Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

The Nun and the Devil Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 31, 2022

Anyone who ever attended a parochial school and had to deal with a harridan nun, often equipped with a ruler she didn't hesitate to rap knuckles (or other anatomical areas) with, may find it hard to completely buy into so-called "nunsploitation" films, productions which more often than not feature incredibly nubile women who might otherwise grace a women's lingerie catalog if they weren't for purposes of the story wearing a habit and wimple, at least until they disrobed. In that regard, while there are younger types with amorous sensibilities running amok throughout The Nun and the Devil, this film offers a more "mature" focal character in the form of Sister Julia (Anne Heywood). While the back cover of this release suggests this film might be considered a successor to Ken Russell's infamous The Devils, it may in fact remind others of another notable film featuring nuns, as I'll outline below.

Anne Heywood is probably best remembered these days for what was at the time a rather shocking film, 1967's The Fox* (which as of the writing of this review doesn't look like it's made it to Blu-ray yet). The Fox wasn't completely explicit in its ostensible adaptation of a D.H. Lawrence piece, but it certainly made it abundantly clear that there was some kind of relationship between the character played by Heywood and the one played by Sandy Dennis. The quasi-lesbian aspect was rent asunder by the arrival of a male character who developed feelings for the Heywood character. Now, the lesbianism is more than overt in The Nun and the Devil, as should probably be assumed by anyone who has ever seen a "nunsploitation" offering, but kind of interestingly, this film may frankly have a bit more meat on its bones in terms of its dissection of a power struggle and rampant corruption in the Catholic church, thereby offering viewers more than merely titillating scenes of naked nuns frolicking with both men and women.

The Nun and the Devil may not have the literary imprimatur of D.H. Lawrence, but it ostensibly comes close by announcing that it's based not just on supposedly real life records of 16th century convent life and a story by Stendahl, though commentators Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw suggest it might be best to accept that with a grain of salt. As much as this may sound like absolute heresy (which I guess is appropriate given this film's very title), there's a power struggle at play in the film as well as downright Freudian interplay between various nuns that I found weirdly reminiscent of the Powell and Pressburger masterpiece Black Narcissus (this film even has a memorable sequence featuring the ringing of a bell). That's not to suggest that The Nun and the Devil ever reaches the height of that incredible 1947 film, but it may suggest that there's more to this outing than naked nuns and the occasional Sapphic interlude.

Also perhaps tethering this film to Black Narcissus is a subplot involving "medicine" which leads to disastrous consequences, as well as a subtextual approach that at least emphasizes the psychology of Sister Julia in particular, but frankly also some of the other characters including both other sisters of the order as well as the male establishment of the church, which soon enough goes Grand Inquisition on the women. The film has a rather opulent production design, a probably surprisingly smart screenplay, and it certainly benefits from the nicely nuanced performance of Heywood. Consider the naked women and occasional Sapphic interludes bonus items.

*Note: Collectors of the "first generation" of Twilight Time releases will know one of their hallmarks was the isolated scores they featured, and in that regard for film score lovers I highly recommend Lalo Schifrin's amazing work on The Fox.

The Nun and the Devil Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Nun and the Devil is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Screen Archives Entertainment and Twilight Time with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. There's no real technical information imparted on the back cover or insert booklet with this release, but this is often a really ravishing looking transfer at least in terms of palette, and specifically in the more brightly lit moments. As can perhaps be gleaned in some of the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review, reds in particular are incredibly vivid throughout this presentation, but the palette really pops very appealingly in daytime and brightly lit interior moments. Detail levels also understandably offer the most depth in the same sequences. Things can get a good deal rougher looking in some dark moments, where grain becomes noisy looking, and there is some noticeable crush at times, specifically with regard to the nuns' black apparel against dark backgrounds.

The Nun and the Devil Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Nun and the Devil features LPCM 2.0 Mono tracks in either English or Italian. The Italian track struck me as having just a bit more energy and especially dynamic range which tends to be most noticeable in moments like the haunting theme by Piero Piccioni underlying the credits, but which can even be made out in pure dialogue scenes. You're getting dubbing one way or the other, and so synch as they say can be loose, but both tracks deliver dialogue, effects and score without any issues. Not only Heywood but several of the other performers were obviously speaking English, for what that's worth. Optional English subtitles are available.

The Nun and the Devil Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Judging Luc (HD; 23:31) is an 88 Films production featuring an interview with actor Luc Merenda done by Eugenio Ercolani. Subtitled in English.


• The Devil and Martine (HD; 16:36) is an interview with Martine Brochard, and is again an 88 Films production by Eugenio Ercolani. Subtitled in English.


• Paolella Connection (HD; 34:39) is an interesting documentary providing quite a bit of information on writer and director Domenico Paolella courtesy of some of his collaborators, offering a bit of insight into a figure who might be otherwise largely unknown to even genre aficionados. This is once again an 88 Films presentation of a Eugenio Ercolani piece. This features more interviews with Martine Brochard, along with Eleonora Giorgi and Roberto Girometti. Subtitled in English.


• Horny Devils: Nunsploitation Explained (HD; 7:10) is an interview with Marcus Stiglegger, which unsurprisingly is another 88 Films presentation of a piece by Eugenio Ercolani. This one is in English.


• English Theatrical Trailer (HD; 3:43)


• Audio Commentary with film writers Kim Newman and Barry Forshaw

Additionally, the insert booklet features an essay by Mike Finnegan.

The Nun and the Devil Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I've had to review a slew of frankly substandard nunsploitation fare in my day, and I was just as frankly expecting The Nun and the Devil to be yet another tawdry enterprise featuring deflowered nuns and randy caretakers and/or priests. Now, the kind of hilarious thing is The Nun and the Devil doesn't really shy away from some of the more prurient aspects that have made this equally hilariously named subgenre such a fan favorite, but it also manages to work in a rather amazing degree of provocative content that is not "sexual" in any traditional sense, even if there's an underlying power struggle being portrayed. Anne Heywood was in some ways a really underappreciated actress, and she's a good deal of wicked fun in this surprisingly enjoyable film. Technical merits are generally solid, and the supplements very enjoyable. Recommended.