User Reviews

Enjoyable as well colorful picture about a dedicated religious nurse who attempts to cure troubled people in the Belgian Congo . The melancholy tale from the Kathryn Hulme book dealing with a young missionary working as a nurse during WWII and based on the novel of the same name, that told the story of the real-life "Sister Luke," Marie-Louise Habets . Gabriella (enticing Audrey Hepburn ,the character was suggested for Ingrid Bergman but Bergman herself said she was too old for the role and instead proposed Audrey) is the daughter of an important doctor (Dean Jagger) who leaves the convent as Sister Luke . The movie has opening credits play out over street scenes of Bruges , at over 1,500 years old , one of the oldest cities in Belgium, and at one time, the most important commercial city in the world . In 1939, while the Nazi regime subjugates European Nations Graciella travels to the Belgian Congo , her assignment in the Congo is at a European hospital under the atheist eye of a doctor called Fortunai (Peter Finch). Slowly , Gabriella or Sister Luke heals ills , helps injured villagers and usually prays . But the Nazis rise to power and invade her homeland . Then , she returns Belgium , there questions her religious vocation and her moralizing comes back to haunt her .

Director Fred Zinneman struck a correct balance of fine pace and sensitivity in the mesmerizing tale of a young Belgian girl who becomes a religious missionary and is sent to the Belgian Congo to work at a hospital . Finely starred by a luminous Audrey Hepburn as a dedicated nun who subsequently comes to question her vocation , as she is struggling to reconcile her free spirit and philanthropic wishes with the religious rigors ; Hepburn chalked up another hit in this long but always interesting flick based on Kathryn Hulme's novel , being rightly adapted by screenwriter Robert Anderson . Spectacular settings and well staged scenes , in fact , members of the Rome Opera ballet corps were hired to play some of the nuns, and complex convent rituals were literally choreographed for them . This agreeable flick packs an exciting screenplay , thought-provoking drama , fine interpretations and intelligent filmmaking . It's surprising that the movie didn't achieve any of the six Academy Award for which it was nominated ; however , it won NY Film Critics to best actress and director and British Academy gave prizes to best actress and support cast . Casting is frankly well . Good acting by Audrey Hepburn as a beautiful missionary nurse who gains the trust of the locals , not only providing medical care but dealing with African people ; this was one of Audrey Hepburn's favorite of her films and it was also one of her most financially successful . Excellent Peter Finch as a good surgeon , he doesn't quite hit it off with Gabriella at first but soon starts to develop deep affections for her . Furthermore , a nice support cast formed by notorious secondaries such as Edith Evans , Peggy Ashcroft , Dean Jagger ,Beatrice Straight ,Rosalie Crutchley , Ruth White , Barbara O'Neil , Lionel Jeffries , Colleen Dewhurst and Niall MacGinnis , among others . ¨Nun's story¨ consolidated a sub-genre about nuns or religious people in far countries , going on ¨Heaven knows , Mr Allison¨ by John Huston with Robert Mitchum Deborah Kerr , ¨The Sins of Rachel Cade¨ also produced by Henry Blanke and directed by Gordon Douglas with Angie Dickinson , Roger Moore and Peter Finch , too , and ¨A Nun at the Crossroads¨ with Rosanna Schiaffino and John Richardson , among others.

Appropriate as well as sensitive musical score by the classic Franz Waxman . Glamorous and evocative cinematography by Franz Planer , though mostly filmed on real African exteriors , in fact , the film was shot on location in Rome, Bruges, Stanleyville and a real leper colony in the Congo . The motion picture well produced by Henry Blanke was stunningly directed by Fred Zinneman. This is one of various and pleasant works , some major and minor successes of his long career as a filmmaker . He was a Hollywood veteran director, directing early movies and a long career until the 80s . With ¨The nun's story¨ Zinnemann chalked another major hit in this overlong but always absorbing tale . After acquiring the rights to Kathryn Hulme's bestselling novel, Fred Zinnemann found that no one in Hollywood had any enthusiasm towards turning it into a film, citing it as being devoid of action , but all that changed when Audrey Hepburn expressed a desire to take the lead role . Rating : 8 , Above average , well worth seeing .

I was amazed how a long, fairly slow film like this could capture and keep my attention all the way through.....but it did. This is really a quality film, as those who have seen it for years, will attest. It's so well done, in all phases, that when the two-and-a-half hours are up, you just marvel and what you've witnessed.

Anyone who has tried to live a perfect life, to please God and never offend Him with sins of any nature, knows it is impossible. It is a noble pursuit, but an exercise in futility that can lead to utter frustration. That is the dilemma we witness here in this film through the life of a well-meaning and sweet-as-can-be Belgian lady: "Gabrielle van der Mal" who is renamed "Sister Luke" after completing her training as a nun in the 1930s. Audrey Hepburn is superb as this woman, who has the greatest of spiritual intentions and a heart not only for God but to be a great nurse and follow in her father's footsteps, a famous physician in his country.

