Film Review
Audrey Hepburn often cited
The Nun's
Story as her personal favourite of all the films she made,
claiming that she felt a close affinity with the central protagonist, a
young nun who is unable to reconcile her devotion to God with her
devotion to her fellow man. Based on Marie Louise Habets' partly
auto-biographical novel of the same title. the film was a smash hit on
its first release - audiences appeared not to have been put off either
by its controversial subject matter or its demanding two and a half
runtime. This may have been one of Warner Brothers' most
commercially successful films, but initially the studio was very
apprehensive about making a film about a nun who 'kicks the
habit'.
The Nun's Story
was enthusiastically received by audiences and critics a like,
and it was nominated for eight Oscars, in categories that include Best
Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Hepburn), Best Color
Cinematography and Best Score, but failed to win a single award.
Hepburn may not have won an Oscar - she lost out to Simone Signoret for
her work on Jack Clayton's
Room at the Top (1959) - but
she was recompensed with a Best Actress BAFTA.
Would anyone pay to watch a film about a nun failing to be a nun?
Director Fred Zinnemann obviously thought so. He had been
committed to making the film ever since Gary Cooper gave him a copy of
Habets' novel. The fact that he already had a proven track record
with ambitious and sometimes provocative films -
High
Noon (1952),
From Here to Eternity (1953),
Oklahoma!
(1955) - meant that he was the right person to take on a prestige
production with a contentious subject matter. Right from the
outset, the film encountered hostility from the Catholic Church, who
saw nothing positive in the film's portrayal of a nun's life.
Zinnemann's flair for narrative detail and character depth ensured that
The Nun's Story would be a
gripping portrayal of a woman's inner struggle, a struggle that she
couldn't possibly win but which reveals so much about the resilience
and generosity of the human spirit along the way.
In addition to Zinnemann's masterful direction and Hepburn's
mesmerising performance, the film's other bonus is Franz Planer's
alluring Technicolor cinematography. The vibrant lushness of the
location setting in the Belgian Congo provides a stark contrast with
the oppressive limited palette of the convent interior, emphasising the
heroine's sense of fulfilment when she begins her missionary work in
Africa and her reluctance ever to return to the 'mother house'.
(Originally, Zinnemann had wanted to film the scenes in Belgium in
black and white, switching to colour when the heroine arrives in the
Congo - Planer achieves the director's desired effect far more
subtly). With strong supporting contributions from a
distinguished cast that includes Peter Finch, Edith Evans and Peggy
Ashcroft the film has no let down on the acting front, although there
is no doubt that this is Hepburn's film, possibly the one in which she
gave the performance of her career.
© James Travers 2013
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Next Fred Zinnemann film:
A Man for All Seasons (1966)
Film Synopsis
In the late 1920s, Gabby Van Der Mal persuades her loving father to
allow her to fulfil what she believes is her mission in life, to enter
a convent where she can devote herself to God. Her dream is to
undertake missionary work in the Belgian Congo, but first she must
undergo a difficult period as a postulant and novice to prepare her for
her future life, one founded on poverty, chastity and obedience.
Having passed her medical exams, Gabby, now known as Sister Luke, is disappointed when she is
assigned to a psychiatric hospital. When, finally, she is sent to
the Congo, she is further disappointed when she is instructed to work
at a hospital that treats only white patients, not the natives for whom
she has a particular fondness. Despite her strained relationship
with the hospital's plain-speaking surgeon, Dr. Fortunati, Gabby proves
to be a capable nurse, but one day she is shocked to discover that she
has contracted tuberculosis...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.