Reading the habit: nuns and monks in film

This was one display we had been keen to do for some time. We promised not to sing the praises of The Sound of Music too loudly, though we certainly extolled the virtues of many other films which feature nuns and monks. As usual, an array of carefully selected items from our collections were on display, ranging from books to pressbooks and scripts.

So, in our quest, both East and West, these are some of the films we feel are a cut above the rest.

Black Narcissus (GB, 1947)

Powell and Pressburger's multi award-winning melodrama starring Deborah Kerr in her first of two roles as a nun. (She also played one, opposite Robert Mitchum, in 1957's Heaven Knows, Mr Allison) Based on Rumer Godden's novel, this highly erotic tale depicted a group of nuns struggling to repress their earthly desires whilst carrying out their divine duties in a remote Himalayan convent, formerly a home to concubines. The film is beautiful to look at in its vivid use of colour but perhaps most striking of all is Kathleen Byron's performance as the mentally unstable Sister Ruth.

Essene (US, 1972)

Frederick Wiseman's documentary about monastic life in 1970s USA. As the camera follows the monks in their daily rituals individual stories are revealed – one monk prays for all draft resistors and peace in the Middle East, another for a former mentor. As a dramatic climax is reached these stories combine to form a whole and offer us a sense of life in a monastic community. It may consist of "prayer, study, work, and family" but, in this case at least, there is also the need for a lot of healing.

The Bells of St. Mary's (US, 1945)

Interestingly, the June 1946 issue of Monthly Film Bulletin described this film, in which the protagonists are a Catholic priest and a nun, as a 'romance'. Whilst newcomer to St Mary's School, Father O'Malley, clashes with Sister Benedict over how best to deal with their young charges, their mutual benevolence shines through, particularly when they join forces to try and save their school from demolition. The scene in which Sister Benedict tries to teach some of the boys how to defend themselves against bullies, by instructing them in the art of boxing, is particularly memorable.

Revelation (US, 1924)

One of the many films released in 1924 by the newly-amalgamated MGM, Revelation stars Viola Dana, Monte Blue and Lew Cody. The story follows the heroine's emotional journey from sin to perceived miracle, and concludes with a happy ending. What does this have to do with nuns and monks? The heroine, posing as the Virgin Mary, stands in front of a flowering rosebush in a monastery and the monk observing her dies. Intrigued? You won't find the film on YouTube but it's based on the book The Rosebush of a Thousand Years by Mabel Wagnalls which you can get your hands on here in the library, or you can read a scanned copy of it online at Open Library.

Two Mules for Sister Sara (US/MX, 1970)

"Clint Eastwood ...as a hard-drinking 'gun', with a cigar smoking nun [Shirley Maclaine]. The most unlikely team to ever blow a bridge, take a town, or tame an army!" exclaims the poster. Just one of the fine examples of films in which actors portray a character disguised as a nun or monk. We've seen it before in The Lady Vanishes (1938), Crooks in Cloisters (1963), Sister Act (1992), and more. Why choose this above others? Well, because we really like it!

Phörpa (AU, 1999)

It was a close call whether to choose Phörpa, better known as The Cup, or Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter ...and Spring (aka Bom, Teoreum, Gaeul, Gyeowool, Geurigo, Bom, 2003). Anyone who has seen Phörpa however would be quick to recommend it and so do we. The first feature film to be made in the Tibetan language, it is set in a real Buddhist monastery in the foothills of the Himalayas, its monks employed as the actors. The story follows the lead character, 13 year old Orgyen, as he tries to secure a television set on which he and his fellow monks can watch the final of the World Cup – or as the abbot puts it "two nations fighting for a ball!". This entertaining film is also thought provoking, though you hardly notice as it is done gently and with humour.

Yo, la peor de todas (AR/FR, 1990)

Maria Luisa Bemberg's fifth feature film is a tribute to Latin America's most famous nun of the 17th century, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. Her appetite for knowledge and her literary talents brought her fame and attention but stood at odds with her position as a woman and a nun in the male-dominated society of imperial Mexico. The film, based on Octavio Paz's biographical work Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, o, Las trampas de la fe, faithfully follows the events of Sor Juana's life but offers us a modern interpretation. I, the Worst of All was first shown on UK television by Channel 4 in 1992.

The Devils (GB, 1971)

Starring Vanessa Redgrave and Oliver Reed it is probably fair to say that this Ken Russell film caused a bit of a stir upon its release. Interestingly, it has both received widespread condemnation and earned its maker respect at the same time. The film is set in Loudun, France. It is the 17th century and Richelieu has ordered all self-government of towns to end. The protected town of Loudun surrenders to that fate when its ruler priest, Urbane Grandier (Reed), is accused of treason and witchcraft, based on the evidence of Sister Jeanne (Redgrave) who is sexually obsessed by him.