Can't she be both? The answer, of course, is "yes," but that's not the answer she receives periodically at the convent, or interprets because she's so tough on herself, and it causes great inner conflict.

Hepburn doesn't have tons of dialog in here and doesn't require it. The different looks on her face during this long story, especially when there is disappointment, are priceless. They are so subtle, but so telling. I am one who would vote for this film as Audrey's best performance, which is saying a lot.

The Nun's Story (1959)

I knew I would enjoy at least Audrey Hepburn, and she's fabulous. But the movie came on as a Christmas Day feature and I worried that it would have too many religious overtones. Then as the credits rolled I saw it was directed by Fred Zinnemann. Zinnemann? I wondered what would draw him to this kind of story. My expectations tripled.

I was not disappointed. This is a measured but never slow movie. It's totally beautiful, it handles the sanctity of the convent with respect, never tipping into sappy adoration. Hepburn is what you want from her, lively and independent, and this is a natural conflict in a world of discipline and loss of independence. And it's also an evolving, changing story with a couple of major twists as it goes. By the end you see very much why Zinnemann wanted to do this and I can't tell you that. See for yourself.

The conflict between self and community, between having your own opinion about something and being forced to follow a larger set of rules that might not always be best, is the core of the film. When do you rebel? When do you submit? And if you have agreed beforehand to devote your life to submission, do circumstances allow an exception? A total change of heart?

If you think this sounds boring it is not. You might give Hepburn the biggest credit here--she's a natural and you are nothing but sympathetic--but the directing the cinematography are huge, as well. Behind the camera is Franz Planar, who did such trifles as "Holiday" and "Letter from an Unknown Woman" as well as two Audrey Hepburn movies "Roman Holiday" and "Breakfast at Tiffany's." If you have seen any of these (or all) you'll know how really perfectly they are filmed, with the camera in service to the story.

The story, by the say, in "The Nun's Story" is very much the point, even beyond the moral. When does a young woman leave a loving and comfortable home and join a convent, face a loss of self and freedom, and yet still feel useful to the world? Hepburn's character (who changes names, in part of the effort to leave the past behind), wants to go to Africa to serve the needy. How this is thwarted--or not--you'll see, but you really root for her. You see her brush against her principles in every way. And you see a larger principle arise--do the right thing. And she does. It's beautiful. It ought to make you cry. It will easily engage and move you.

"The Nun's Story" is the best movie dealing with religion that I have ever seen. The movie has what is possibly Audrey Hepburn's greatest performance;

anyone who thinks she was only a fashion model is well advised to see this film. I first saw it in a theatre, in 1959. I went in about five minutes before the end--and the theatre was completely sold out. At the end of the movie, no one moved--everyone remained seated for about thirty seconds. Then the audience got up and filed out--without a single sound. I stayed through to see the ending again. The audience behavior was the same. I have never seen an audience reaction like this.

Hepburn should have received an Oscar for this performance, as well as another for "Two for the Road," for which she wasn't even nominated. She has been sadly underrated and undervalued as an actress. Her high placement in many Best Actress Ever polls has been entirely justified and very pleasing.

Perched high atop the list of the finest American movies of the 1950's, Fred Zinnemann's "The Nun's Story" is an intensely beautiful and powerful film about a woman who undergoes a crisis of faith and, through her struggle, learns the importance of finding one's true path in life. Based on the novel by Kathryn Hulme, the film tells the story of Gabrielle van der Mal, a Belgian woman who enters the convent in the 1930's, spends a brief period working as a nurse in the Congo, then leaves the order after years of intense personal struggle with herself and with God. Among American films of its time, "The Nun's Story" stands virtually alone in its ability and willingness to dramatize a conflict taking place in the deepest recesses of a character's mind and soul.

Audrey Hepburn - sans makeup and the kind of fashion-plate wardrobe that had already become the hallmark of her movie career - delivers one of her richest performances as the strong-willed and fiercely independent Sister Luke, whose very psyche is torn asunder by the battle between her own innate, personal pride and a sincere desire to live a life of obedience to the Church and its rules. With everything but her countenance hidden beneath a nun's habit, Ms. Hepburn is forced to draw on her resources as an actress, having to convey the titanic internal conflict taking place within her character almost entirely through facial expressions, vocal intonations and body language. And she proves herself more than equal to the challenge. She is brilliantly complemented by Peter Finch, playing the cynical but humane Dr. Fortunati, a dedicated surgeon who is as concerned about Sister Luke's spiritual health as her physical health. The relationship between the two is handled with a great deal of subtlety and tact, never allowing the obvious romantic attraction between the two attractive people to come too much to the fore. Rounding out the excellent cast are Dean Jagger as Gabrielle's loving and concerned father, Peggy Ashcroft and Mildred Dunnock as two older nuns who help guide Sister Luke along the way, and the incomparable Edith Evans, simply astounding as the Reverend Mother who sees unwavering devotion to God and the Church as the one and only goal of a serious nun.

