As to be expected of a director from whose body sleaze exudes from every pore, LOVE LETTERS OF A Portuguese NUN, a beautifully-shot West German exploitation film, is as sleazy and perverted as they come. Taking the basic nunsploitation formula and mixing it with themes of black magic and witch-hunting (recalling his previous work on THE DEMONS and THE BLOODY JUDGE), Jess Franco creates another lovingly-shot slice of sometimes sick perversity. Brimming with nudity, sex, and torture of various kinds, this is definitely not a film for the faint-hearted yet fans of the director will know what to expect; altogether I think it would serve as a fine example of his typical output. Everything you can get from a Franco film is here and in spades, although this time it's noticeably less reliant on the zoom lens and boasts a better budget, with very nice cinematography and an excellent soundtrack of organ music, which comes as a bit of a surprise.
The plot is simplistic in the extreme: a young, virginal girl named Maria is kissing a lover and a deceptive priest witnesses the act. He forces Maria's mother into sending her away to a convent. However, where the basic formula differs here is that instead of mingling with the other girls, Maria instantly becomes a victim of lust and black magic from both the perverted father and the devil-cult which runs inside the convent. Franco treats us to some typically extreme images, including a sexual dream which incorporates some shocking subliminal imagery and some bloody fragments of torture footage. The most outlandish aspect is the orgy itself, presided over by Satan (as played by the hilarious Herbert Fux) as an intense, almost comical caricature, complete with red cape and black horn, who proceeds to rape the unfortunate heroine.
The film then follows a more straightforward route as Maria keeps attempting to escape and warn of her predicament, with predictable results: nobody believes her story. Events culminate in her being tried for witchcraft and stretched on the rack, and the climax is fairly exciting and suspenseful for a Franco movie. The performances are rather good here, especially Susan Hemingway who does well with the leading role of the victimised Maria, and Ana Zanatti as the creepy Mother Superior. The best turn comes from William Berger who plays the perverted Father Vicente; his performance is so over-the-edge that I'll have trouble watching the actor play his typical 'sympathetic old man' parts in the future! Lots and lots of nudity, lesbian fondlings, devil-man rape, and sadistic torture culminate in making the ultimate Franco experience, and at least its never boring as some of these nunsploitation films can be (the arty but dreary BEHIND CONVENT WALLS, anyone?). Demented fun!
The plot is simplistic in the extreme: a young, virginal girl named Maria is kissing a lover and a deceptive priest witnesses the act. He forces Maria's mother into sending her away to a convent. However, where the basic formula differs here is that instead of mingling with the other girls, Maria instantly becomes a victim of lust and black magic from both the perverted father and the devil-cult which runs inside the convent. Franco treats us to some typically extreme images, including a sexual dream which incorporates some shocking subliminal imagery and some bloody fragments of torture footage. The most outlandish aspect is the orgy itself, presided over by Satan (as played by the hilarious Herbert Fux) as an intense, almost comical caricature, complete with red cape and black horn, who proceeds to rape the unfortunate heroine.
The film then follows a more straightforward route as Maria keeps attempting to escape and warn of her predicament, with predictable results: nobody believes her story. Events culminate in her being tried for witchcraft and stretched on the rack, and the climax is fairly exciting and suspenseful for a Franco movie. The performances are rather good here, especially Susan Hemingway who does well with the leading role of the victimised Maria, and Ana Zanatti as the creepy Mother Superior. The best turn comes from William Berger who plays the perverted Father Vicente; his performance is so over-the-edge that I'll have trouble watching the actor play his typical 'sympathetic old man' parts in the future! Lots and lots of nudity, lesbian fondlings, devil-man rape, and sadistic torture culminate in making the ultimate Franco experience, and at least its never boring as some of these nunsploitation films can be (the arty but dreary BEHIND CONVENT WALLS, anyone?). Demented fun!