Behind the convent walls
Italy 1977

Italy 1978, “Interno di un convento” (original title), 95 min, colour, Italian dir Walerian Borowczyk sc Walerian Borowczyk based on the novel “Roman Walks” by Stendhal cam Luciano Tovoli  mus Sergio Montori  cast Ligia Branice, Howard Ross, Marina Pierro  prod Giuseppe Vezzani

Inspired by a passage in Stendhal’s Promenades dans Rome, Borowczyk’s first Italian production concerns the antics of a convent full of sexually repressed nuns. Deceptively frivolous, Borowczyk’s film is nevertheless a serious exploration of the relationship between flesh and spirit. Likened to Boccaccio by Alberto Moravia, Behind Convent Walls features striking handheld cinematography by Luciano Tovoli and the final performance of Borowczyk’s wife, Ligia Branice. Note: contains explicit sexual content.