| It seems that the studio behind Settima Donna wanted to duplicate the lucrative success of Wes Craven's Last House on the Left but were afraid to include the most controversial elements -- namely the gore and sexual violence. Unfortunately, those were the very elements that made the movie successful. Take them away and you're left with very little else.
Nunsploitation veterans Ray Lovelock (Play Motel and Florinda Balkan (Flavia, the Heretic) star -- which only makes the emasculation of this film even more disappointing. Flavia, the Heretic was never shy about gore, violence or nudity which is why that movie is still looked upon favorably while Settima Donna stands forgotten.
Three bank robbers take refuge in a villa housing a group of college girls and their nun caretaker for the weekend. In the same vein as Last House on the Left the group finds themselves trapped in a house with rapists and killers. In fact, their very first move is the brutal, unprovoked murder of the maid.
Although Florinda Balkan portrays a nun, Sister Christina, she wears civilian clothes for most of the film. Ray Lovelock's character produces her habit from the closet and the thugs force her to strip and put it on. Unfortunately, the scene is cut so that we never actually see Florinda Balkan naked. It's awkward and disappointing -- and the rest of the film follows the same vein.
As night approaches, the thugs get horny and rape one of the girls. There's a bit of topless nudity, but the rape is filmed in a way so that most of the action is off screen.
The rest of the film is relatively sterile, and well, boring. There's a lot of talk of escape. Some girls try and fail miserably. The best chance at getting help comes in the form of a telegram delivery, but the thugs promptly kill him and stuff him in the basement.
After one of the girls is killed, Sister Christina kills two of the thugs. Ray Lovelock is left by himself, but he takes his money and tries to leave. "I'm only interested in the money," he insists. Then, in a scene stolen from the end of Seven Samurai, the girls beat him to death with garden implements. Getting beaten to death with a rake is a pretty nasty way to go. Ironically, it's the death of a thousand cuts that Wes Craven originally wanted for Last House on the Left. (Fortunately for us, Wes decided to go with the chainsaw instead.)
Settima Donna is a big disappointment. There is very little nudity and even less sex. The violence is tame and muted. There are barely any nun scenes for the nunsploitation fans!!! It's like watching a censored TV version of Last House on the Left. If you can't imagine what that would be like, let me sum it up for you in one word: boring. |