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Released by: No Shame Films
Released on: 8/30/2005
Director: Nello Rossati
Cast: Ursula Andress, Mario Pisu, Duilio Del Prete, Jack Palance, Luciana Paluzzi
Year: 1975
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The Movie:
From the director of Django Strikes Again and Alien Terminator comes… The Sensuous Nurse? Yep. The same Nello Rossati who made those balls to the wall action/exploitation films in the late eightes helmed this Ursula Andress sex comedy way back when in 1975 - he also co-wrote the thing too!
A horny old man named Leonida Bottacin (Mario Pisu) knows he has a heart problem and that he may not be long for this world. His gold digging family see this as an opportunity to cash in on old Leonida's wealth and make out like bandits and to speed up the process, they decide to hire the old man a sexy nurse to tend to him in hopes that soon enough she'll get him all riled up and he'll have a heart attack. Once this happens, Leonida's nephew, Benito Varrato (Duilio Del Prete), plans on selling off Leonida's winery to an American investor named Mr. Kitch (played by Jack Palance). Things don't go as planned for Bentio and his scheming cohorts, however. Anna (Ursula Andress), the nurse who is hired for the job, starts to fall for the old man she's been entrusted with…
Not the most original or 'edge of your seat' story to come along, The Sensuous Nurse is an excellent vehicle for Ursula Andress and it offers the former Bond girl plenty of opportunity to show off her healthy assets. The comedy is a bit on the darker side in this one, which made the film considearbly more enjoyable than if it had been a by the numbers sex comedy, and Andress and Pisu handle the material and their subsequent interaction is an interesting off set of the events leading up to Anna's hiring. Palance is, as always, spectacular as the conniving businessman (though sadly he isn't afforded all that much screen time in the film and is really a supporting character at best) and Del Prete does a fine job in his role of the backstabbing nephew.
Direction is pretty slick, with nice cinematography thanks to Ennio Guarnieri and the score from Gianfranco Plenizio does a fine job of accentuating the comedic timing that the script works into the story and highlighting some of the more emotional moments and more serious moments in the movie, of which there are a couple. Rossati works the film towards a clever and appropriate ending the makes the film completely worthwhile even if you're not a fan of Ms. Andress' skills (most of which involve bending over and showing off either her ass or her cleavage). A few funny subplots involving the other hired help around the home and their carnal desires involving Anna keep the film fun even when the main plot slows down a little bit.
Video/Audio/Extras:
This DVD release marks the first time that the film has been released uncut and in its proper aspect ratio in North America. What a shame then that this otherwise excellent transfer is marred by heavy ghosting/motion blurring on progressive scan equipment. While all No Shame titles have been interlaced, it hasn't always been as noticeable (at least not to my eyes) as it is on this one, and that's very unfortunate as there's really not much else to complain about with this 1.66.1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. Colors look nice and bold, flesh tones look lifelike and natural, and the black levels stay strong and deep throughout. There's almost no print damage or grain problems to speak of and edge enhancement and mpeg comrpession are a non-issue.
You've got the option of watching the film in either a Dolby Digital Mono Italian mix or a Dolby Digital Mono English mix. Optional subtitles are available in English only. Overall, this is a fine job in terms of the audio. Everything comes through nice and clear without any problems.
The main supplement on this release comes in the form of a documentary that runs just over twenty three minutes in length entitled Calling The Nurse. This segment is primarily interview footage with director Nello Rossati and his brother Tony Rossati, who served in some capacity on the film as a costume designer and wardrobe worker. The two brothers both remember working on the film quite fondly, and it's fun to hear them walk down memory lane as they discuss Andress, why she was cast, working with Palance, and some of the pre-production work that lead up to the finished film you know have before you. It's regrettable that none of the cast members were involved in the supplements the way that Edwige Fenech has been on some of the No Shame releases, Andress in particular, but there's no use crying over spilt milk, right? This is a fun supplement.
Rounding out the extra features are the film's original theatrical trailer, a small still gallery set to music from the score used in the movie, and a liner note insert containing an essay on the film and biographies for Andress and Palance written by Richard Harland Smith.
The Final Word:
Blurring on the transfer aside, No Shame's release of The Sensuous Nurse does a nice job of presenting the film uncut and the extras are interesting as well. This Italian sex comedy isn't going to rub everyone the right way but if you've got a taste for this kind of mild exploitation, this disc should be right up your alley.