A decade before "Agnes of God", this play got some attention, and a film was greenlit. It's very dated, even by 1979 standards, and if not a disaster, not the strongest way to wrap up a film career as it did for director Stanley Kramer. I think this would have been better as a TV movie with a lesser-known star, as it's difficult to separate Dick Van Dyke from all those lighthearted roles he played from "Bye Bye Birdie" on. Also, it's really difficult to believe the attraction turning into love between him as a priest and Kathleen Quinlan as the very young Sister Rita who comes to teach at the small school the diocese runs. She's a bit of a rebel, so it's also difficult to believe that during this age and time, the diocese would send her somewhere where she could not really be kept an eye on.
It's a reunion for Van Dyke and "Birdie" mom Maureen Stapleton who gives the strongest performance as the housekeeper whom Quinlan teaches to read. She's the first one to express any worry over the situation that rises when Quinlan must move out of the convent house and into the rectory house because the two aging nuns have consumption. Ray Bolger, as the Monsignor, is completely miscast but fortunately only has a few scenes. Tammy Grimes is better served as a struggling farm woman who is stealing with an aging father and struggles with loss when he passes on.
This is based on a real life event where a nun died under mysterious circumstances and was revealed to be pregnant by the parish priest. The film opens with Van Dyke in lay clothes in prison being questioned by attorney Beau Bridges in the apparent murder of Quinlan. The structure moves all over the place in different time frames, so it's often perplexing to figure out where it is. The beautiful location footage does serve the film well however, but overall, I just had a hard time buying this situation with Van Dyke who tries to be something other than what he's played (as he did with that classic TV movie "The Morning After"), but lacks conviction. It's easy to see why this came and went and disappeared into obscurity.
It's a reunion for Van Dyke and "Birdie" mom Maureen Stapleton who gives the strongest performance as the housekeeper whom Quinlan teaches to read. She's the first one to express any worry over the situation that rises when Quinlan must move out of the convent house and into the rectory house because the two aging nuns have consumption. Ray Bolger, as the Monsignor, is completely miscast but fortunately only has a few scenes. Tammy Grimes is better served as a struggling farm woman who is stealing with an aging father and struggles with loss when he passes on.
This is based on a real life event where a nun died under mysterious circumstances and was revealed to be pregnant by the parish priest. The film opens with Van Dyke in lay clothes in prison being questioned by attorney Beau Bridges in the apparent murder of Quinlan. The structure moves all over the place in different time frames, so it's often perplexing to figure out where it is. The beautiful location footage does serve the film well however, but overall, I just had a hard time buying this situation with Van Dyke who tries to be something other than what he's played (as he did with that classic TV movie "The Morning After"), but lacks conviction. It's easy to see why this came and went and disappeared into obscurity.