Among other things, "The Nun's Story" is that rare film dealing with religion and spirituality that doesn't contain a single hokey or sentimental moment, that knows the difference between religion and religiosity, that is respectful without being unduly reverential, and that acknowledges the complexity of the human heart in matters of devotion and faith. It also is not afraid to take its time to set the scene and tell its story, never feeling the need to rush headlong into the next dramatic moment just to keep the movie going. In a perfect blending of form and content, the film is every bit as thoughtful, subtle and contemplative as its subject matter, its mood greatly enhanced by the rich and beautiful Franz Waxman score that underlines the seriousness of the work.

In addition to all its other fine virtues, "The Nun's Story" features one of the greatest final scenes and closing shots in motion picture history, a masterpiece of precision and understatement that demonstrates the kind of taste Zinnemman always displayed as a director. The movie is made up of small, beautifully observed moments that, when put together, provide a powerful glimpse into the heart and life of a fascinating, caring individual who wants to do great things in the world but who realizes that the path she has chosen is not the one that will ultimately lead her to her rightful destiny.

On every level of film-making, this is truly one of the greats.

Well acted, well directed,moving story of one nun's journey to find meaning in her life. Audrey Hepburn does a terrific job.

... and yet I found this fascinating.

Gabrielle van der Mal enters a convent in Belgium with the lukewarm approval of her surgeon dad. She is a trained nurse and has a heart for nursing, specifically in the Congo, which was a colony of Belgium's at the time. The film follows her through her first year and a half in the convent until she takes her final vows, the trials and tribulations she faces there, and her delay in finally being assigned to the Congo as a nurse.

This is a great film that doubles as a good documentary on what is involved in becoming a nun, so much so that I'd say that Gabrielle really didn't so much want to be a nun as she figured this was the only path to getting to serve in the Congo as a nurse - a primitive place with a great need for medical professionals of all kinds.

When Gabrielle finally does get to the Congo and has served as OR nurse to the agnostic Dr. Fortunati, she is panicked when the day comes that she is ordered to return to Belgium. Gabrielle isn't so much someone who sees herself as a rebel within the church - this is the tradition that she grew up in and she seems fine with it - as much as she sees everyday life in the convent as boring and tiresome, especially after several years of being a nurse in the Congo and being so very helpful.

Neither does she have a huge problem with forgiveness. In Africa a native beats another nun to death for no other reason than a witch doctor told the man that if he killed a white woman that the ghost of his dead wife would stop haunting him. In spite of the pointlessness of the murder, in spite of the fact that she knew the murdered nun, Gabrielle has sympathy and forgiveness in her heart for the killer. But then she returns to Europe and the Nazis invade and quickly take over Belgium. When they kill her father while he is tending to some refugees, Gabrielle realizes her heart is not big enough to forgive such systemic cruelty. At that point she must make a choice.

This film is based upon a novel written by Kathryn Hulme, the partner of Gabrielle van der Mal for over thirty years, until Hulme's death in 1981. Perhaps it was because the author was so close to Gabrielle that the main character is so well examined.

The Nun's Story is the spiritual discovery that Audrey Hepburn makes to find out if she's got the right stuff to become a nun. Born in Brussels in a Belgian Catholic family headed by renowned doctor Dean Jagger, young Audrey decides to become a nun and hopes eventually to serve as a nursing sister in the Belgian Congo where her dad is a specialist on tropical diseases.

This is where the spiritual comes into no small conflict with the requirements of the Catholic church to become a nun. Hepburn has both the religious fervor and the medical qualifications for the job. She's lived and worked beside her father and is as familiar as you can get with the medical aspects of the job. Even if she wasn't, Jagger's own influence would assure her of a position in her chosen medical field.

But because the requirements of the nunnery are different she doesn't get to the Congo right away. Audrey's got a great deal of difficulty in getting humility down. I have to confess that as presented to me in the audience, I had a lot of problems with that one myself. At one point one of the reverend mothers tells her to deliberately flunk her examination. I think that was going a bit too far and so did Edith Evans who plays the reverend mother at the abbey Audrey is doing her novice training at.

Audrey Hepburn and gowns by Givenchy are synonymous on the screen and it's different seeing her in unglamorous nun's habit. But Hepburn's performance got her an Oscar nomination, a well deserved one. I'll bet the critics couldn't grasp the humility test, but they and I know an Oscar caliber performance when we see one.

