Lindsay Hallam.

Cristiana Devil Nun Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

This is a typically overheated entry from Bergonzelli, but Achilli is a really gorgeous presence and helps sustain interest, not necessarily limited to when she takes off her clothes (that's a joke, folks). The story might have resonated better as either a flat out comedy or as a more reserved drama, so the wildly uneven tone here may be a bit off putting for some. Video is less than optimal, but not overly problematic, and audio is generally fine as well. The longer Italian cut and video essay are worthwhile supplements, for those who may be considering making a purchase.