Sep 13th
(Ipswich Film Theatre)
The Nun* (12A)
aka: La Religieuse; Suzanne Simonin la Religieuse de Denis Diderot

(Ita/Fra 1966 - released 1967)

In the 18th century an illegitimate girl is forced to become a nun at convent where she tries and fails to fit in - but the alternatives are even worse.
Causing a stir and an initial ban on its general release, this frankly told tale of institutional oppression steers just the right side of voyeurism (barring an occasionally jarring soundtrack), detailing the horrors of two contrasting convents. A 2-hour wallow in oppressive (but not always unsympathetic) nun's life, with a courageous central performance holding things together. Not to be confused with this year's horror prequel to The Conjuring 2.

Written by: Jean Grualt, Jacques Rivette, based on the novel by Denis Diderot.
Producer: Georges de Beauregard.
Director: Jacques Rivette.
Starring: Anna Karina, Micheline Presle, Liselotte Pulver, Christiane Lenier, Jean Martin, Francisco Rabal.
Photography: Alain Levent.
Music: Jean-Claude Eloy.