Dames Edith Evans and Peggy Ashcroft who plays the reverend mother at the Congo hospital got nominations for Best Supporting Actress. Peter Finch who it would have been nice to see a bit more of plays the unbelieving medical doctor at that hospital. Good thing he didn't have to pass a humility test to get his job.

This is the Belgian Congo of the Thirties, a mere quarter of a century after Roger Casement exposed the barbarity of the rule of King Leopold over that colony which was his personal domain as opposed to a government colony. It became a government run colony after Leopold died and was one when this story takes place. The legacy of hatred and barbarism was still there and in another quarter of a century would explode when Africa shed its colonial past. There's an incident in the film where one of the natives kills one of the nuns because a witch doctor told him it would rid the evil spirits. If The Nun's Story was made today, that aspect might not be glorified, but it would be explored more fully from the native's point of view. As it is they have two racially segregated hospitals there.

The climax of the film has Hepburn back in Belgium when the Nazis overrun it in World War II. Things that happen to her country and her family force a lot of soul searching upon her. Part of her problem then is she's a role model for some of the newer postulants.

To see what she does by all mean's catch The Nun's Story.

An intense conflict between spirituality and humanity lies at the core of Fred Zinneman's excellent adaptation of Katherine Hulme's "The Nun's Story." Young Gabrielle enters the convent and, as Sister Luke, strives to attain the difficult qualities of sisterhood, but at the same time her talents and skills at medicine and research pull her in another direction. Gabrielle is taught that a nun not only takes vows of chastity and poverty, but must also be obedient and humble. Although not overtly discussed, Sister Luke's decision to enter the convent may have been connected to a romantic affair, the only evidence of which are a ring, a photograph, and a comment from her father. Although Sister Luke tries to obey the rules of silence and obedience, she is the daughter of a prominent physician, and she harbors ambitions to work in medicine and serve in the Congo. The conflict between the two competing ambitions reaches a crisis point when a sister superior suggests to her that she fail her medical examinations in order to show humility.

Audrey Hepburn imbues Sister Luke with a radiance and glow that illuminates the screen. In what is arguably her finest performance, Hepburn displays the subtle shades of conflict and doubt that creep into her persona as she struggles between her roles as a Bride of Christ and a practical nurse to the sick and dying. Reportedly, Hepburn's interest in helping the needy of Africa began during the location shooting for this film.

A galaxy of fine actresses shine as the sisters with whom Sister Luke interacts. Such luminaries as Edith Evans, Peggy Ashcroft, Mildred Dunnock, Barbara O'Neil, and Beatrice Straight offer their own special glow as patient and understanding nuns. Colleen Dewhurst has only a couple of memorable scenes as a hospital inmate, but, with few lines of dialog, she creates an enduring character. Peter Finch and Dean Jagger are solid and effective as, respectively, Dr. Fortunati, who works with Sister Luke in the Congo, and as Gabrielle's disappointed father.

While "The Nun's Story" is comparatively long, the fascinating detail of the young nun's years as a novice, medical student, asylum aide, missionary, and hospital nurse in Belgium and the Congo during the 1930's is engrossing and tastefully filmed by Fred Zinneman. With beautiful cinematography by Franz Planer and a spare, but lovely, score by Franz Waxman, "The Nun's Story" is one of the most religious movies ever filmed. Few films have ever so successfully explored the demands of a spiritual life and the conflict those demands can create in someone with strong human needs. With Audrey Hepburn at her zenith, "The Nun's Story" was among the finest films of the 1950's and still remains a rewarding emotional experience.

"The Nun's Story" is the sort of movie that we really view differently nowadays. I mainly say this because while Sister Luke is in the Congo, people talk about witch doctors and call the local men "boys" (among some other cringe-inducing things). Moreover, the process of entering the convent looks really unpleasant; whoever came up with that process must have been a total crackpot.* But overall, this is a pretty good movie. Audrey Hepburn, gorgeous as ever, does a great job showing Sister Luke's inner conflict as she tries to deal with this life that she has chosen. It's just that the whole nun lifestyle looks rather undesirable. And why do they make the nuns wear their heavy habits in the tropical Congo?

Anyway, this is certainly a movie that I recommend. I will admit that because the movie is clearly quite full of itself, you may feel tempted to make the sorts of comments that Mike, Servo and Crow make at the crummy flicks on "Mystery Science Theater 3000". For example, when Sister Luke is sailing to the Congo and admits that it was a sort of flight, I said: "Flight?! You're not the Flying Nun!" But mostly, it's a really good movie. A solid classic. But how could it not be, starring the woman from "Roman Holiday" and directed by the man behind "High Noon"? Also starring Peter Finch (yes, the guy who was as mad as Hell and not going to take it anymore), Edith Evans, Peggy Ashcroft, Dean Jagger, Beatrice Straight (also of "Network") and Colleen Dewhurst.

