Nasty Habits

Michael Lindsay-Hogg – 1977 – USA

Allegorical comedy about political machinations in the matter of leadership succession at a Jesuit abbey in Philadelphia.  Pattered on the then-recent Watergate scandal, the film shows electronic spying, blackmail and Machiavellian strategy coming into play as the nuns conspire to undermine their rivals in the upcoming election.  It’s frequently funny, but its overall trite presentation is a little frustrating, despite its attributes, because it’s such a great premise that seems to beg for the attentions of a more substantial filmmaker like Robert Altman, Ken Russell, Richard Lester or even Michael Ritchie; all of whom would have loved the notion and would’ve turned it into a fine film.  Their first item of business would undoubtedly be to shake it loose from its strict allegory in order to make it more relevant to the political world in a timeless rather than literal way.  But what a great cast: Glenda Jackson, Geraldine Page, Sandy Dennis, Melina Mercouri, Rip Torn, Eli Wallach.  Though fun to watch in individual scenes, they seem wasted in what ultimately feels a lot more like a cheap TV-movie-of-the-week than it should.