The Nun's Story
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Movie Reviews of The Nun's Story
Movie Review: Fantastic and Moving
Summary: 5 Stars
Regardless of your individual religious convictions (or the lack thereof), this film deserves to be seen for its fantastic performances and the scrupulous care with which the original material was transferred to the screen. "The Nun's Story" is based on the book of the same name by Katherine Hulme, who wrote it as fiction; however, the book was a memoir of the real-life experiences of Hulme's friend and companion.
The cast list alone should tell you something: Dame Edith Evans, Peggy Ashcroft, Dean Jagger, Beatrice Straight, Colleen Dewhurst, Mildred Dunnock, Peter Finch, Niall McGinnis (a VERY long way from "Curse of the Demon" and "Anna Karenina"). Directed by Fred Zinneman ("High Noon"), the film also boasts a powerful score by Franz Waxman and gorgeous cinematography - it was filmed in Cinemascope, which had recently superceded Technicolor as the color transference system of choice.
"The Nun's Story" recounts Gabrielle Van der Mal's seventeen years in a strict Belgian order of nuns between the two world wars. Gaby (Audrey Hepburn) is the daughter of a renowned Belgian pulmonary surgeon (Dean Jagger) and has inherited his passion for medicine - she is already skilled in basic nursing and the use of a microscope. The Van der Mal family is devout, but her distinguished scientist father is nevertheless dismayed when his highly intelligent daughter announces her intention of joining an order of nursing nuns whose members also serve out in the Belgian Congo. Gaby is planning, under the convent's aegis, to train at the School for Tropical Medicine and obtain a certificate that will allow her to go out to the Congo as a nurse.
It must be remembered that in 1925, ordinary women were barred from becoming doctors, certainly from entering a field as challenging as tropical medicine, and that nuns would be a rare exception to this restriction. Thus, the film hints from the beginning that Gaby's motives for entering the religious life go beyond mere spiritual dedication. Gaby is sincere in her religious ardor, but it is only one reason that she selects this life.
From the outset, the very gifts that make Gaby a likely asset to her order's nursing staff, her intelligence and decisive temperament, present problems in her training as a nun. Her order's Rule is "Poverty, Chastity, Obedience." As her father says the day he delivers her to the convent, "Gaby, I can see you poor, I can see you chaste; but for the life of me, I cannot see you obedient." And, indeed, the training in obedient, unthinking detachment that makes responding to a prayer bell a higher priority than completing the administering of medicine to a patient, all chafe at Gaby's essential nature. She is influenced and encouraged in this struggle by the charismatic Superior General of the order, played with a wonderful combination of majesty and compassion by the great Dame Edith Evans.
Nevertheless, despite some bumps in the road, Gaby passes successfully through her year as a postulant and takes her initial vows, where she is given the name Sister Luke. As Sister Luke she enters the School of Tropical Medicine, receives her coveted certificate, and sets out on the life she has chosen for herself, although it will require three years of further testing by her superiors, who do not quite trust that she has subdued her will and is sufficiently "in the mold", before she is sent out to the Congo. During the three-year testing period, Sister Luke passes through two major crises that force her to reexamine her fitness for the religious life, but at last she takes her final vows, and is told to prepare herself to go out to the Congo, where she will join a small group of nursing sisters attached to two hospitals, one for white Europeans and one for the Congo natives.
The film then covers the next decade of Sister Luke's life in the Congo, and her struggles to combine her commitment to becoming a fine nurse AND a fine nun, one who personifies her Order's Rule. However, an appropriate balance between the two becomes more elusive, rather than closer, as the years progress. Sister Luke's struggle is not helped by the entry onto the scene of Dr. Fortunati (Peter Finch), a difficult but gifted surgeon that Sister Luke must work with. He brings a sexual charge into the atmosphere and is, moreover, an atheist. He discerns immediately that Sister Luke, whose skills he considers to be far above those of other nursing sisters he has worked with, is NOT "in the mold". When Sister Luke contracts tuberculosis, Dr. Fortunati tells her plainly that he believes her health is reflecting her emotional conflict, but Sister Luke refuses to accept his diagnosis.
By the time this confrontation occurs, World War II is shaping ominously on the horizon - years have gone by, and suddenly the Mother House in Belgium recalls Sister Luke, ostensibly to accompany a difficult patient home to Europe. Sister Luke goes very reluctantly, by now hopelessly in love with the African landscape, and she plans to return. But within a short time of her return, WWII finally erupts, Germany invades Holland and then Belgium, and Sister Luke's return to the Congo is cut off.
