Review of The Nun's Story (1959) by Margaret F — 01 Feb 2012

Believe it or not, the best part in this classic came with its ending: an extended silent scene of Sister Luke leaving the convent. This was masterfully and deliberately shot, without any music, in order to facilitate a middle-of-the-road, neutral ending.

Here, we didn't see any "epic" pessimism or optimism: it was sheer neutrality and brilliance. In other respects, I have to say that I find The Nun's Story kind of long, but enjoyable nonetheless, even as an epic.

And what an epic it was! Audrey Hepburn portrayed her role with utter credibility, without any ostentation whatsoever. That means no excessive flaunting was there in her performance. In terms of atmosphere, the scenes were set in just about the right type: not with any prelude or music again, but rather with suddenness and abruptness (notably in that scene where Sister Luke gets almost killed by a mental patient, and another where a fellow Sister gets stabbed by a deluded African native).

This feature was in itself enjoyable, and with a tinge of steamy sexual tension filled in by Peter Finch's Dr Fortunati, it was appealing too. In all, I enjoyed this classic, and not just as a biopic, but almost as a filmic ode to the frailty of the human spirit (symbolized, of course, by Sister Luke's ultimate rejection of convent life).