My sister recently asked me if I knew where to find this picture, and coincidentally I had it in my film library, purchased about a year back from Movies Unlimited, a mail-order VHS/DVD house. I decided to revisit it, and to my delight it was everything I remembered it to be when it first came out in my pre-pubescence. This is a saga which begs to be re-made today, but NOT for the big screen, rather for the The Met. It has everything one could possibly ask for in Grand Opera. The beautiful young postulant nun, the dashing British officer, the regiment passing through with little children dancing around them waving flags. The backdrop of the Napoleonic Wars. Gypsies, bullfighters, Flamenco dancing and religious spectacle. What more could you ask for? With a plot as thin as a scrim, the libretto would be a cake walk, which I would LOVE to write. Would any composer care to collaborate? One thing eludes me, in the film, and IMDb has failed to enlighten me: Who is the singing voice of Theresa in the Spanish nightclub scenes? Could it be Victoria de Los Angeles? A fabulous voice. I highly recommend this movie to young and old, mostly female audiences (after all, it is cornier than even "An Affair to Remember"). Enjoy the sheer prettiness of it.
11 Reviews
Postulant nun goes into the world and experiences heartache
CCsito7 March 2010
Warning: Spoilers
This movie appears to be somewhat in the form of other movies like the Song of Bernadette, The Nun's Story, The Miracle of the Bells, and even the Sound of Music (Julie Andrews portrayed a postulant in that movie). Carroll Baker plays a postulant in a convent who meets an English soldier (Roger Moore) during the Napoleonic wars in Spain. They both fall in love with each other and she goes to follow him leaving the convent. A Virgin Mary statue that she treats as her mother figure (she is an orphan) comes to life and takes her place during her absence. The postulant becomes separated from the English soldier and later becomes attached to different peoples in Spain (gypsies, a matador, and a wealthy benefactor) and becomes a singing star and dancer. She appears to cause the death of people who she comes close to. Eventually, she and the English soldier are reunited in Belgium, but the battle of Waterloo separates them again. She fears that she will also cause the death of the English soldier and decides to leave him in order to spare his life and to return to the convent. Upon her return, the statue returns to its original location and the surrounding area's drought of several years (during her absence) comes to an end.
The movie has a very stirring musical score and are well portrayed by Carroll Baker, Roger Moore, Walter Slezak, and Victorio Gassman. The many different battle scenes, bullfights, singing and dancing performances are handled very well. Carroll Baker is better known for her more "risque" acting roles in other films and her different role here is a nice change of pace. The movie, as a whole, keeps up the plot and story flow very well. It keeps you interested throughout the film. My only "gripe" with the film is how the religious aspect was taken to conflict with the postulant's "wayward" tendencies. From my own personal raising as a Catholic, the miracle did not make sense to me. The underlying message of the miracle seemed to imply that the postulant's departure from the convent had broken a sacred covenant with the Virgin Mary. It was as if she must stay there or else cause pain and death to those outside in the world. I have a relative who had entered a convent and said that she also did not understand the meaning of this movie regarding the miracle. When you are a postulant, you are not technically a full fledged nun, so you can at any point in time decide to leave on your own choice. You are only a "nun in training" during this stage. When you transition to becoming a novitiate is when you receive the habit uniform and have your hair cut. Even at this stage, you have not yet reached the final profession stage (taking the formal vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience). When she threw off her religious garments, the atmosphere became stormy as if she had done something unnatural. The drought which occurred during her absence also hinted that there was "anger" at her leaving the convent. This runs counter to a forgiving and understanding God. I guess the "fatalistic" theme was something that I don't quite accept (but that is my own personal opinion). Perhaps it was meant to be similar to the agony in the garden that Jesus endured before he was crucified? Jesus questioned what was going to happen to him and had to eventually come to terms with his upcoming death.
