Lettere di una novizia (1960) Directed by Alberto Lattuada
Drama
Film Review
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.
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Film Synopsis
Margarita Passi is a young woman who hopes that by entering a convent she
will be able to put her past behind her, but it is not to be. Before
she can take her sacred vows, her priest, Don Paolo Conti, receives an anonymous
letter which reveals that Margarita has been forced to become a nun against
her will. Confronted with this discovery, the young novice has no choice
but to tell her tragic tale. It begins with Margarita living with her
mother on the large farming estate that she had just inherited from her father.
Money is scarce and life on the land is hard, so the young woman is eager
to sell the farm, but she cannot do this until she has come of age.
In the meantime, Margarita and her mother have to keep the farm going as
best they can, working impossible hours for a pittance. In the end
the young woman can no longer bear to see her mother's suffering so she decides
to hasten things along by getting married. As luck would have it, an
eligible young man presents himself and Margarita is soon in love.
What she doesn't yet know is that the man she plans to marry is in fact her
mother's lover. When Margarita discovers the truth she finds it impossible
to accept and in a moment of madness she kills her lover. Thankfully
she has a considerate mother who can keep her head in a crisis...
From its birth in 1895, cinema has been an essential part of French culture. Now it is one of the most dynamic, versatile and important of the arts in France.
From Jean Renoir to François Truffaut, French cinema has no shortage of truly great filmmakers, each bringing a unique approach to the art of filmmaking.
In the 1920s French cinema was at its most varied and stylish - witness the achievements of Abel Gance, Marcel L'Herbier, Jean Epstein and Jacques Feyder.