The Nun's Story (film)
| The Nun's Story | |
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 Original film poster |
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| Directed by | Fred Zinnemann |
| Produced by | Henry Blanke |
| Written by | Robert Anderson from the novel by Kathryn Hulme |
| Starring | Audrey Hepburn Peter Finch Edith Evans Peggy Ashcroft |
| Music by | Franz Waxman |
| Cinematography | Franz Planer |
| Editing by | Walter Thompson |
| Distributed by | Warner Brothers |
| Release date(s) | 18 July 1959 |
| Running time | 149 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Nun's Story is a 1959 Warner Brothers film directed by Fred Zinnemann and starring Audrey Hepburn. Based upon the 1956 novel of the same title by Kathryn Hulme, the story tells of the life of Sister Luke (Hepburn), a young Belgian woman who decides to enter a convent and make the many sacrifices required by her choice. However, 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. The film follows the book fairly closely, although some critics believe the film shows sexual tension in the relationship between Dr. Fortunati (Peter Finch) and Sister Luke that is absent from the novel.
A major portion of the film takes place in the Belgian Congo, site of location shooting [1] , where Sister Luke assists Dr. Fortunati in surgical procedures at a mission hospital. The location was Yakusu, a center of missionary and medical activity in the Belgian Congo.[2]
Colleen Dewhurst made her feature film debut in the film. [3]
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[edit] Cast
- Audrey Hepburn as Sister Luke (Gabrielle van der Mal)
- Peter Finch as Dr. Fortunati
- Edith Evans as Rev. Mother Emmanuel
- Peggy Ashcroft as Mother Mathilde
- Dean Jagger as Dr. Van Der Mal
- Mildred Dunnock as Sister Margharita
- Beatrice Straight as Mother Christophe
- Patricia Collinge as Sister William
- Rosalie Crutchley as Sister Eleanor
- Ruth White as Mother Marcella
- Barbara O'Neil as Mother Didyma
- Margaret Phillips as Sister Pauline
- Patricia Bosworth as Simone
- Colleen Dewhurst as Archangel Gabriel
- Stephen Murray as Chaplain (Father Andre)
- Lionel Jeffries as Dr. Goovaerts
- Niall MacGinnis as Father Vermeuhlen
- Eva Kotthaus as Sister Marie
- Molly Urquhart as Sister Augustine
- Dorothy Alison as Sister Aurelie
- Jeanette Sterke as Louise (sister of Gabrielle)
- Errol John as Illunga
[edit] Awards
It was nominated for several Academy Awards including Best Actress in a Leading Role (Audrey Hepburn), Best Cinematography, Color, Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, Best Picture, Best Sound (George Groves) and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.[4]
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 the 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.
[edit] The Nun's Story and Batman
The movie is mentioned in Tom Mankiewicz' 1989 Batman script. This is the movie young Bruce Wayne and his parents see before their death. In the comics, the movie is shown as The Mark of Zorro.
[edit] References
- ^ "The Nun's Story (1959)". Turner Classic Movies. http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/16107/The-Nun-s-Story/articles.html. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
- ^ "Wellcome Library for the History of Medicine & Understanding". Leprosy History. http://www.leprosyhistory.org/cgi-bin/showdetails.pl?ID=91&type=Archive. Retrieved 2011-10-25.
- ^ "The Nun's Story (1959) - Notes". Turner Classic Movies. http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/16107/The-Nun-s-Story/notes.html. Retrieved October 15, 2011.
- ^ "The 32nd Academy Awards (1960) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/32nd-winners.html. Retrieved 2011-08-21.
[edit] External links
- The Nun's Story at the Internet Movie Database
- The Nun's Story at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Nun's Story at AllRovi
- Critics' reviews and background about the film
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