I can't believe there is only 1 comment on this movie! I have no idea if it was made for TV, but I saw it on TV a long time ago- in fact, it may have been when it originally aired on TV for the first time. The whole reason I even thought to come here & comment on it is because I just saw Kathleen Quinlan in "Breach" and part of my memory always thinks of her as Sister Rita. (Plus the whole Karen Ann Quinlan debate was going on at the time & that name stuck in my mind watching the movie...weird how one remembers things.)
The thing I remember the most, of course, is the forbidden romance. I thought Quinlan's portrayal of Sister Rita was terribly good and believable. Seeing Dick Van Dyke as Father Rivard was also surprising. I liked seeing him in a serious role and he did it well. He made his character's action seem human and understandable. Also, I vaguely remember liking Ernest Gold's music very much. Now, years later, I recognize the collaboration between him and Stanley Kramer movies. This movie is different from "The Thorn Birds" because it isn't a lustful or infatuated type of love, but a spiritual one that then "spills over" into a physical one. I thought it was handled very well and of course a director like Stanley Kramer is its own recommendation.
I never saw this movie again on TV after that... I would've thought it would at least turn up on Lifetime or somewhere like that. But I'm sure some elements might seem dated now. But over all it's a movie I would see again and never forgot.
The thing I remember the most, of course, is the forbidden romance. I thought Quinlan's portrayal of Sister Rita was terribly good and believable. Seeing Dick Van Dyke as Father Rivard was also surprising. I liked seeing him in a serious role and he did it well. He made his character's action seem human and understandable. Also, I vaguely remember liking Ernest Gold's music very much. Now, years later, I recognize the collaboration between him and Stanley Kramer movies. This movie is different from "The Thorn Birds" because it isn't a lustful or infatuated type of love, but a spiritual one that then "spills over" into a physical one. I thought it was handled very well and of course a director like Stanley Kramer is its own recommendation.
I never saw this movie again on TV after that... I would've thought it would at least turn up on Lifetime or somewhere like that. But I'm sure some elements might seem dated now. But over all it's a movie I would see again and never forgot.