LA RELIGIEUSE

Jacques Rivette. F 1966

Also Known As:
The Nun (1971) (USA);
Suzanne Simonin, la Religieuse de Denis Diderot (1966)

Writing credits: Jean Gruault
Based on:Denis Diderot (novel)

Cast:
Anna Karina (Suzanne),
Gilette Barbier (Soeur Saint-Jean),
Francine Bergé (Soeur Sainte-Christine),
Yori Bertin (Soeur Saint-Thérèse),
Hubert Buthion (L'archevêque),
Michel Delahaye (Un vicaire),
Catherine Diamant (Soeur Saint-Ursule),
Marc Eyraud (Le père Seraphin),
Françoise Godde (La domestique),
Christine Lenier (Madame Simonin),
Jean Martin (Monsieur Hébert),
Pierre Meyrand (Monsieur Manouri),
Charles Millot (Monsieur Simonin),
Annik Morice (Soeur Saint-Jéròme),
Danielle Palmero (Soeur Saint-Clément),
Micheline Presle (Mme de Moni),
Liselotte Pulver (Mme de Chelles),
Francisco Rabal (Dom Morel),
Wolfgang Reichmann (Le père Lemoine)

Plot Summary:

In eighteenth-century France a girl (Suzanne Simonin) is forced against her will to take vows as a nun. Three mothers superior (Madame de Moni, Sister Sainte-Christine, and Madame de Chelles) treat her in radically different ways, ranging from maternal concern, to sadistic persecution, to lesbian desire. Suzanne's virtue brings disaster to everyone in this faithful adaptation of a bitter attack on religious abuses by the Enlightenment philosopher Denis Diderot.

(Source: www.imdb.com)