IMDb RATING
5.7/10
1.2K
YOUR RATING
A young woman forced into nun-hood by her corrupt father teams up with an army of Muslims to destroy the convent and kill those who wronged her.A young woman forced into nun-hood by her corrupt father teams up with an army of Muslims to destroy the convent and kill those who wronged her.A young woman forced into nun-hood by her corrupt father teams up with an army of Muslims to destroy the convent and kill those who wronged her.
Anthony Higgins
- Ahmed
- (as Anthony Corlan)
Spyros Fokas
- the French Duke
- (as Spiros Focás)
Storyline
Did you know
- GoofsThe movie takes place in Italy circa 1400. At one moment Flavia and Abraham are on the beach eating roasted ears of corn.
- Quotes
Flavia Gaetani: [addressing Christ on the cross] Why... why? Why is God male? The Father the Son and the Holy Ghost - all male. Even the twelve apostles. All twelve of them - males.
- Alternate versionsThe 1994 UK Redemption video was cut by 1 min 24 secs by the BBFC with edits to topless nudity, the rape of the swine-herder's daughter, a nun's breast being burnt and her nipple cut off and shots of Flavia peeling skin from an ankle wound during the flaying scene, as well as heavy edits to a horse being castrated. The 2008 Shameless DVD was fully uncut.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Real Blue Nuns (2006)
Featured review
FLAVIA, THE HERETIC (Gianfranco Mingozzi, 1974) **1/2
I first read about this "Nunsploitation" effort considered among the most extreme of its type (infamously featuring a scene in which a naked girl climbs inside the hanging carcass of a cow!) in the Leslie Halliwell Film Guide, but became even more interested in checking it out in the wake of online reviews for the R1 DVD from Synapse. However, I somehow never got around to acquiring it chiefly because the print included was English-dubbed
though, in retrospect, that's what the actors are speaking (with leading lady Florinda Bolkan providing her own voice). Then, just last week coincidentally, on the very same day I acquired an even more obscure entry within the same genre (albeit of a much-filmed source i.e. THE NUN OF MONZA [1969]) I stumbled upon a copy of FLAVIA itself and, at this stage, I simply could not let the opportunity pass me by. The film's reputation for gory depictions of carnage and torture was not exaggerated but, seeing how these scenes are part and parcel of its unflinching portrayal of the Middle Ages (stunningly shot in earthen tones by Alfio Contini), they do not feel gratuitous or sensationalistic; besides, the whole comes wrapped in an evocatively beautiful soundtrack courtesy of future Oscar-winner Nicola Piovani. Bolkan, able to convey much without the benefit of dialogue, is impressive as ever: she convinces in her character's every facet (including donning a soldier's armor), and this is possibly her signature role. Maria Casares (best-known for playing Death in Jean Cocteau's ORPHEUS [1950]) is animated and uninhibited, despite her time-ravaged looks a' la Alida Valli: for the record, I thought she would be playing the convent's obligatory stern Mother Superior but is actually the one to inspire Flavia towards rebellion. Claudio Cassinelli appears as a Jew befriended by the heroine, whereas Anthony Corlan (later Higgins) of Hammer's 1972 outing VAMPIRE CIRCUS is the young leader of the Muslim invaders (none of whom look remotely Arabic!) aiding the heroine in accomplishing her male/Christian-hating campaign
until she rejects marriage and conversion to his own religion. While having undeniably greater significance and scope than most films of its ilk (though the expected hysterical writhing is still present in the form of a wandering sect afflicted by the bite of a tarantula!), plot development is curiously lacking here which, coupled with the trademark deliberate pacing of the "Euro-Cult" style, makes for an altogether muddled (if never less than interesting) affair. An unexpected touch involves fantasy sequences showing various religious paintings come to life, often as a result of the nuns' (typical) sexual repression. Naturally, we get plenty of nudity and, for violent highlights, anything from numerous beheadings, the castration of a horse(!), rape, sodomy, cannibalism, boiling oil being poured on a girl's naked body, nipple-slashing, impaling and skinning alive is the order of the day! One final thing: viewers of the Synapse edition had regretted the lack of a trailer on that disc; incidentally, a German one has been made available among the extras accompanying the X-Rated Kult R2 DVD of the afore-mentioned THE NUN OF MONZA
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- Bunuel1976
- Mar 11, 2009
- How long is Flavia, the Heretic?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Flavia: Heretic Priestess
- Filming locations
- Santa Maria di Colonna, Trani, Bari, Apulia, Italy(convent interiors)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 36 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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