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6
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10
= Highest Rating |
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Guest
Review by Troy
Howarth |
A
demented nun (Anita Ekberg), suffering from sexual repression
and a mean morphine addiction, wreaks havoc in a convalescent
home...
To read the back of Blue Undergound's slipcase
for Killer Nun, one would expect
a film so unspeakably sleazy and depraved that it would be beyond
description. I'm here to tell you that the film is not that
rough — on the contrary, compared to better known vehicles like
Ken Russell's The Devils (1971)
or even the much lesser Flavia
the Heretic (1974), Killer Nun
is very restrained indeed.
Documentary director Giulio Berruti handles
the film with a certain amount of style and elegance, but he
resists the urge to go full-out nasty. Despite the opening warning
that the film is a faithful representation of a true story,
the end result is a mixture of Catholic guilt and halfhearted
giallo tropes. This is not to say that the film is without
interest, but ultimately it is put in the unfortunate position
of not being gritty enough to live up to its hype nor suspenseful
enough to warrant the inclusion of a giallo 'subplot'.
The interesting cast is headed by Swedish
sexpot Anita Ekberg, best known to cineastes for her iconic
role in Federico Fellini's masterpiece La
Dolce Vita (1959), in which her late-night 'swim' in
the Trevi Fountain ensured her cinematic immortality. Her role
in Killer Nun affords her more
opportunity to strut her thesping abilities, and while she does
a credible job, one comes away with the impression that directors
like Fellini were better off exploiting her undeniable sexual
appeal than relying on her acting chops. Similarly, studly Joe
Dallesandro, who doffed his clothes in many a Paul Morrissey
flick (Blood for Dracula, Flesh
for Frankenstein, Trash),
actually keeps his clothes on for once. The best that can be
said for his performance is that, like everybody else in the
multinational cast, he is dubbed by another actor. Dallesandro's
flat, monotone delivery is thus punched up by a more seasoned
looping artist, but his facial expressions (limited as they
are) again betray his inability to play anything other than
the most limited of roles. Massimo Serato (Don't
Look Now, Autopsy), Alida
Valli (Lisa and the Devil, Suspiria)
and Lou Castel (Orgasmo, A
Bullet for the General) round out the supporting cast, but
none of them are given much to do.
Technical credits are solid, with the music score by Alessandro
Alessandroni standing out as a highlight. Director Berruti keeps
things flowing at a decent clip, but he is unable — or perhaps
unwilling, as the DVD's accompanying interview seems to indicate
— to give the film the necessary punch. Ultimately, Killer
Nun is professionally made and mildly entertaining, but
it falls way short of its 'notorious' reputation.
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| Blue
Underground is to be commended, yet again, for delivering a terrific
release in Killer Nun. The 1.85/16x9
image looks sharp and colorful throughout, with only some mild
grain and speckling to indicate the film's age. The mono soundtrack
is solid, serving up Alessandroni's music and the dubbed dialogue
to their best advantage. Extras include an exhaustive stills gallery,
a theatrical trailer (also framed at 1.85), and a 14-minute interview
with director Berutti. The amiable director speaks fondly of his
actors while bemoaning the tacky advertising campaign ("From
the secret files of the Vatican... KILLER NUN!"), which
cost the film its success in Italy.
11/22/04 |
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