Au risque de se perdre

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!

... 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.

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.

Watching the first third of this film aggravated me somewhat, since it seemed to be celebrating the self-contradictory and arbitrary regulations that govern the monastic lives of some nuns. But this film has a lot to offer and each subsequent third is better than the last.

Audrey Hepburn is Gabrielle van der Mal, a young Belgian woman who commits her life to Christ and becomes Sister Luke. Hepburn was proud of this film and justifiably so. Her portrayal (based on a true story) is riveting and authentic. The entire cast is excellent. Peter Finch plays Dr. Fortunati, a physician who challenges Sister Luke with his outspoken nature and his disregard for convention.

The narrative goes well beyond Sister Luke's struggle with her vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. It is a coming of age story and a celebration of self-actualization. In the end, the viewer is left wanting more. Hepburn extracts the maximum emotional impact from each scene, and we know there is much more to this story beyond the final, haunting shot.

Fred Zinneman's fine, thoughtful and absorbing film succeeds in making inner turmoil palpable thanks in large part to Audrey Hephurn's luminous performance. The nun's habit forces us to concentrate on her face, and Hephurn performs with sustained strength, grace and skill; virtues present in Zinneman's direction as well. Zinneman elicits excellent performances from the entire cast in which Dame Edith Evans and Colleen Dewhurst stand out. Though somewhat long and episodic, The Nun's Story is one of the best films dealing with religious life, and the ending is memorable. Zinneman, who directed The Sundowners(60) A Man for all Seasons(66) Julia(76) and From Here to Eternity(53), maintains an admirably objective tone throughout. Along with Hitchcock's North by Northwest and Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot, The Nun's Story was the best American film released in 1959, though the Oscar for Best Picture went to Ben Hur.