Story of a Cloistered Nun Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Story of a Cloistered 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.

Story of a Cloistered Nun may be the most relatively conservative offering in the Nasty Habits set, which may be due in part to the fact that this tale was supposedly based on real history, as well as a somewhat more opulent physical production and some performers with actual marquee value, including Suzy Kendall as the film's Mother Superior and Catherine Spaak as a nun with Sapphic preferences. The story follows the trials and tribulations of Carmela Simoni (Eleonora Giorgi), born into a well to do family and "assigned" to an arranged marriage to a boy from a similarly well off family almost from the time of her childhood. Of course, true love has its own ideas, and Carmela wants to marry a simple rural type named Julian (Antonio Falsi). Carmela's family is suitably shocked, and responds by sending her to a convent.

Kind of interestingly, Carmela ends up experiencing something akin to "boot camp" at the nunnery, where her ideas of self are buffeted and she's consigned to a form of "solitary confinement" until her ego is off kilter. Spaak's character of Sister Elizabeth initially seems to be a helpful influence, though perhaps unsurprisingly the character has ulterior motives, though that doesn't stop her from helping Carmela to have a few illicit assignations with Julian along the way. Unfortunately, Carmela's rejection of Elizabeth's advances has unexpected consequences.

While it's easy to see why this film is pigeonholed into the "Nunsploitation" genre, it's a surprisingly thoughtful film at times that doesn't really rely on the same kind of nonstop titillation that other films in this idiom regularly tend to exploit. That doesn't mean that there's no provocative content in Story of a Cloistered Nun, for there certainly is, including a lot of nudity and occasionally at least slightly perverse sexuality, but the narrative here actually tends to be a bit more believable, at least relatively speaking. Giorgio is a bit of a vision throughout the film, appearing at times to be almost a pre-Raphaelite angel.

Story of a Cloistered Nun Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Story of a Cloistered Nun is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Severin Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1 in what is touted as being "the North American Blu-ray premiere" of this title. The back cover of this release states that this was "scanned in 2K from the original negative", and the results are quite pleasing. This is one of the nicer looking transfers in the Nasty Habits set, one which preserves an at times kind of lurid palette along with generally nicely rendered detail levels. The film benefits from some unusually well done costumes and sets, and fine detail on some of the fabrics on costumes in particular tends to be excellent. Close-ups also reveal good detail levels on facial features. There's very little damage on display, and the transfer looks organic, with a nicely resolved grain field that only encounters very slight issues in a couple of selected moments, one of which includes the added challenge of smoke (see screenshot 9).

Story of a Cloistered Nun Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Story of a Cloistered Nun offers Italian and English language tracks in LPCM 2.0 Mono. I toggled between the tracks and noticed no real differences in overall amplitude or mixes between the two. The Italian language track arguably sounds a bit less boxy and more full bodied than the English language track, but only by a matter of degrees, if at all. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly on both tracks. The film also benefits from a nice score from Piero Piccioni, which includes some very nice, warm sounding, string cues. Optional English subtitles are available.

Story of a Cloistered Nun Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Down the Well (HD; 11:16) is an interview with actress Martine Brochard. In French with English subtitles.


• A Nun's Story (HD; 23:28) is an interview with actress Eleonora Giorgi. In Italian with English subtitles.


• Within a Cloister (HD; 16:01) is an interview with camera operator Daniele Nannuzzi. In Italian with English subtitles.


• Theatrical Trailer (HD; 3:45)

Story of a Cloistered Nun Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Of the four films in the Nasty Habits set, Story of a Cloistered Nun is arguably the least exploitative, even if it features memorable moments including naked nuns getting whipped and another scene featuring a nun "cleaning" the floor of the sanctuary with her tongue. Performances are generally winning, and the film features unusually sumptuous production design elements for something perceived to be in the Nunsploitation arena. Technical merits are generally solid, and the supplements appealing, for those who may be considering making a purchase.