God Is the Bigger Elvis

Dolores Hart was an actress in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Then, just like that, she gave up acting in favor of a cloistered life. She has been a nun ever since. Rebecca Cammisa's Oscar-nominated "God Is the Bigger Elvis" focuses on Hart's life in the Benedictine order at the Abbey of Regina Laudis, with some clips of her movie roles. Hart is the only nun who is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

I can understand why a person would want to leave Hollywood, but I can't imagine adopting a religious lifestyle. I guess that if it's made Dolores Hart happy, then more power to her. She was a real hottie in her movie roles. The only credit of hers that I've seen - besides this documentary - is an episode of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents". I wonder if she talks to the abbey's other nuns about her encounters with Elvis Presley and Montgomery Clift.

In the end, it's not a great documentary, but worth seeing.

After Mom mentioned wondering about Dolores Hart after she left the movies for the convent, I mentioned this short doc of hers was on YouTube. So we both watched it right away and we were both fascinated by her journey from Hollywood to the abbey in which she now resides. The most fascinating part is when we get to her former fiancee Don Robinson and his eventually never marrying because of his eternal love for Ms. Hart. I think that's all I'll say about that so on that note, Mom and me both highly recommend God is the Bigger Elvis.

God Is Bigger Than Elvis (2012)

*** (out of 4)

Oscar-nominated documentary taking a look at the life and career of Dolores Hart. The title, and the film's main focus, centers on Hart walking away from a good career in Hollywood and becoming a nun. Hart is probably best remembered for her role with Elvis in LOVING YOU and this 36-minute documentary interviews her about working with the star, other Hollywood people and why she gave it up to become a nun. Looking around the internet it seems this film has gained quite a bit of praise by people who respect Hart for giving up a career to become a nun but there's another group of people out there that seem to really hate her and the story told here. It's interesting that a film such as this can have such strong views by two opposite sides but I guess this happens when religion is involved. For the most part I found the documentary to be interesting and especially the early stuff with Hart in Hollywood. I thought the Elvis stories were quite nice and it was also interesting hearing about where her career might have gone had she not had a change of heart. It's also interesting hearing from the man she was supposed to marry and he talks about his heart being broken when he got the news that she was going to join the abbey.

This documentary isn't quite perfect because really it should have been longer and more in depth, in my opinion. Its brevity creates a tantalizing space where too many questions remain unanswered.

However, I loved the weight of the content - the reality of nuns being former Hollywood actresses or CEOs with drinking problems, women who had doubts and flaws who simply never felt right getting married to a man or living in the world.

They also touch on how it's not easy, how all of their problems aren't magically solved by choosing this vocation. I think more real-world information about the lives of cloistered people in religious life should exist.

The amazing and unusual life of former Hollywood actress Dolores Hart is exposed in this short film. In 1963 at the age of 25, Hart was a star having acted with superstars like Elvis Presley and was in love and engaged to architect Don Robinson. Despite having what most could only conceive in dreams, she gave it all up to her calling to live as a nun in a benedictine abbey in Connecticut where she has lived ever since.

With modesty, Hart explains the need for a deeper spiritual connection in her life as the reason for her life-changing decision. The film explores her history of living at the abbey and interviews other nuns and how they reached the same decision. A few nuns were idealists during the 1960s and 1970s - a time when idealism was popular. While the society around them changed, they found the monastic life suitable to the ideals they wanted to keep.

Most amazing is the continuous connection Hart and Robinson had maintained during Hart's life in the convent. This is best exposed in the final scene which is deeply moving in a quiet way. It can remind one of the sadness we feel when we have visited loved ones from far away and might not see again for a long time. It was quite touching and it's worth noting that Robinson died shortly after the film's completion.

The monastic life is described as quite difficult yet many interviewees have found the experience to be more than worth the hard times. While there are no "dropouts" interviewed, "God is the Bigger Elvis" could make one at least think about what monastic life might be like - whatever the spiritual philosophy. - dbamateurcritic.