Themes: Crisis of Faith, Journey of Self-Discovery, Missionaries
Main Cast: Audrey Hepburn, Peter Finch, Edith Evans, Peggy Ashcroft, Dean Jagger
Release Year: 1959
Country: US
Run Time: 152 minutes
Plot
Audrey Hepburn stars in The Nun's Story as Sister Luke, postulant of a Belgian order of nuns. Though frequently disillusioned in her efforts to spread good will -- at one point she is nearly killed by a mental patient (Colleen Dewhurst) -- Sister Luke perseveres. Sent as a nurse to the Belgian Congo, an assignment she'd been hoping for, Sister Luke is disappointed to learn that she will not be ministering to the natives but to European patients. Through the example of no-nonsense chief surgeon Peter Finch, the nun sheds her idealism and becomes a diligent worker -- so much so that she contracts tuberculosis. Upon the outbreak of World War II, Sister Luke tries to honor the edicts of her order and not take sides, but this becomes impossible when her father (Dean Jagger) is killed by the Nazis. Realizing that she cannot remain true to her vows, Sister Luke leaves the order and returns to "civilian" life. The Nun's Story ends with a long, silent sequence in which Sister Luke divests herself of her religious robes, dons street garb, and walks out to an uncertain future. There is no background music: director Fred Zinnemann decided that "triumphant" music would indicate that Sister Luke's decision was the right one, while "tragic" music would suggest that she is doing wrong. Rather than make an editorial comment, the director decided against music, allowing the audience members to fill in the blanks themselves. The Nun's Story is based on the book by Kathryn Hulme, whose depiction of convent life was a lot harsher and more judgmental than anything seen in the film. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
The Nun's Story is a moving, heartfelt drama, highlighted by an absolutely stunning central performance by the irreplaceable Audrey Hepburn. While some might quibble that a less "stellar" persona in the role might be truer to the original tale, the fact is that Nun has been conceived for the cinema in such a manner that a certain amount of star power is needed to hold the film together. Hepburn, of course, has no problem fitting that bill, but she does so much more than that, delivering some of the finest work of her esteemed career. She projects the inner turmoil of the character both subtly and overtly, but never in a manner that feels like "acting." More importantly, she realistically conveys both the character's strong pull to her faith and her resistance to the same, so that the viewer keeps guessing till the end which one will win out. It's a superb performance, aided by sensitive direction from Fred Zinnemann and a screenplay full of strong moments from Robert Anderson. Yet both Zinnemann and Anderson must also take some blame for the film's weaknesses, chief among them the fact the character's initial decision to go into the convent is never gone into. Modern audiences may also feel that the film shies away from examining the morality of some of the demands within the order, although audiences at the time of its release felt it was bold just to bring up the issue at all. Zinnemann occasionally lets the pace flag, but he presents some stunning visuals and is blessed with a lovely cast. (Watch for a powerful Colleen Dewhurst in the mental institution.) If Nun has its flaws, it's still affecting and stirring. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
Based upon the 1956 novel of the same title by Kathryn Hulme, the story tells of the life of Sister Luke (played by Audrey Hepburn), a young Belgian woman who decides to enter a convent and makes many of the sacrifices required of her, but at the outset of World War II, finds she cannot remain neutral in the face of the abject evil of Hitler's Germany. The book was based upon the life of Marie Louise Habets, a Belgian nurse who similarly spent time as a nun.
A major portion of the film takes place in the Belgian Congo where Sister Luke assists Dr. Fortunati (Peter Finch) in helping treat the lepers of the area.
Closeness to the novel
The film version follows the book fairly closely, although there is an added level of sexual tension present in the relationship between Dr. Fortunati and Sister Luke that is absent from the novel.
The Nun's Story was a major box office success in its day and was considered, for a time, to be the most financially successful of Hepburn's films and one the actress often cited as her favorite. Hepburn met Marie-Louise Habets while preparing for the role, and Habets later helped nurse Hepburn back to health following her near-fatal horse-riding accident on the set of the 1960 film, The Unforgiven.
The Nun's Story received its first official North American DVD release on April 4, 2006. The story behind the book and film was the subject of The Belgian Nurse, a radio play by Zoe Fairbairns broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on Saturday, 13 January 2007.
Menschen am Sonntag •Redes •Friend Indeed •They Live Again •Tracking the Sleeping Death •That Mothers Might Live •The Story of Doctor Carver •Weather Wizards •While America Sleeps •Help Wanted •One Against the World •The Ash Can Fleet •Forgotten Victory
1940s
Stuffie •The Great Meddler •The Old South •A Way in the Wilderness •Forbidden Passage •Your Last Act •The Greenie •The Lady or the Tiger? •Kid Glove Killer •Eyes in the Night •The Seventh Cross •Little Mister Jim •My Brother Talks to Horses •The Search •Act of Violence
