Lettere di una novizia (1960) - film review

A young novice is about to take her vows upon entering a convent when her recent past comes back to haunt her.  Her priest has received an anonymous letter which suggests she is far from capable of pursuing the life of a nun.  Distraught, the novice reveals the tragic tale that drove her to her present predicament.  Previously, the novice, Rita, lived with her mother on a vast farm estate that she had inherited from her father.  Unable to sell the farm until she came of age, Rita could only watch her mother become more miserable by the struggle to keep the farm running.  To speed things up, Rita decides to get married.  Unfortunately, the man she has in her sights also happens to be her mother’s lover…

This run-of-the-mill melodrama from director Alberto Lattuada would be easily overlooked were it not for the presence of two up-and-coming French actors, Jean-Paul Belmondo and Pascale Petit.  Their contribution alone gives the film a touch of "New Wave" modernity which is otherwise belied by the staid direction and rather unimaginative cinematography.  The laboured ’policier’ style first appears a tad ridiculous in the film’s first half, but just about makes sense when the explosive climax is reached.

© James Travers 2006

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