*I know, it's rude to talk like that about someone else's religion, but I mean really.

When Audrey Hepburn, as Sister Luke returns from the Belgian Congo, she has a brief meeting with her father, whom she has not seen in years. So much time has gone by that they engage mostly in small talk. He when he finally asks her how she is "inside" (gesturing to her heart), she responds with, "Fine, how are you, Father"?. He replies, "Still very lonesome for you". That scene alone is enough to break your heart.

The Nun's Story is filled with such scenes. Fred Zinnemann directed this film so perfectly that you don't even realize that for the first 40 minutes or so, you are being instructed on how nuns learn to "act like nuns".

There are lots of famous actors in those habits, too. Beatrice Straight (Network), Barbara O'Neill (Gone with the Wind), as well as a glorious performance by Dame Edith Evans as Mother Emmanuel.

The amount of emotion that Audrey Hepburn can portray with just her eyes, a turn of her head, or a subtle facial expression is simply incredible. Without giving away any important plot element, there is one scene where she is in her cell trying to cope with a letter that she received. It is one of the most painful scenes in the entire film.

Sister Luke's struggles are balanced by scenes that are so beautiful in their simplicity, that to attempt description here would be impossible.

And the film score by Franz Waxman is one of the best things he has ever written - most of the melodic motifs are based on ancient Gregorian chant, and the orchestration is superb. When we reach a climactic scene involving Colleen Dewhurst, he switches from his Romanticized writing style to a 20th century 12-tone technique, and the shock of the dissonant music fits the action of the scene perfectly.

Sister Luke's struggle is universal. Anyone who has looked deep into their own soul for whatever reason can identify with her.

When Sister Luke is asked by her father to describe her doctor in the Congo, she smiles and says, "Exceptional". The same can be said for this beautiful film.

Eight Oscar nomination, five Golden Globe nominations, and five BAFTA nominations, with a win for Audrey Hepburn for Best British Actress indicates that this was one of the best films of 1959. Unfortunately, it had to go up against Ben Hur for most awards. That doesn't take a bit from it's excellence and entertainment value.

This is an utterly fascinating story of a young nun (Audrey Hepburn), and a non-believing doctor (Peter Finch). Sister Luke (Hepburn) is constantly challenged in sticking to her vows, especially the one of obedience.

She chaffed at the rules that did not leave room for common sense. Is it better to strictly obey or to do more good in disobedience? It is a question asked over and over.

Things become more difficult as WWII starts. Now, the rules must be set aside to help the war effort. Eventually, the conflict between the rules and her need for independence is resolved.

Hepburn was fantastic, as was Finch. Well worth seeing.

I think that this film contains one of Audrey Hepburn's strongest performances. The movie, however, is not for everyone. The movie has no gloss, no "this is purely for entertainment" message. This movie requires that you think and really watch the movie, otherwise the meaning is lost and thus, you will not like the movie. Others have said that this movie is "slow and boring", but watch the movie yourself. You will see the brilliance of Audrey Hepburn's performance as she portrays Sister Luke's struggle to live for herself and for God. This is a great movie! Please do not be discouraged by the implied "seriousness" of it!

The image of water gradually sharpens the reflections of objects above...as soon as we get to know the leading character of NUN'S STORY, it is not hard to predict that it is all going to be an involving, mesmerizing viewing experience - yet, nothing for the vast majority of audience.

In the eyes of her father, Dr Van Der Mal (Dean Jagger), our protagonist - young Gabrielle (Audrey Hepburn) is not really a strong willed girl obedient to the bells. Perhaps he sees other future for her. However, she makes up her mind to resign from engagement with one Jean and sacrifice her life for interior and exterior silence, for the detachment of worldly goods, for obedience and penance doing good and disappearing for the sake of the Kingdom of God. Although she manages to go through the agonies of various inner struggles and tests, will she be able to exercise and bring into action the spirit of charity for all, to face Christianity's hardest obedience - forgive everyone, all evil-doers for anything harmful done to them or their beloved ones?

The truest merit of Fred Zinneman's movie, at first sight, seems to lie in the execution of the storyline (the film's literary source is the book by Kathryn Hulme). It is, as the title implies, a nun's story not so much supplied with laughable aspects (as it is the case with a number of movies nowadays) but a very insightful, thought provoking depiction of virtues enforced and exercised behind the 'bars' of the convent. With this in mind, we deservedly prepare for an excellent glimpse of the atmospheric mystique, for prayers, hymns clothed in unearthly tunes of sublime music. Here, great credit goes not only to the cinematographer Franz Planer, a winner at Academy Awards, who supplies us with cinematographic pearls, including the tremendously effective shots of interior silence of the specific place, but also to Franz Waxman for his brilliantly atmospheric, accurate and vibrant music score. He memorably incorporates certain tunes derived from almost 'iconic' chants to particular scenes. In this way, the score sets the right tone for the story, changes and controls the moods of various scenes. That refers to such pieces of music as 'Salve Regina' and 'Veni Creator Spiritus' - milestones of Christian music.