The movie has a very stirring musical score and are well portrayed by Carroll Baker, Roger Moore, Walter Slezak, and Victorio Gassman. The many different battle scenes, bullfights, singing and dancing performances are handled very well. Carroll Baker is better known for her more "risque" acting roles in other films and her different role here is a nice change of pace. The movie, as a whole, keeps up the plot and story flow very well. It keeps you interested throughout the film. My only "gripe" with the film is how the religious aspect was taken to conflict with the postulant's "wayward" tendencies. From my own personal raising as a Catholic, the miracle did not make sense to me. The underlying message of the miracle seemed to imply that the postulant's departure from the convent had broken a sacred covenant with the Virgin Mary. It was as if she must stay there or else cause pain and death to those outside in the world. I have a relative who had entered a convent and said that she also did not understand the meaning of this movie regarding the miracle. When you are a postulant, you are not technically a full fledged nun, so you can at any point in time decide to leave on your own choice. You are only a "nun in training" during this stage. When you transition to becoming a novitiate is when you receive the habit uniform and have your hair cut. Even at this stage, you have not yet reached the final profession stage (taking the formal vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience). When she threw off her religious garments, the atmosphere became stormy as if she had done something unnatural. The drought which occurred during her absence also hinted that there was "anger" at her leaving the convent. This runs counter to a forgiving and understanding God. I guess the "fatalistic" theme was something that I don't quite accept (but that is my own personal opinion). Perhaps it was meant to be similar to the agony in the garden that Jesus endured before he was crucified? Jesus questioned what was going to happen to him and had to eventually come to terms with his upcoming death.
Although it IS overdone,if you're in the right mood, you will enjoy it.
critic-212 April 1999
Those who are hard-bitten, unsentimental, hate religious epics, or laugh easily at ultra-romantic plots laced with mysticism, religious omens, and ominous signs (such as a wind that mysteriously comes up, droughts that devastate a land when someone leaves, and thunderstorms that spring up just at the right moment) had better either avoid this film or be prepared for a real howl. Add to this some hammy overacting from the miscast Carroll Baker, who is supposed to be Spanish, of all things.(Natalie Wood, who turned down the role, would have been a far better choice, and Sophia Loren might have been even better). And the young,unwrinkled Roger Moore DID look too pretty for a male actor.
But the basic plot, of the Virgin's statue taking a young nun's place is an old and time-honored legend used before on stage and film, and those who really get into this kind of thing will love it, although the disturbing idea of a heavenly curse which apparently causes death is certainly not in keeping with the Catholic idea of a merciful God. The movie is NOT cheesy, by the way; it is quite elaborately produced, with good photography and a throbbing musical score by "Ten Commandments" and "Magnificent Seven" composer Elmer Bernstein.
But the basic plot, of the Virgin's statue taking a young nun's place is an old and time-honored legend used before on stage and film, and those who really get into this kind of thing will love it, although the disturbing idea of a heavenly curse which apparently causes death is certainly not in keeping with the Catholic idea of a merciful God. The movie is NOT cheesy, by the way; it is quite elaborately produced, with good photography and a throbbing musical score by "Ten Commandments" and "Magnificent Seven" composer Elmer Bernstein.
An over-the-top costume drama
hessmary19 March 1999
Since this is my favorite "guilty pleasure" of all time, due its histrionics and sheer cheesiness, I feel a bit uncomfortable being critical. Poor Carroll Baker suffers and suffers, but she's not as pretty as Roger Moore. Then there's Walter Slezak having a good time with his silly part. The plot is one of the most unintentionally funny screen plays ever -- a camp classic. If you are Catholic with a sense of humor, you'll really enjoy it. By all means, watch it once.
The Miracle
Smalling-216 November 2001
During the war of 1812, a young nun leaves the convent to search for a series of romantic adventures, and during her journey the statue of the virgin Mary descends from the pedestal and takes the young nun's place until her return.
