Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysAPA Heritage MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)

The Devil Is a Woman

Original title: Il sorriso del grande tentatore
  • 19741974
  • RR
  • 1h 45m
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
126
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Il sorriso del grande tentatore (1974)
  • Drama
The Mother Superior of a convent wields power in its most vicious forms. And as she as she destroys the people in her care, she herself becomes her own victim as she draws on all her spiritu... Read allThe Mother Superior of a convent wields power in its most vicious forms. And as she as she destroys the people in her care, she herself becomes her own victim as she draws on all her spiritual powers to drive out the tempter.The Mother Superior of a convent wields power in its most vicious forms. And as she as she destroys the people in her care, she herself becomes her own victim as she draws on all her spiritual powers to drive out the tempter.
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
126
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Damiano Damiani
  • Writers
    • Damiano Damiani(story)
    • Fabrizio Onofri(screenplay)
    • Audrey Nohra(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Glenda Jackson
    • Claudio Cassinelli
    • Lisa Harrow
Top credits
  • Director
    • Damiano Damiani
  • Writers
    • Damiano Damiani(story)
    • Fabrizio Onofri(screenplay)
    • Audrey Nohra(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Glenda Jackson
    • Claudio Cassinelli
    • Lisa Harrow
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 5User reviews
    • 3Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos15

    Il sorriso del grande tentatore (1974)
    Il sorriso del grande tentatore (1974)
    Il sorriso del grande tentatore (1974)
    Il sorriso del grande tentatore (1974)
    Il sorriso del grande tentatore (1974)
    Il sorriso del grande tentatore (1974)
    Il sorriso del grande tentatore (1974)
    Il sorriso del grande tentatore (1974)
    Il sorriso del grande tentatore (1974)
    Il sorriso del grande tentatore (1974)
    Il sorriso del grande tentatore (1974)
    Il sorriso del grande tentatore (1974)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Glenda Jackson
    Glenda Jackson
    • Sister Geraldineas Sister Geraldine
    Claudio Cassinelli
    Claudio Cassinelli
    • Rodolfo Solinaas Rodolfo Solina
    Lisa Harrow
    Lisa Harrow
    • Emilia Contrerasas Emilia Contreras
    Adolfo Celi
    Adolfo Celi
    • Father Borellias Father Borelli
    Duilio Del Prete
    Duilio Del Prete
    • Monsignor Salvias Monsignor Salvi
    Arnoldo Foà
    Arnoldo Foà
    • Monsignor Badenskyas Monsignor Badensky
    Gabriele Lavia
    Gabriele Lavia
    • Prince Ottavio Ranieri d'Aragonaas Prince Ottavio Ranieri d'Aragona
    Francisco Rabal
    Francisco Rabal
    • Bishop Marquezas Bishop Marquez
    Rolf Tasna
    • Monsignor Meitneras Monsignor Meitner
    Eugenio Bottari
      Sara Sperati
      • Princess Alessandra Ranieri d'Aragonaas Princess Alessandra Ranieri d'Aragona
      • (as Adele Sperati)
      Edoardo Canali
      Enrico Ribulsi
      • Professor Villaas Professor Villa
      Edda Ferronao
      • Kitchen maidas Kitchen maid
      Ely Galleani
      Ely Galleani
      • Rodolfo's girlfriendas Rodolfo's girlfriend
      Margherita Horowitz
      • Prince Ottavio's motheras Prince Ottavio's mother
      Fabrizio Jovine
      Fabrizio Jovine
      • The Doctoras The Doctor
      Carla Mancini
      Carla Mancini
      • Director
        • Damiano Damiani
      • Writers
        • Damiano Damiani(story) (screenplay)
        • Fabrizio Onofri(screenplay)
        • Audrey Nohra(screenplay)
      • All cast & crew
      • See more cast details at IMDbPro

      More like this

      The Maids
      6.3
      The Maids
      L'istruttoria è chiusa: dimentichi
      7.2
      L'istruttoria è chiusa: dimentichi
      The Triple Echo
      6.4
      The Triple Echo
      Girolimoni, the Monster of Rome
      7.3
      Girolimoni, the Monster of Rome
      Goodbye & Amen
      6.5
      Goodbye & Amen
      The Sicilian Connection
      6.7
      The Sicilian Connection
      Hedda
      6.4
      Hedda
      How to Kill a Judge
      6.5
      How to Kill a Judge
      Negatives
      5.8
      Negatives
      Una ragazza piuttosto complicata
      5.8
      Una ragazza piuttosto complicata
      The Nelson Affair
      6.5
      The Nelson Affair
      The Antichrist
      5.7
      The Antichrist

