Behind Convent Walls – Arrow Video (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1978
Director: Walerian Borowczyk
Writer: Walerian Borowczyk
Cast: Ligia Branice, Howard Ross, Marina Pierro, Gabriella Giacobbe, Rodolfo Dal Pra, Loredana Martinez, Mario Maranzana, Alex Partexano, Olivia Pascal, Gina Rovere

Release Date: April 29th, 2024
Approximate Running Time: 94 Minutes 42 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono Italian, LPCM Mono English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region B
Retail Price: £24.99 (UK)

"Behind the walls of an apparently serene convent, a zealous abbess tries in vain to keep order and prevent her sexually repressed charges from experiencing the sins of the flesh. When the unfortunate young nuns get out of control, the church inflicts cruel punishment for their carnal crimes." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, “Behind Convent Walls has been restored exclusively by Arrow Films.

The original 35mm negative was scanned in 2K resolution at Cinema Communications, Rome. The film was graded and restored in 2K resolution at R3Store Studios, London. Much of Behind Convent Walls was photographed handheld and with filters, contributing to a film presentation that is both intermittently unsteady and in soft focus.”

Behind Convent Walls comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 35.8 GB

Feature: 25.4 GB

The source looks excellent. Behind Convent Walls has an intended soft-focus look, and this transfer does a great job retaining it. Flesh tones are healthy, colors look correct, image clarity is strong, black levels and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

Audio: 4/5 (LPCM Mono Italian), 4.5/5 (LPCM Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, an LPCM mono mix in Italian and an LPCM mono mix in English. Both audio tracks are in great shape; dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. That said, the English-language track sounds more robust than the Italian-language track. Included are removable English subtitles for the Italian language track and removable English SDH for the English language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include a theatrical trailer (3 minutes 11 seconds, Dolby Digital mono Italian with removable English subtitles), an appreciation by film scholar Virginie Sélavy titled Anarchic Nuns and the Artistry of Desire (18 minutes 37 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a short film directed by Walerian Borowczyk titled Brief Von Paris (40 minutes 31 seconds, 1.33:1 aspect ratio, Dolby Digital mono with French text and removable English subtitles), an audio commentary by film critic Justine Smith, reversible cover art, a slipcover (limited to the first pressing), and a 24-page booklet (limited to the first pressing) with cast & crew information, an essay titled Daughters of Lilith: Borowczyk’s Behind Convent Walls and the Chthonic Woman written by Kat Ellinger, original press materials, and information about the restoration.

Summary:

Directed by Walerian Borowczyk, an animator turned provocative filmmaker whose notable films include Goto, Isle of Love, Blanche, The Beast, and The Margin.

Abbess Flavia Orsini struggles to retain control of a convent filled with sexually repressed nuns. The Mother Superior’s niece Clara is her strongest ally, as she believes that a spiritual calling led her to the monastery. Will Abbess Flavia Orsini quench the lustful desires that burn in virtually every one of the nuns at the monastery before their wicked ways convert her niece Clara into a sinner?

Behind Convent Walls was adapted from Roman Walks, a story written by the notorious 19th-century French author Stendhal. And though Behind Convent Walls has many of the elements that are synonymous with the nunsploitation genre, the result is actually not as exploitative as in most nunsploitation films. That said, though all genres have their tropes, it is the way in which Walerian Borowczyk uses them that sets Behind Convent Walls apart from other nunsploitation films.

Though most of the nuns have fully embraced their vocation, there are a few who have not. In the case of the latter, most of them were forcibly sent to the convent by their parents. In charge of the convent is a domineering mother superior who punishes anyone who exhibits free will, ensuring that they remain faithful to their calling. And just like any bad behavior left unchecked, it spreads like wildfire throughout the convent. That said, at its core, Behind Convent Walls is about free will and repressed feelings.

The entire cast are phenomenal, especially Ligia Branice’s (Blanche) portrayal of Sister Clara, the niece of the mother superior. In Behind Convent Walls' most infamous scene, Sister Clara comes across a large piece of wood that is lying in a pile of glass, and with those fragments of glass, she makes a dildo out of that piece of wood. This scene is nothing short of amazing, as Ligia Branice, the actress who portrays Clara, loses herself in the moment. This is a bold scene that dances the line between art and pornography, and as usual, director Walerian Borowczyk beautifully captures this moment of pure ecstasy.

From a production standpoint, there is no area where Behind Convent Walls is lacking. The deliberate, paced narrative does a superb job building momentum. Luciano Tovoli's (Suspiria) exquisite cinematography is filled with symbolic imagery. Another strength of the visuals is the soft-focus lighting that gives the nuns a more angelic look that contrasts with their naughty deeds. Ultimately, Behind Convent Walls is a powerful tale about faith and desire, making it a must-see film if you are a fan of nunsploitation cinema.

Behind Convent Walls gets an excellent release from Arrow Video that comes with a solid audio/video presentation and insightful extras, highly recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer