The Nun's Story (1959)
There are two halves to The Nun’s Story, but since there’s such a long running time, it’s not that much of a problem. In fact, depending on your point of view, the shift in the second half actually fits into the movie’s overall message. This is definitely a movie that will make you think and talk about it afterwards.
There’s incredible realism in the first half, as Audrey Hepburn trains to become a nun. Director Fred Zinnemann and screenwriter Robert Anderson shed light on the inside of the church. Previously, in old movies, Helen Hayes or Loretta Young would be shown wearing a nun’s habit and smiling a jolly smile. Audiences were given absolutely no knowledge of how women were trained to remove their emotions, speak only when absolutely necessary, and refrain from even the slightest physical contact. In addition to hours of penitence and prayer, the women also needed to announce all their indiscretions in front of the rest of the officiants. “I accuse myself of taking a drink of water without asking permission,” is an example used in the film. The women strive to remove every ounce of humanity inside them, and some find it difficult than others. One woman finds it difficult to live a life of near silence, for example. Audrey has an issue releasing her pride. She knows she’s intelligent and capable, and one of the head nurses orders her to purposely fail an examination to relinquish her pride. It’s a wonderfully acted sequence, as we learn Audrey’s pride will continually be her biggest battle in the years to come. It was widely considered to be Audrey’s greatest performance, and she should have won her Academy Award for The Nun’s Story instead of Roman Holiday. At the Hot Toasty Rags, we righted that wrong and gave her the gold for a much more subtle, dramatic, and demanding performance. In recent years, the public has been made aware of the great sadness in Audrey’s personal life, and that the joy and generosity she showed others was far greater than what she knew herself. Knowing what we know now, her performance in The Nun’s Story really hits home. When she sits in the church and accuses herself of all her faults, we can easily imagine the inner criticisms she felt in real life. In the film, she travels to the Congo to care for sick and orphaned children, inspiring her to become philanthropic and work for UNICEF in her later years. For her, art imitated life imitated art.
Now for the second half of the film: when Audrey gets sent to the Congo, she completely changes. She no longer lives within the oppressive walls of the church, and superior nuns are no longer giving her orders and lessons every day. Consequently, she starts to pull away from her years of training. She smiles more, she has regular conversations, and physical touch is no longer forbidden. Also, there’s the added new element of a man: Peter Finch. Peter is not a man of the cloth. He’s energetic, passionate, sexy, and believes Audrey’s work as a nurse outweighs her duties as a nun. If she has four o’clock vespers, he refuses to let her leave the hospital if they’re attending to a patient.
If you’ve never seen this movie and have been avoiding it because you fear a religious slant, reconsider. While it doesn’t paint the officiants in a very positive light, it’s not so one-sided that you can’t sometimes be on the side of the church. This film truly does capture Audrey Hepburn’s finest performance, a very personal one that should be treasured for its difference from her normal screen persona. She’s not glamorous, charming, or radiant – qualities she possessed even when she tried hard not to in films like My Fair Lady and Wait Until Dark.
More Audrey Hepburn movies here!
There’s incredible realism in the first half, as Audrey Hepburn trains to become a nun. Director Fred Zinnemann and screenwriter Robert Anderson shed light on the inside of the church. Previously, in old movies, Helen Hayes or Loretta Young would be shown wearing a nun’s habit and smiling a jolly smile. Audiences were given absolutely no knowledge of how women were trained to remove their emotions, speak only when absolutely necessary, and refrain from even the slightest physical contact. In addition to hours of penitence and prayer, the women also needed to announce all their indiscretions in front of the rest of the officiants. “I accuse myself of taking a drink of water without asking permission,” is an example used in the film. The women strive to remove every ounce of humanity inside them, and some find it difficult than others. One woman finds it difficult to live a life of near silence, for example. Audrey has an issue releasing her pride. She knows she’s intelligent and capable, and one of the head nurses orders her to purposely fail an examination to relinquish her pride. It’s a wonderfully acted sequence, as we learn Audrey’s pride will continually be her biggest battle in the years to come. It was widely considered to be Audrey’s greatest performance, and she should have won her Academy Award for The Nun’s Story instead of Roman Holiday. At the Hot Toasty Rags, we righted that wrong and gave her the gold for a much more subtle, dramatic, and demanding performance. In recent years, the public has been made aware of the great sadness in Audrey’s personal life, and that the joy and generosity she showed others was far greater than what she knew herself. Knowing what we know now, her performance in The Nun’s Story really hits home. When she sits in the church and accuses herself of all her faults, we can easily imagine the inner criticisms she felt in real life. In the film, she travels to the Congo to care for sick and orphaned children, inspiring her to become philanthropic and work for UNICEF in her later years. For her, art imitated life imitated art.
Now for the second half of the film: when Audrey gets sent to the Congo, she completely changes. She no longer lives within the oppressive walls of the church, and superior nuns are no longer giving her orders and lessons every day. Consequently, she starts to pull away from her years of training. She smiles more, she has regular conversations, and physical touch is no longer forbidden. Also, there’s the added new element of a man: Peter Finch. Peter is not a man of the cloth. He’s energetic, passionate, sexy, and believes Audrey’s work as a nurse outweighs her duties as a nun. If she has four o’clock vespers, he refuses to let her leave the hospital if they’re attending to a patient.
If you’ve never seen this movie and have been avoiding it because you fear a religious slant, reconsider. While it doesn’t paint the officiants in a very positive light, it’s not so one-sided that you can’t sometimes be on the side of the church. This film truly does capture Audrey Hepburn’s finest performance, a very personal one that should be treasured for its difference from her normal screen persona. She’s not glamorous, charming, or radiant – qualities she possessed even when she tried hard not to in films like My Fair Lady and Wait Until Dark.
More Audrey Hepburn movies here!
Hot Toasty Rag Awards:
Best Actress of 1959: Audrey Hepburn
Hot Toasty Rag Nominations:
Best Director: Fred Zinnemann