Aka The
nunsploitation in the capable hands of Jess Franco. What’s
on? Tits, violence, sex and blood as the most his extreme movies? Or
velvety eros as those of early seventies? And Lina Romay is the
protagonist? Surprise ... none of this, or better than an average
mathematics of things.
"Love Letters ..." inspired more than anything else in the title of a
book published in 1669 in the form of letters and attributed to a
Portuguese nun is a film that displaces a bit 'by counting the theme
and the fact legitimate expectations related to the proper name of
Franco.
Actually this is a film that shows the different fees and narrative
style of the great Spanish director, who creates a pretty pretty good
for the genre.
The fees of such classics style of the genre certainly not lacking,
medieval setting, a monastery and the perversion of religious attracted
by the devil, sex and physical punishment.
And after all the hot scenes of this movie are very few and the peak
arrives with the orgy with the devil. For the rest the
“hot” things are more intuitive.
The fact that there isn’t the sensual Lina Romay, detracts from
the movie some eros substitute by the innocence of a naive
sixteen year old who, for the avoidance of doubt, never appears naked.
Then the good eye of Franco give to use very good shots, that make a pair with his usual symbolisms.
The result is a story that holds well throughout. Sure, occasionally
there is some unnecessary scenes and also the antagonist a local
prince, is a bit 'stuck to the plot not to mention an ending too quick.
The story narrates the life of Mary, the sixteen year old, caught by
Father Vicente in affectionate behavior with a boy. The priest
convinces the family to give to him the girl and take her to a convent
run by the mothers Alma.
The monastery is voted more to the devil an sex, than God. Mary is at
the mercy of pleasures and wishes of Alma and Vicente, and its purity
is sacrificed for and by the devil who appears in a ritual dedicated to
him. Tired of all punishment Maria tries to escape, but she is found
and recovered and then to the inquisitor tribunal that decide to burn
the gril. As a final outburst, Maria, writes a letter to God and then
throw it out the window. The letter ends up directly in the hands of
the local Prince who arrive in the moment of the executions. Freedom
for Maria, punishment for the other.
The brief cameo of the spectacular monastery of Belem (the Archbishop's
residence here) add value to the movie. The cast is composed of Susan
Hemingway (Maria) no link with Ernest, Zanatta Ana (Alma) note at home
and Herbert Fux in the role of the devil. He is an austrian actor who
then start a long political career. It seem the he hasn’t left
the evil world