It is now nearly 17 years since she entered the convent, and Sister Luke is horrified to find that, after all this time, she is as unable as ever to subdue her worldy feelings to the spiritual direction of the Order. She is consumed with an un-Christian hatred of the enemy (who also occupied Belgium during World War I) that is completely at variance with her spiritual training. Her hatred is fanned into a blazing bonfire when she learns that her father has been killed by German strafing as he stopped to help the wounded along a road on which thousands were fleeing to the countryside.
This information brings Sister Luke to a crossroads that, in reality, she has been approaching since she first entered the convent. The crisis she passes through as she considers whether to persevere or break her vows dwarfs her previous struggles, and her decision gives the film its stunning ending.
Whether or not you yourself accept the tenets of Christianity or any other religion is not important - the film is a work of art that examines a unique life and a set of experiences that few in today's fast-paced modern world can imagine. The point is not Gaby's Christianity - the point is one woman's struggle to reconcile two seemingly opposing facets of her character, both of which she sincerely honors, and the inevitable confrontation that forces her to give one up.
Today, there are few Orders left that reflect the severe character of the one that Gaby enters so young. The film offers a fascinating portrait of life inside such an Order and is exquisitely filmed. It manages to convey the austere beauty of life inside the Mother House, but does not spare the hypocrisies, petty jealousies, and mistakes that flourish within it. The more colorful life of the nursing nuns in the Congo is also gorgeous. The performances are magnificent, and it is a tribute to Hepburn that her youthful beauty does not undermine her portrayal of Sister Luke.
This is a fantastic film and not to be missed.
Movie Review: the art of subtlety
Summary: 5 Stars
Perched high atop the list of the finest American movies of the 1950's, Fred Zinnemann`s "The Nun's Story" is an intensely beautiful and powerful film about a woman who undergoes a crisis of faith and, through her struggle, learns the importance of finding one's true path in life. Based on the novel by Kathryn Hulme, the film tells the story of Gabrielle van der Mal, a Belgian woman who enters the convent in the 1930`s, spends a brief period working as a nurse in the Congo, then leaves the order after years of intense personal struggle with herself and with God. Among American films of its time, "The Nun's Story" stands virtually alone in its ability and willingness to dramatize a conflict taking place in the deepest recesses of a character's mind and soul.
Audrey Hepburn - sans makeup and the kind of fashion-plate wardrobe that had already become the hallmark of her movie career - delivers one of her richest performances as the strong-willed and fiercely independent Sister Luke, whose very psyche is torn asunder by the battle between her own innate, personal pride and a sincere desire to live a life of obedience to the Church and its rules. With everything but her countenance hidden beneath a nun's habit, Ms. Hepburn is forced to draw on her resources as an actress, having to convey the titanic internal conflict taking place within her character almost entirely through facial expressions, vocal intonations and body language. And she proves herself more than equal to the challenge. She is brilliantly complemented by Peter Finch, playing the cynical but humane Dr. Fortunati, a dedicated surgeon who is as concerned about Sister Luke's spiritual health as her physical health. The relationship between the two is handled with a great deal of subtlety and tact, never allowing the obvious romantic attraction between the two attractive people to come too much to the fore. Rounding out the excellent cast are Dean Jagger as Gabrielle's loving and concerned father, Peggy Ashcroft and Mildred Dunnock as two older nuns who help guide Sister Luke along the way, and the incomparable Edith Evans, simply astounding as the Reverend Mother who sees unwavering devotion to God and the Church as the one and only goal of a serious nun.
Among other things, "The Nun's Story" is that rare film dealing with religion and spirituality that doesn't contain a single hokey or sentimental moment, that knows the difference between religion and religiosity, that is respectful without being unduly reverential, and that acknowledges the complexity of the human heart in matters of devotion and faith. It also is not afraid to take its time to set the scene and tell its story, never feeling the need to rush headlong into the next dramatic moment just to keep the movie going. In a perfect blending of form and content, the film is every bit as thoughtful, subtle and contemplative as its subject matter, its mood greatly enhanced by the rich and evocative Franz Waxman score that underlines the seriousness of the work.