However, the greatest praise is not deservedly directed towards the crew members, even to the director Fred Zinneman but to Audrey Hepburn in the lead. It seems quite obvious that not every actress can play a nun convincingly. Simply because we, as viewers with certain background experiences (both visual and conceptual), are heavily influenced by certain expectations, even clichéd expectations. In that respect, Ms Hepburn really meets our expectations...more to say, she makes for a perfect portrayal of a nun. There is a combination of certainty and doubt, subtlety and strictness in her face and her entire portrayal, which makes her character easily empathized with. Because the gist that lies behind the fact who Gabrielle/Sister Lukas really is appears to be underlined in her struggles to learn obedience and humility. These virtues that are so memorably and timelessly revealed in Culpa and Penance evoke in her performance. Ms Hepburn portrays a very human character, a very gentle young girl, a subtle nun and a dedicated nurse. Simply a superb performance! A sophisticated portrayal! She is funny at times (mind you the lovely scene with little Felix) and genuinely dramatic when the moment requires that perfectly switching from one bunch of emotions to another. If I were to name her best scenes, I think that task would be quite impossible. I would highlight some of her most memorable scenes, which include the entrance to the convent, the Congo sequence, her collaboration with Dr Fortunati (Peter Finch) vs. the scenes with her father.

The aforementioned Congo sequence belongs to the true pearls among the color films of the late 1950s. Authentic, beautiful shots of nature and landscape, the gloomy scene on the isle of the lepers along with the haunting score long lasts in the memory of a viewer. The film is worth viewing, apart from Ms Hepburn masterful achievement, for the sequence alone.

The supporting cast include some solid performances from Peter Finch as choleric but caring Dr Fortunati, Dean Jagger as wonderful Dr Von Der Mal, Gabrielle's father (what a brilliant father that is who says: "I don't want to be proud of you; I want you to be happy!") and the sisters are uniquely memorable (you will never mix the characters due to their specific features underlined): Peggy Ashcroft as Mother Mathilde, Edith Evans as Mother Emmanuel, Rosalie Crutchley (note Acte from QUO VADIS) as Sister Eleanor. They are recognizable.

Finally, let me quote Bosley Crowther, the New York Times reviewer, who said about the film: "Mr. Zinnemann has made this off-beat drama describe a parabola of spiritual afflatus and deflation that ends in a strange sort of defeat. For the evident point of this experience is that a woman gains but also loses her soul, spends and exhausts her devotion to an ideal she finds she cannot hold."

But what is superior in one's life? Blind obedience to an ideal or being true to oneself? Where are we in that dilemma? Where is our protagonist? What does the final drama indicate? Greater torments or relief? She turns right as she leaves so perhaps...

Dare accuse yourself of seeing it critically but let yourself see it and think. Although the movie is more than half a century old, it has not lost its charm and entertainment along with all the dilemmas herein incorporated. Worth viewing as not only a nun's story but a person's drama.

Gabrielle (Audrey Hepburn) is a woman from a wealthy Belgian family who decides to join a convent. Although she continually struggles with the discipline such a lifestyle entails, she excels in her studies of science and nursing and is eventually dispatched to The Belgian Congo where she assists the forthright Dr Fortunati (Peter Finch). Gabrielle becomes dedicated to her work abroad and forges a strong professional relationship with the doctor but the longer the two spend together, the more the professional begins to bleed into the personal. Before this situation has a chance to develop further, however, Gabrielle is recalled to Belgium amidst fears of escalating war and a possible Nazi occupation. It is during this period that Gabrielle's vows are tested to the limit and she must finally discover where her life's purpose truly lies.

The Nun's Story is an, at times, fascinating account of what is essentially a lifestyle of extreme discipline. Through Gabrielle's journey, we see the intense training that nuns must undergo in order to show obedience to the "Holy Rule". This includes the restriction of speech to only essential matters, the seeking of permission for the most basic of acts (such as drinking a glass of water between meals), and the cultivation of submission and humility through physical prostration and the washing of superior nuns' feet. Added to this, the nuns are required to strip themselves of personal desire and any sense of personal pride. If they fail in their duties in even the most minor manner, they are required to note their failings and confess them to the rest of the convent. Perhaps the greatest challenge, though, is that the nuns must completely separate themselves from their former lives. They no longer belong to the outside world, they belong to the Convent. In the words of one of the senior nuns, being a nun "is not a life of refuge from the world; it is a life of sacrifice. In a way, it is a life against nature. It is a never-ending struggle for self-perfection." Zinnemann's intimate framing and minimalist visual style achieves a sense of verisimilitude when capturing the day-to-day, and even moment-to-moment, struggles that the nuns must undergo. There is a neo-realist, documentary-esque approach to the film, with minimal use of music, and scene after scene of ritual and silence. Quite deliberately, the film moves along at a glacial pace, attempting to evoke a sense of the reality of convent life.

