''Story of a Cloistered Nun'' ( it, Storia di una monaca di clausura, released as ''Unholy Convent'' and ''Diary of a Cloistered Nun'') is a 1973

nunsploitation Nunsploitation is a subgenre of exploitation film which had its peak in Europe in the 1970s. These films typically involve Christian nuns living in convents during the Middle Ages. Criteria The main conflict of the story is usually of a religio ...

film directed by

Domenico Paolella Domenico Paolella (18 October 1915 - 7 October 2002) was an Italian director, screenwriter and journalist. Born in Foggia, between 1933 and 1935 Paolella won several contests for amateur directors; in the same years he started working as a journ ...

and starring

Eleonora Giorgi Eleonora Giorgi (born 21 October 1953) is an Italian actress. Biography Giorgi was born in Rome. Her father was of Italian and English origin. Her mother was of Italian and Hungarian origin. She made her film debut in a minor role in Paolo ...

Catherine Spaak Catherine Spaak (3 April 1945 – 17 April 2022) was a French-born Italian actress and singer who acted in mostly in Italian films with some Hollywood and international productions. She is best known for her roles in the films ''Il Sorpasso'' (1 ...

Suzy Kendall Suzy Kendall (born Freda Harriet Harrison; 1 January 1937 ) is a British retired actress best known for her film roles in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Personal life Born in Belper, Derbyshire, Kendall attended Derby & District College of A ...

Martine Brochard Martine Brochard (born 2 April 1944) is a French actress and writer. Life and career Born in Paris, Brochard debuted in 1968 in a minor role in François Truffaut's '' Baisers volés''. In 1970, she moved to Italy, where she became a minor s ...

Tino Carraro Agostino Carraro (1 December 1910 – 12 January 1995) was an Italian stage, television and film actor. Life and career Born in Milan, Carraro started acting at young age in several amateur stage companies. Carraro then graduated at the , ...

, and

Umberto Orsini Umberto Orsini (born 2 April 1934, in Novara) is an Italian stage, television and film actor. Born in Novara, Orsini gave up his career as notary to attend the Accademia Nazionale di Arte Drammatica Silvio D'Amico. In the late 1950s, he emerged ...

. The film claims to be inspired by real events that occurred in the 16th-century at the

Certosa di San Giacomo Certosa di San Giacomo was a Carthusian monastery, founded in 1363 by Giacomo Arcucci on the island of Capri, Campania, southern Italy. It is now a museum and is used for cultural events. The buildings that formed the charterhouse have three main ...

Plot

Refusing an arranged marriage, young aristocrat Carmela Simoni is sent to a

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

. Her arrival intensifies the power struggle between the debauched nun Elisabeth, and the stern but evil Mother Superior, as both are smitten by Carmela's beauty.

Cast

Joan Collins Dame Joan Henrietta Collins (born 23 May 1933) is an English actress, author and columnist. Collins is the recipient of several accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a People's Choice Award, two Soap Opera Digest Awards and a Primetime ...

was originally cast as the Mother Superior, but was replaced by Suzy Kendall before filming started.

References

External links

* 1973 films 1973 drama films 1973 LGBT-related films Films set in the 1620s 1970s Italian-language films Nunsploitation films German films based on actual events Italian films based on actual events Films directed by Domenico Paolella Lesbian-related films Films scored by Piero Piccioni Italian LGBT-related films West German films German historical drama films Italian historical drama films 1970s Italian films 1970s German films {{exploitation-film-stub