In addition to all its other fine virtues, "The Nun's Story" features one of the greatest final scenes and closing shots in motion picture history, a masterpiece of precision and understatement that demonstrates the kind of taste Zinnemann always displayed as a director. The movie is made up of small, beautifully observed moments that, when put together, provide a powerful glimpse into the heart and life of a fascinating, caring individual who wants to do great things in the world but who realizes that the path she has chosen is not the one that will ultimately lead her to her rightful destiny.
On every level of filmmaking, this is truly one of the greats.
Movie Review: A Luminous Hepburn Guided by a Masterful Zinnemann Makes an Introspective Journey Cinematic
Summary: 5 Stars
Capturing one's spiritual crisis hardly sounds like the ideal cinematic subject, but master director Fred Zinnemann does an unparalleled job of dramatizing the inner turmoil and the quest for serenity and immaculate devotion in the life of a Belgian novice in the 1930's. This is no small feat as so much of the story has to do with evoking what is essentially a journey of introspection in this 1959 classic. Fortunately, Audrey Hepburn is luminous as the novice, Sister Luke, who begins the movie as Gabrielle ("Gaby") van der Mal, the daughter of a notable surgeon, who dreams of going to the Congo as a nurse for the natives. Proving she doesn't need Givenchy couture or an adoring leading man to complete her, Hepburn brings her character to shimmering life in a fully dimensional performance. It also helps that Robert Anderson has written an impressive screenplay based on Kathryn Hulme's expansive novel based on a friend who was indeed a Belgian nurse and a former nun.
The story has three discrete parts. The first focuses on Gaby's induction into the Catholic order and the exacting transition she makes from postulant to novice. What strikes me most about this part of the movie is not so much the deeper spirituality at the foundation of the training but the near cult-like behavior demanded of the postulants. It's an impressive rite of passage with particularly effective turns by Mildred Dunnock as the humorless Mother of Postulants and especially Edith Evans as the Reverend Mother, a figure concurrently maternal and fearsome. The newly named Sister Luke is assigned to the mental ward of a Belgian asylum where she experiences an episode of terror with a young Colleen Dewhurst as a combative schizophrenic patient.
The film's second section has Sister Luke fulfilling her dream to go to the Congo but only to treat the European patients at a white hospital. Still, she makes an impression on the native population as well as Dr. Fortunati, a bellowing atheist and brilliant surgeon who is soon impressed by Sister Luke's medical skills. The two bond, and there is an unspoken feeling of romance, especially during her bout with tuberculosis. However, her skills demand her to go back to Belgium now on the verge of WWII. The third and last part of the movie has Sister Luke back at the convent and struggling with her vows, especially as the Nazis invade and personal tragedy occurs. Zinnemann smartly avoids wartime action shots and lets the nuns recite news headlines as a means of visualizing the carnage surrounding the order. The film ends with an extremely moving, wordless sequence of Sister Luke deciding her fate.
As a Belgian who suffered through WWII, Hepburn has an obvious affinity with Gaby/Sister Luke, and even covered head to toe by her habit, she lets her beautiful face express a full range of emotions. Peter Finch plays Dr. Fortunati with convincing swagger, and a gallery of fine character actresses make strong impressions despite the constrictions of their habits. In the Congo sequence, Peggy Ashcroft is a lively presence as Mother Mathilde, and Dorothy Alison makes the optimism of Sister Aurelie palpable and ultimately poignant. Dean Jagger plays the small role of Gaby's father with his requisite paternal appeal. Franz Planer's cinematography is first-rate, especially the National Geographic-like scenes in the Congo, and Franz Waxman does his usual sterling work on the stentorian music score. The new 2006 DVD only offers the original trailer as an extra, a shame since the film is so accomplished in many ways.
Movie Review: A Classic Religious Dochotomy, as Relevent Today as 2000 Years Ago
Summary: 5 Stars
The first thing that needs to be said about this movie is that it should be taken as a historical piece and not indicative of the life of many if not most nuns today. Yes, there are still cloistered nuns that follow the strict rules of silence depicted here. However, for example, the hospital nun who visited my mother as she was dying lived in her own apartment in town, didn't wear a habit, and seemed to me to be much more interested in the people she was serving than in following onerous rules of piety.
That said, 'The Nun's Story' certainly comes in among the 1000 best movie ever made. It is a very powerful drama, with flawless performances by the main characters. In most ways, it fairly accurately depicts the pre Vatican II Catholic Church. Since Vatican II, a lot has changed, and this change is spotlighted by this film when comparing Sister Luke's life with that of most nuns today.