While this approach is effective to a certain degree, it does demand a lot from the audience, and if you are not particularly curious about the lifestyle of a nun, then there is every chance you will lose patience with the film. Yet, naturally, there is a trump card that the film has to play in the form of its lead actress, Audrey Hepburn, who excels in playing against type in the main role. So often famed for her delightful frivolity and Givenchy-inspired immaculate sense of fashion, Hepburn, in this film, trades her stylish dresses for a nun's habit, and instead of delivering witty repartee, delivers vows. She appears without make-up, which has the perhaps unintended effect of making her appear even more attractive, and demonstrates a seriousness of character and a stiffness of bearing that was alien to her typical cinematic persona. One senses that this was among the most demanding performances of Hepburn's career. The fact that she achieves it with such conviction and authenticity shows just how much talent she possessed as an actress.

While Hepburn excels, there is a glaring missed opportunity in the telling of her character's story. The film never makes clear what is motivating Gabrielle to go through the extreme privations and prostrations that being a nun entails. She is shown to come from a loving family, which is well-off financially, and she never shows any significant signs of underlying fanaticism or intense religious devotion that one would think undertaking such a commitment in her circumstances would require. The fact Gabrielle so often seems like a fish-out-of-water in her convent's surroundings has the benefit of making her character more relatable to the audience but it also has the disadvantage of making her decisions appear less credible.

Another issue the film possesses is with its pacing. I've previously alluded to its glacial quality but, around half-way through its run-time, the audience is transported away from the convent and into a volunteer-run hospital in the Belgian Congo. The intimacy of the interior settings of the convent and the familiarity that had been generated with its rhythms and routines is, thus, lost and, instead, we are provided with an under-cooked romantic angle in the jungle with the appearance of Dr Fortunati. There is still something compelling about the scenes, which were shot on location in central Africa, and tension is achieved in the depiction of Gabrielle being forced to balance her commitment to her vows with her commitment to her patients, but it feels as if we are watching a rather different film to that which we had been watching before and the change in location and the slightly increased pace of the film during its second half does deliver a somewhat jarring experience overall.

So, I would certainly recommend this film to both fans of Audrey Hepburn, especially those who are not yet educated as to the range of performance she was capable of, and to those who have an interest in convent life in the first half of the 20th century. But, if you fall into neither of these camps, you might struggle with this one.

Years ago, before the CD era, I bought the soundtrack record of "The Nun's Story" by Franz Waxman. One of the best of the old school film composers, Waxman outdid himself with this score - at once intimate and soaring. The grooves are well worn now, but it's still a favourite.

The music was just one of the beautifully crafted elements that made "The Nun's Story" such an extraordinary experience.

You don't have to be Catholic to feel the power of this film about Sister Luke (Audrey Hepburn), a nun just before WW2 who desires to help others in a troubled world despite inner struggles with her faith. She belongs to an austere order that abhors the sin of vanity above all others. An interesting concept these days when you'd be forgiven for thinking it had actually become a virtue.

Fred Zinnemann was a classy filmmaker who believed in filming in real locations, Belgium and the Belgian Congo in this case. The film also has a tremendous sense of spirituality with fascinating sequences of convent and church ritual.

Although the crisis of faith suffered by Audrey Hepburn's character forces her out of the order, the sense of people living life on a higher plane comes through with denial of self and service to others their driving motivation.

Audrey Hepburn lives and breathes Sister Luke. She looks stunning in her various nuns' habits; clothing it must be said that is designed to do anything but flatter female beauty. She was one of the most radiant stars ever and this is her most luminous role. It was her personal favourite among her movies, and isn't it good to learn that she was such a nice person, considerate to her fellow actors and the crew; just a charmer with everyone. Peter Finch, another star with presence, nails his role as the challenging Doctor Fortunati.

I always thought the story was true, but now know that although it is a work of fiction, it was based on the life a woman who did experience the things depicted in the film.

"The Nun's Story" has a number of scenes that leave a lump in the throat: Sister Luke on the train leaving the Congo, and that deafening silence as she walks away from the convent finally broken by a couple of notes of Waxman's inspired score and the tolling of a bell.

