The Nun's Story (1959)
Genre: Drama
Duration: 149 minuten
Country:
United States
Directed by: Fred Zinnemann
Stars: Audrey Hepburn, Peter Finch and Edith Evans
IMDb score:
7,5 (12.792)
Releasedate: 18 June 1959
The Nun's Story plot
"From the very beginning, she was not like the others..."
Bruges, 1920. Gabrielle, the daughter of the famous surgeon Van der Mal, wants to go to the monastery. Van der Mal initially tries to talk his daughter out of that plan, but in the end has to give her way. After her novitiate, Gabrielle, who has now become Sister Luke, studies tropical medicine and leaves for Congo after finishing her studies.
Actors and actresses
Sister Luke
Dr. Fortunati
Rev. Mother Emmanuel
Mother Mathilde
Dr. Hubert Van Der Mal
Sister Margharita
Mother Christophe
Sister William
Sister Eleanor
Mother Marcella
Reviews & comments
baspls
-
- 4118 messages
- 1673 votes
The Nun's Story is an impressive drama about the nearly vanished world of convent life. Gabrielle is a young Belgian woman who decides to enter a convent and wants to put her medical talents to use in the Belgian Congo. There, her faith will be put to the test. Based on the book by Kathryn Hulme, which is based on the life of a real Belgian nun.
The first half of the film is primarily an extensive portrayal of convent life. For some, it might be a bit long-winded, but I personally found it very interesting. Afterward, we see how Gabrielle and the other novices struggle with the rules of the convent and, finally, how Gabrielle—now Sister Lucas—ends up in the Congo after her studies in tropical medicine.
The locations in Bruges were all fully utilized, and furthermore, the film was also shot in the Belgian colony of Congo, including at a real leprosy colony. Congo would become independent a year after the film's release.
Audrey Hepburn managed to portray all of her character's inner conflicts very strongly. It is beautiful how the film never becomes clearly pro-religious or anti-religious, but leaves it somewhat ambiguous. The final scene where Gabrielle walks back into the outside world for the first time was very powerful.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Dievegge
-
- 3213 messages
- 8295 votes
Until half a century ago, someone from every Catholic family entered a convent. The strict life in such a building is well depicted here, even though they speak English. The Sisters of Charity had to take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Any frivolity was considered a sin that they had to confess; looking at oneself in a mirror counted as vanity.
There were two conceptions of religion. The first was the devout, rigorous tendency, in which the rules of the order had to be strictly observed and the sisters had to completely give up their personal desires and feelings. The second was a freer conception that focused on charity. Gabrielle (based on the West Flemish Marie Louise Habets) wanted to become a nun to perform missionary work and to nurse the sick. As the daughter of a surgeon, she had an aptitude for medicine. Life within the walls of a convent did not suit her.
Audrey Hepburn returned to her native country for this role. Before that, she had mainly done comedies, but here she proved her substance as a dramatic actress. She plays a combative woman who undergoes a major evolution through trial and error. Edith Evans has a distinctive supporting role as the strict but human Mother Superior. Simone, the novice who withdraws, was played by Patricia Collinge, one of the many victims of the first coronavirus wave in April 2020.
Several beautiful Belgian locations can be seen: the Bruges canals and the Port of Antwerp. The scenes in the Belgian Congo were filmed in Stanleyville, present-day Kisangani. The mighty Congo River and the liveliness of the local extras make for beautiful images. The interior shots were filmed in Rome. It is a witty drama incorporating a dose of Belgian and colonial history.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Film Pegasus (moderator films)
-
- 31399 messages
- 5578 votes
An American film about a Belgian film; it seemed like the story of Soeur Sourire, but it is entirely different. There is another one: The Singing Nun (1966), starring Debbie Reynolds in the title role. Audrey Hepburn shines in The Nun's Story, receiving a third Academy Award nomination for her role. It would not be her last.
But there is, of course, a Belgian link. Audrey Hepburn was born in Belgium, but the nun in the story is also Belgian, with roots in Bruges. It is nice to see how filming also took place in Bruges (in the book it is Ghent), and we also get footage from the Congo, which was still a Belgian colony at the time and would only become independent a year after this film. The role of Sister Luke became one of the roles closest to Hepburn's heart.
It is a beautiful film with a captivating story set in a unfortunately somewhat forgotten theme, and the film has been overshadowed by the success of Ben Hur from the same year. In Hepburn's credits, too, this is somewhat forgotten compared to her more famous roles.
Translated from Dutch · View original
Corporate & Media
Realtimes Network
Innovatieweg 20C
7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31(315)-764002
