Agnes of God
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Agnes of God | |
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 Agnes of God original film poster |
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| Directed by | Norman Jewison |
| Produced by | Norman Jewison, Patrick J. Palmer |
| Written by | John Pielmeier |
| Starring | Jane Fonda, Anne Bancroft, Meg Tilly |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 21 August 1985 |
| Running time | 98 minutes |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Agnes of God is a play by John Pielmeier which tells the story of a novice nun who gives birth and insists that the dead child was the result of a virgin conception. A psychiatrist and the mother superior of the convent clash during the resulting investigation.
The play was made into a movie in 1985, starring Jane Fonda, Anne Bancroft and Meg Tilly. It was adapted by Pielmeier, and directed by Norman Jewison.
It was nominated for Academy Awards for "Best Actress in a Leading Role" (Anne Bancroft), "Best Actress in a Supporting Role" (Meg Tilly) and "Best Music, Original Score".
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[edit] Artistic License and Background
This drama is widely believed to be based on an actual incident, which occurred in a convent in Brighton, New York, just outside the city line of Rochester, a conservative Catholic community.
Pielmeier's plot features Sister Agnes, a young and ignorant novice of French ethnicity, molested by her mother as a child, who sings in an ethereal voice and was impregnated by an unknown entity, which makes for much of the mystery of the drama. However, Sister Maureen, the nun who killed her baby, was thirty-six years old, Irish, and well-educated. She was a Montessori teacher in New York state, which required teachers to obtain bachelor's degrees and to be certified. In order to obtain permanent certification, teachers also required a Master's degree in education.
The police found ticket stubs and other information in the nun's convent room indicating that precisely nine months earlier she had traveled out of state to an educational conference. While during the trial, the father of the baby was never named, it was never suggested that the nun had been raped by a priest.
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The play has enjoyed a revival among Catholic women's groups, who believe it examines important moral and spiritual issues that Catholic women must face. The issues raised by the real-life incident are just as compelling, though less dramatic. Sister Maureen denied she had given birth; when examined by medical staff, she said she couldn't remember being pregnant. She had covered up the pregnancy by wearing the traditional nun's habit. The baby was found dead in her small convent room in a waste basket, asphyxiated.
At her trial, Sister Maureen waived her right to a jury, and Judge Hyman Maas, a Jew, presided. There was a great deal of controversy about whether a Jewish judge would give a Catholic nun a fair trial. The trial was over in ten days, and Maas found the nun innocent of all charges by reason of insanity in March 1977.
The convent where the murder occurred is now used for graduate housing and offices for the Nazareth College of Rochester. The girl's high school, St. Agnes, where many of the nuns taught, is closed. [1]
[edit] Memorable Quotes from Movie
Doctor Martha Livingston: Today's my birthday. I always make bad decisions on my birthday.
Martha: Suppose the saints would have smoked if tobacco'd been popular back then?
Mother Miriam Ruth: Undoubtably. Not the ascetics, of course, but, well, St. Thomas More.
Martha: Long, thin, and filtered!
Martha: Agnes, it's all right. I love you.
Sister Agnes: As much as Mother Miriam loves me?
Martha: As much as God loves you.
[edit] Filming
The film was filmed at the former Rockwood Academy in Rockwood, Ontario, Canada and in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
[edit] Screenshots
[edit] Main Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Jane Fonda | Dr. Martha Livingston |
| Anne Bancroft | Mother Miriam Ruth |
| Meg Tilly | Sister Agnes |
| Anne Pitoniak | Dr. Livingston's Mother |
[edit] Supporting Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Winston Rekert | Det. Langevin |
| Gratien Gélinas | Father Martineau |
| Guy Hoffman | Justice Joseph Leveau |
| Gabriel Arcand | Monsignor |
| Françoise Faucher | Eve LeClaire |
| Jacques Tourangeau | Eugene Lyon |
[edit] External links
- Agnes of God at the Internet Movie Database (Full Cast available)
- Agnes of God at Rotten Tomatoes
- Script of the movie.