The film came out decades before we became aware that some in the clergy had betrayed their positions of trust. One may be tempted to view "The Nun's Story" a little more cynically these days, but I think it simply shows the other side of the coin; those unpublicised members of the church who guided by faith quietly spend their lives helping others.

Director Zinnemann adapted the story from a novel written by Kathryn Hulme, once a disciple of Gurudjieff, eventually turning Roman Catholic. The novel is based on a real life character, a close friend of Hulme, whose life was close to the film's tale. That lady eventually nursed back Audrey Hepburn to health after a serious accident much later. The film is admirable in some respects but I feel it is not Zinnemann's best. Celebrated Italian director Sergio Leone was an uncredited assistant director to Zinnemann in this film.

This film shows the life of a Belgian nun, from the moment she enter to the convent and through successive crises of vocation and a mission in Belgian Congo. Directed by Fred Zinnemann, the film has a screenplay by Robert Anderson, based on a fictional novel by Kathryn Hulme. The cast is led by Audrey Hepburn, in the lead role.

Despite having been nominated for eight Oscars (Best Picture, Best Actress, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Sound, Best Cinematography Color, Best Soundtrack and Best Editing), this film has been ignored by people over the last few decades, which makes it probably one of the most unknown movies in Hepburn's career. Of course, many people think, reading the title, this film is pure Catholic propaganda, and maybe that's why its not widely spoken. But its far from propaganda, despite showing, with accuracy, the modus vivendi of the nuns in the beginning of the last century. Keep track of time is very important to understand the film, which passes through in the end of World War II, and also helps to understand one thing that the film doesn't say but any person will notice quickly: the way of life that the nuns of this film lead fell into disuse for decades ago, due to the massive modernization that the Catholic Church suffered.

The script is excellent, though not (as some people think) a true story. Much of the film is fiction inspired by real facts, but fiction. Its a history of sacrifice, overcoming, love to a vocation and a profession: medicine, that the young nun exercises as religious. But its also a film about doubts, inner conflicts and people trying to be better by facing their failures and humanity. Audrey Hepburn shone as Gabrielle/Sister Luke, her beautiful face gave her an almost angelic appearance and a truly powerful presence on screen. The way she counter-acts with Peter Finch, who played a doctor in Congo, with very specific ideas and almost devoid of faith, its delicious. The scenarios are very good, recreating well the religious ambiance and the almost savage Africa, that Europeans pioneered in those years.

The end of the film is one of the most amazing I've seen, mainly for two reasons: First, its absolutely silent, having no music; second, after seeing this nun suffer so much by her dreams, its impossible for her not to win the public's affection, so the end becomes difficult to accept for the public.

Decidedly, this film is worthy and deserves to be seen more often by the current public.

Audrey Hepburn is predictably luminous as a young novice going through the rigors of religious life, giving up vanity, pleasurable vices and her own stubborn pride for a life of strict obedience. Playing a doctor's daughter whose strength lies in her study of tropical medicine, Hepburn's Sister Luke hopes to travel to the African Congo to work as a medical aide, but her arduous religious journey, beginning with six months in the convent near her home as a struggling postulate, seems a chore to her right from the beginning. This lengthy but engrossing adaptation of Kathryn Hulme's bestseller is impressive in its first two acts, however the film's final third (in the Congo and later during wartime) is disappointingly formulaic. We never grow close to Sister Luke, or even learn that much about her; Hepburn herself is lovely, yet Sister Luke isn't especially feisty or complex--she has resolve but not much drive, and little inner-joy. Her assignment working in the Brussels mental ward is harrowing, but the sequence itself is too short to add much subtext (only that Sister Luke survives it), and the jump cut to the next phase of her journey is abrupt and puzzling (was she transferred early or did many years pass?). Director Fred Zinnemann has a playful moment or two--such as Hepburn shaking confetti from her habit after boarding the ship--but some of his touches are heavy-handed (lots of closing doors to symbolize shutting out the world) and not all the story ramifications are made clear. The message at the end isn't profound either, although the picture's tony quality lends respect to Sister Luke and her decisions. "The Nun's Story" provides good, solid drama, but it isn't without some earthly faults. *** from ****

...not-so-fascinating movie. I agree with others that this is likely the finest film of Hepburn's career. It's an endlessly fascinating glimpse into religious life that doesn't sensationalize or mock or glorify the institutions. It simply tells what the sisters do.

As such, it's utterly compelling. As a film, though, the pace is extremely slow and the dialogue very restricted (due to the vows of silence!).

My aunt was a nun for over 50 years at around the same time the story is set, so I found the exploration of religious life completely compelling. But, unless I need a quick factoid on celluloid, I don't think I need to see this picture again. It simply doesn't have enough else going on it to hold my interest over the entire length of the film. I'm far more likely now to explore the topic in non-fiction books.