In a lot of ways, Sister Luke's convent was similar to the Pharisees so vividly depicted in Scripture. They were so concerned with following every letter of the Law that they failed to perceive and serve the real, everyday needs of the people. They were so focused on serving God that they forgot that Jesus said that 'if you have done it to the least of these (people), you have done it to Me.' This is not to suggest in any way that the sisters were not really sincere in their desire to serve God; indeed, their desire, and the sacrifices they willing made, needs to be admired.
I think Sister Luke would have made it as a nun today. Of course there are still rules and disciplines that need to be observed. But, as Jesus told the Pharisees, if a cow is stuck in a pit on the Sabbath, you forget the rules about only resting on the Sabbath and help the distressed cow. If Jesus thought that about a cow, how much more so can the 'rules' be broken to serve another human being in distress?
It is purely this dichotomy that distressed Sister Luke so much that he eventually had to leave the convent. She was there to serve the needs of people, hurting people, not to follow endless rules to the letter. She complained that the Convent expected that a sister counseling a lady who, for example, really needed comforting as she was dying, had to forsake the patient at the tone of the bell tolling silence. Sister Luke couldn't reconcile the emotional affliction of that woman with the perceived benefits of silent meditation.
The whole movie is full of conflicts like this. At one point. Sister Luke, an outstanding science student was asked to fail an exam so as to not appear to be superior to another, less talented nun in the same course. What the Mother Superior didn't seem to realize was that for Sister Luke to give a false, wrong answer on the final exam, would make her into a liar. As one is watching this movie, they would do well to look for situations such as these and ask himself what God, through the lens of today's Catholic catechism, would expect her to do. Protestants should ask themselves the same things through their doctrines.
Knowing that everyone in religious life in this movie was sincerely trying to serve God in their best way possible, one can see the makings of great drama. The big question addressed by 'The Nun's Story' is which way is the right way? Or, maybe, different people need different ways of serving God, so both are right? Perhaps, like Sister Luke, you'll want to pray about it. Watch this classic movie, then decide for yourself!
Movie Review: Dear Lord, Forgive Me: I Cannot Obey Any More
Summary: 5 Stars
Loosely based on the life Marie Louise-Habets, THE NUN'S STORY by Kathryn Hulme was a best-selling novel of 1956, but it drew little interest from the film industry until director Fred Zinnemann brought the project to Audrey Hepburn's attention. The result was a bidding war for the project with Warner Bro.s the winner, and although the studio feared the subject would be too esoteric for most audiences, THE NUN'S STORY not only picked up numerous Academy Award nominations, it was among the most financially successful films of 1959--and one of Audrey Hepburn's greatest box office successes.
The story concerns Gabrielle van der Mal, the daughter of a noted Belgian surgeon, who enters a convent with what she believes to be a true calling from God and in the hope that her medical experience and skills will be of use to the church. Now known as Sister Luke, she is xcited by an assignment to the Belgian Congo, she is disappointed when she finds her assignment is to a European hospital instead of a native hospital. With passing time--and under the possibly negative influence of Dr. Fortunati (Peter Finch)--she begins to place her calling as a nurse before her calling to the church, and as such she begins to question whether she had a true calling as a nun. While in the Congo she contracts tuberculosis, and although she recovers she is returned to Beglium, where she finds her place in the convent increasingly unteneble, and with the onset of World War II she finds she cannot maintain the neutrality the church demands. Significantly torn, she elects to leave the convent, and in a powerfully evocative scene does this, walking away into an unknown future and an unknown fate.
Although some may find it a bit too long, THE NUN'S STORY is among the most visually beautiful films of its era, filmed on location in the Congo and in Europe, flawlessly costumed, perfectly filmed. The direction is subtle, and each performance shines in a truly memorable cast that includes Peggy Ashcroft, Patricia Collinge, Colleen Dewhurst, Mildred Dunnock, Edith Evans, Dean Jagger, Barbara O'Neill, and Beatrice Straight--as well as the aforementioned Peter Finch, who adds a certain sexual tension to the mix. But the focus is on Audrey Hepburn, and if any film proves that Hepburn was not just an actress but an artist, it is THE NUN'S STORY. She so beautifully captures Sister Luke's spiritual tug of war. At the film's conclusion one feels that Sister Luke has demanded too much of herself, and--unable to acheive spiritual perfection--has almost deliberately faultered into a more worldly point of view. What ever the interpretation made, THE NUN'S STORY is brilliant, start to finish, and not to be missed. Strongly recommended.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer