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Carnal faith, celestial desire. The burly servant enters the convent carrying a slab of beef on his back, reference to the Calvary makes for "a decidedly poor metaphor," the Abbess (Gabriella Giacobbe) prefers the one about the mirror and the candle. Bursts of mischief liven up cloistered routines, a zesty violin fugue at the chapel gets the flock jumping. "Our sisters dared to turn our holy church into some sort of... cabaret!" Mother Superior's niece (Ligia Branice) feels the calling of spirit and flesh alike, Father Confessor's nephew (Howard Ross) plays the sensitive fox in the oppressed henhouse. With Rivette's La Religieuse in one hand and Russell's The Devils in the other, Walerian Borowczyk takes stock of the artist's position. "I sell pictures." "What kind?" "Pious pictures... the least popular among my clientele." Pale skin and unwieldy robes form the central contrast, the image is a finger pricked on carnation thorns and brought to pink lips in a Wesselmann close-up. (The embroidery canvas covering a humping couple wittily suggests an onscreen censor bar.) Profane fantasy becomes the logical extension of sacred worship—a chunk of lumber shatters a window, a nun finds it and lovingly whittles a sex toy, Christ's bearded visage adorns the finished product. "A holy vision, eh?" Illicit letters, poisoned cups, improvised stigmata, soft-focus light for a handheld camera. The heroine's flushed face during the climactic tryst is Borowczyk's ultimate hallowed icon, the musical crescendo is an exaltation from one organ to another. "Penetrate me with Your grace," the Bishop's desperate prayer before a crumbling order amounts to words in the wind. With Marina Pierro, Rodolfo Dal Pra, Loredana Martinez, Mario Maranzana, Alessandro Partexano, and Olivia Pascal.
--- Fernando F. Croce |