As things are not following the expected by the relatives route Anna is forced to unveil all of her exclusive skills as a seductress. From a provocatively revealing night robe and sheer silk stockings to the "special care" for her patient Anna acts in a way that is likely to make any living man on earth pray for a stroke. And as it seems each day Count Leonida becomes more and more appreciative of his "misfortunate" illness. But will such behavior please his nervous relatives?

I think it is safe to bet that Nello Rosatti's L'Infermiera a.k.a The Sensuous Nurse (1975) will never be considered Italy's greatest cinematic achievement. Yet, judging by the amount of passionate responses during the late 70s and early 80s the public really liked what they saw. And who could have blamed them? The Sensuous Nurse provides plenty of genuine laughs spiced up with a heavy dose of provocative shots from the ever so captivating Swiss star Ursula Andress. Add to the mix a cast that very much knew how to improvise their parts and you have an unpretentious film that surely reaches its goals.

Italy has a long and successful tradition when it comes to the erotic genre and its many reincarnations. From Tinto Brass' early exploitation efforts with Salon Kitty (1976), Fernando di Leo's Amrsi Male a.k.a A Wrong Way to Love (1969), Joe Damato's Il Ginecologo della mutua a.k.a The Ladies' Doctor (1977), to the much later Mauro Bolognini's La Venexiana (1988), the Azzurri's film industry spurred a number of films that in return gave birth to a generation of actresses that many men around the world secretly dreamt about during wee hours. While many of the new starlets such as Ornella Muti (Flash Gordon), Laura Antonelli (La Venexiana), and Ursula Andress remained on the "serious side" of the genre other such as Lilli Carati and Hungarian-born Ilona Staller (better known as Cicciolina) found the explicit adult side of the genre more lucrative and followed a different carrier path.

Perhaps best known for her timeless reincarnation as the irresistible first Bond girl Ursula Andress steals this film with easiness you can hardly remain unimpressed with. Her natural charm and a figure that left many men with a racing pulse is what The Sensuous Nurse is built upon and the film does not shy away from showing it. In addition, director Nello Rossati has made sure that we see yet another Bond girl, Luciana Paluzzi, (Thundeball) which only further flavored an already zesty-enough Italian comedy. What's not to like about this film??

How Does the Film Look? While there is plenty to like about The Sensuous Nurse and its cast I feel fairly unimpressed with the transfer provided by No Shame. Once again I am left with mixed feelings about their transfer as I want to give it the highest possible mark but am unable to do so. What appears as a deceivingly good-looking and clean transfer with an occasional dust speck here and there is actually a rather disappointing print as far as I am concerned. Presented in an anamorphic 1.66:1 transfer the film appears to be incorrectly sourced from a PAL master (yet again) and as a result I see some substantial "blurring" especially in fast motion sequences. I can only guess how No Shame acquire their prints but they need to improve (just a tiny bit) when it comes to converting them to DVD. I would like to make it clear that I am not disappointed with the way the film looks but with the fact that it is not properly transferred to DVD. Aside from that colors appear relatively accurate, contrast is satisfying, and the print itself is in relatively good condition (of course given the fact this is a rather dated production).
Unlike some of my colleagues that write for other reviewing sites there are times when I am willing to give a high mark regarding a certain release if there is clear evidence that the release in question is unlikely to reappear any time soon with a substantially better transfer. But I am not willing to encourage mediocrity by doing so. In the case with The Sensuous Nurse I am simply happy to see a relatively good looking transfer that regardless of the conversion issue described above is very unlikely to reappear with a sparkling remastered version any time soon (this is the remastered/restored version after all). So, what would it take to finally get rid of this annoying issue?

How Does the DVD Sound? Presented in its original Italian mono track and optional English subtitles and an optional English dub I am extremely happy to report that the audio is in perfect condition. I was unable to hear any distracting crack-ups or other audio problems. Overall, a stellar presentation.

Extras: The following extras are provided on this DVD:

Casting the Nurse-Interview with director Nello Rossati and costume designer Tony Rossati (23min).

Original Italian Theatrical Trailer-

Poster and Still Gallery-

In addition to the above-mentioned extras No Shame have once again supplied an excellent 8-page collectable booklet. In it one could find a very well-written linear notes by film critic Richard Harland Smith, a rather informative Ursula Andress career summary, as well as a short Jack Palance biography. With this said, Richard Harland Smith incorrectly refers to Ursula Andress as being Swedish. She is clearly Swiss and there is quite a difference here.

Final Thoughts: I won't hide it and admit that Italian 70s and 80s erotic comedies have a special place in my heart. Many of them offered that innocent laugh (well, many of them were not so innocent but they were pure entertainment) that nowadays seem long forgotten. The hilarious eroticism they brought to audiences around the world nowadays is simply impossible to accomplish. In the age of internet promiscuity these films are forever gone and I suppose the sense of nostalgia one will experience when looking at them has a bitter-sweet taste for many that are actually old enough to remember them.
No Shame's presentation of The Sensuous Nurse is a most-welcomed addition to the few genre films available on DVD in North America. While the transfer is generally good (sans the conversion issue described above) I can not but think that this could have been a marvelous set. But then again one should be appreciative that The Sensuous Nurse is actually on the market. RECOMMENDED.