      Storyline

      Edit
      A Roman religious institute is directed by a nun. Its regular guests are religious if not for various reasons, in the eyes of the Vatican, they must remain out of this world: there is a woman, Emilia, saved in her country, Bolivia, from a secure death penalty from church intervention; a worker priest; a Cuban bishop who supports the Castro regime; a Polish priest accused of collaborating with the Nazis; a scion prince of an aristocratic family linked to the Vatican. The arrival of an agnostic writer, called by the Polish priest to help him write his own memories of the time of Nazism, which challenges the questionable psychological methods of the mother superior, causes a real upheaval in the monotonous and flat cloistered life of all the characters.
      • giallo
      • psychotronic film
      • british giallo
      • priest
      • monsignor
      • 3 more
      • Plot summary
      • Add synopsis
      • Taglines
        • Perhaps the greatest sin of all is making love a sin.
      • Genre
        • Drama
      • Certificate
        • R
      • Parents guide
        • Add content advisory

      Did you know

      Edit
      • Trivia
        Aside from a short voice over, Glenda Jackson does not appear in the first 30 minutes of the film.
      • Connections
        Featured in Trailer Trauma Part 4: Television Trauma (2017)

      User reviews5

      Review
      Top review
      A different twist on the "devil movie"
      I accidentally mistook this for an Italian "Exorcist" rip-off (it has the same alternate title at Alberto De Martino's "Anticristo"). But even though I saw it by mistake, I ended up really liking it. It somewhat resembles "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", but filtered through an Italian Catholic sensibility. Claudio Cassanelli plays a writer who agrees to ghost-write the autobiography of a monsignor who had collaborated with the Nazis during the Holocaust. He moves with the priest to a kind of religious asylum headed by a very controlling Mother Superior (Glenda Jackson, basically playing an ecclesiastical version of "Nurse Ratchet").Also staying at the asylum is a nymphomaniac (Lisa Harrow) who betrayed her husband for her lover, resulting in the former's death, and a man who has fallen in love with his sister. The writer's presence upsets things at the asylum--there is a suicide and several patients leave (one priest even leaves the priesthood). The writer falls in love (or at least strongly in lust) with the nymphomaniac, and the tyrannical Mother Superior comes to believe that he just might be the Devil himself. But a couple more twists at the end make it more than a little ambiguous just who the real "Great Tempter" of the title is. . .

      Claudio Cassanelli was one of the most underrated Italian actors. He always comes as a very nice guy, very different from Jack Nicholson who played a similarly disruptive influence in "Cuckoo's Nest". This actually works though in maintaining the deep ambiguity of the story. Glenda Jackson is very good too (she and Cassanelli both dub their own voices). The movie does not shy away from making some strong critiques of the Catholic Church--the monsignor is excommunicated at one point, not because he admittedly collaborated with the Nazis, but because he threatens to expose that his superiors did as well (perhaps, it's implied, even the pope).

      The talented director Damiano Damiani later WOULD do a kind of "Exorcist" knock-off with "Amityville Horror 2". While that was definitely a superior horror movie, this much more subtle and subversive exercise is actually quite a bit more effective. This movie does have SOME exploitative elements. Lisa Harrow (an Australian actress who later married Sam Neal) has some memorable nude scenes as the guilt-ridden nymphomaniac. The lovely Ely Galeani is also in this, but unfortunately wasted in a pointless cameo (although she was no doubt glad to be in something of this quality since by that time her career had largely been relegated to softcore porn movies). Perhaps the best thing though is the musical score which would do ANY horror movie proud. Recommended.
      helpful•6
      0
      • lazarillo
      • Jul 24, 2008

      Details

      Edit
      • Release date
        • January 24, 1974 (Italy)
      • Countries of origin
        • United Kingdom
        • Italy
      • Language
        • English
      • Also known as
        • Verbannt
      • Filming locations
        • Incir De Paolis Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy
      • Production companies
        • Euro International Films
        • Lifeguard Productions
      • See more company credits at IMDbPro

      Technical specs

      Edit
      • Runtime
        1 hour 45 minutes
      • Sound mix
        • Mono
      • Aspect ratio
        • 2.35 : 1

      Related news

      Review: "Dietrich & Von Sternberg In Hollywood"; Criterion Blu-ray Special Edition
      Jul 6Cinemaretro.com

      Contribute to this page

      Suggest an edit or add missing content
      Il sorriso del grande tentatore (1974)
      Top Gap
      By what name was Il sorriso del grande tentatore (1974) officially released in Canada in English?
      Answer
      • See more gaps
      • Learn more about contributing
      Edit page

      More to explore

      View list
      List
      The 10 Most Anticipated Marvel and DC Movies
      See the full list
      Image caption not available
      2:14
      The Most Anticipated Movies and Shows to Watch in May
      Watch the video

      Recently viewed

      Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
      Get the IMDb App
      • Get the IMDb App
      • Help
      • Site Index
      • IMDbPro
      • Box Office Mojo
      • IMDb Developer
      • Press Room
      • Advertising
      • Jobs
      • Conditions of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Interest-Based Ads

      © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.