The Nun's Story
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Movie Reviews of The Nun's Story
Movie Review: Little-known best film
Summary: 5 Stars
The is a wonderful film and story. I myself thought that her love for medicine and helping people in the end won over her desire to devote her life spiritually. Her fathers death was the moment she received the grace and courage to live her truth. Just a sweet, sweet story and she was indeed torn. I loved in certain parts of the film she kept getting tested. Just when she thought she was getting closer to her desires for the Congo there would be something pulling at her or in the way. The insane asylum in Belgium where she was first sent (and then sent to watch over the ward of the most dangerous and seriously ill) would test the will of God himself. Even once she got to the Congo she was sent to the European hospital..not in the lepper colonies and with the village hospital as she longed for with her huge knowledge of tropical diseases etc...her scare with TB, recuperation process and replationship with the Dr. was touching and enlightening for her and the viewer...just great. I agree this was one of her best films and cannot imagine it being made today. She was such a true genuine talent. Glad it is on DVD and I appreciate the other reviews with the information on the cinema history. It is a little on the long side, so it needs a big bowl of popcorn! :)Movie Review: Transcendent!
Summary: 5 Stars
This magnificent film of 1957 still shines in all its luminosity after 50 years. It reminds us of the heights to which Hollywood could rise in the old studio system, which invested its resources on quality: the actors, the director, the music, the costumes, and the splendid genuine locations, from the canals and bridges of Bruges and Antwerp to the sweeping expanse of the Congo river (The scenes at the leper colony, among many others, are fascinating.). "The Nun's Story" allows us to glimpse a slice of history of the 1930s, as it unfolds on two continents. It gives us a look back into a society, both sacred and secular, that World War II was to change irrevocably.
The superb performances of Audrey Hepburn, Peggy Ashcroft, Edith Evans, Mildred Natwick, and Peter Finch speak for themselves, and it would be superfluous of me to comment on them further.
I merely wonder how many of the hundreds of films now churned out in Hollywood every year (the millions of dollars spent making them; their celebrity actors; their special effects) will still shine as brightly as "The Nun's Story" 50 years from now?
Relatively few, I think!
Movie Review: Unforgettable
Summary: 5 Stars
In Bruges, in 1930, a bright and willful young woman (Audrey Hepburn) enters a convent and undergoes rigorous training for the religious life. As Sister Luke, her dream of serving as a nurse in the Belgian Congo is finally realized, but she develops a life-threatening illness. When she eventually returns to the strict confines of the mother house, her years-long struggle to follow the rule of obedience and the outbreak of WWII bring about a crisis of conscience.
I first saw this movie in 1960 and it had a huge effect on me; I'm glad to say I found it every bit as powerful today. It is a deeply reverential look at traditional religious life and a fine character study of a young woman who strives to conform to the restraints of her vocation. Audrey Hepburn is so young and serenely beautiful and shows great emotional range; I'm sure she inspired many girls to consider religious life.
Partially filmed in Belgium and the Congo, the movie is beautiful and timeless. It is adapted from Kathryn C. Hulme's source novel which was based on the life of a real nun. Highly recommended.
Movie Review: Religion and Art
Summary: 5 Stars
Religious and artists' lives have not fared particularly well in films, both being more interior than outwardly evident. Fred Zinnemann's The Nun's Story is the exception, certainly in American films, as it charts the life of Gabrielle Van Der Mal, who becomes Sister Luke, a nursing nun in Belgium and later in the Congo. Her gradual alienation from the religious life to one more secular is brilliantly conceived. This is achieved in Zinnemann's stately direction but also in the Robert Anderson script, drawn from Kathryn Hulme's book.
There will probably never again be a cast of women as extraordinary as here. Audrey Hepburn had the finest role of her career as Sister Luke. Add Edith Evans, Peggy Ashcroft, Mildred Dunnock, Colleen Dewhurst, Beatrice Straight and Ruth White, all giving exceptional performances. Lastly, Peter Finch's role here as Dr. Fortunati, put him on the international map and began a string of fine performances for the rest of his career. This is essential viewing for those interested in how Hollywood once produced fine and intelligent work.
Movie Review: finally on dvd
Summary: 5 Stars
When this film was released it was a huge success, in fact, it was, at the time, the highest grossing film ever released by Warner Bros. Had it not been released the same year as a little film called "Ben-Hur" it would probably have been the big Oscar winner for that year. It is a beautifully made film. One that I can not imagine being made today. It is not a a religous movie, although it is about religion. It is the story of one strong, intellegent woman's struggle to to be true to herself, while conforming to her society's (in this case her religous order's) expectations.
The performances are exceptional and what would you expect with people like Edith Evans, Peter Finch, Coleen Dewherst. However, it is the glorious and powerful performance of Audrey Hepburn which makes this a truly great film. This is her greatest dramatic performance. Pay particular attention to the scene in which she is asked to fail an important exam. You can see layers of thought and turmoil in her eyes and body language and they all belong to the character, not the actress.