Adapted from a fairly deadening and lunatic play, and tricked out with the old-fashioned Max Reinhardt pageantry; this immensely long and heavy-going amalgam of would-be religious parable and decorative period romance soon becomes numbingly risible and never lets up. A very curious choice for an emergent leading lady obviously, and unsuccessfully, fighting against her freshly established image, while the star supporting players - apparently intended as a balance - suffer from being tediously typecast. None of the actors have much opportunity to display their skills and the direction is below average. Quite a stupefying enterprise, but a sometimes engagingly silly one.
Adapted from a fairly deadening and lunatic play, and tricked out with the old-fashioned Max Reinhardt pageantry; this immensely long and heavy-going amalgam of would-be religious parable and decorative period romance soon becomes numbingly risible and never lets up. A very curious choice for an emergent leading lady obviously, and unsuccessfully, fighting against her freshly established image, while the star supporting players - apparently intended as a balance - suffer from being tediously typecast. None of the actors have much opportunity to display their skills and the direction is below average. Quite a stupefying enterprise, but a sometimes engagingly silly one.
Plenty unsatisfactory outcome!!!
elo-equipamentos13 October 2020
I had watched in my tender age in 1983 and due my religion's roots on Catholic Church I'd gave a great dimension on it, regarding it with a hefty meaning for my believers, for many years l've been looking for this hard to find movie, now I'd got an average copy on DVD-R taped from cable TV, revisiting this long awaited "The Miracle", sadly I have realized that my early feelings was wrong, this picture walks in a fake premise of Puritanism, the Novice Teresa (Carroll Baker) clearly had an ambiguous personality, all this took place at in the Valley of Miraflores in Spain during the Napoleonic wars at its time trespassing the Spanish territory, already aware of such menacing movement the British Army fleetingly sent a massive troops to face the greed French Emperor, in this tricky environment the attractive Novice Teresa meets the gallant Captain Michael Stuart (Roger Moore) whom she falling in love at first glance, after one battle the brave Captain was sternly injured, thus she makes a promise to Madonna of the Miraflores, if he survives she'll gives her vows to be a Nun, he recovers and goes back to the battle, however she leaves the Convent trying to meet his beloved soldier, thereupon the holly Madonna disappears from the shrine and embodies the Teresa's absent, she follows the Gypsies, soon appears Michael's belongs with a Gypsy's member who told to her that all objects was found with a dead body of a British soldier, upon this awful reality she breaks her previous vows gave to Madonna, becoming a mundane girl having several love affairs, always they end up on a tragic death, the times goes by, four years precisely at Brussels she finally meets the still alive now General Michael, somehow she heard an odd story when Michael visited her at convent, what he saw her there, then undermined about that she returns to Valley of the Miraflores where has ongoing a hard dry season for exact last four years, none a single drop of water fallen there, plenty unsatisfactory outcome and too much fanciful, no make sense whatever yours persuasions, anyone has to pay for others fails, it sounds fully contradictory at God's sight, thus there no miracle!!!
Resume:
First watch: 1984 / How many: 2 / Source: TV-DVD-R / Rating: 6.5.
Resume:
First watch: 1984 / How many: 2 / Source: TV-DVD-R / Rating: 6.5.
It goes beyond religious cant into lunatic aerials of historical and hothouse melodrama...
moonspinner5530 May 2009
During Napoleon's war with Spain, a young postulate at a convent near Madrid experiences her first stirrings of romantic love for a passing British Captain; she breaks her vows and runs off to be with him, but instead falls in league with traveling gypsies after her beloved is presumed dead in a rampage by the French. Unbelievable concoction, scripted by Frank Butler from Karl Vollmöller's play, given uncertain treatment by director Irving Rapper. Is this material high camp or serious-minded? At times, it manages to be both, with the addition of some unintentional humor to lighten the load. Stars Carroll Baker and Roger Moore occasionally look bewildered or lost--and they get no help from Rapper, nor from their dialogue. The appropriately large-scaled production includes several set-pieces which are exciting and well-accomplished, though the plot is episodic, and each new chapter is more outlandish than the last. ** from ****
The Virgin Mary, a stand-in
bkoganbing24 September 2014
After playing the ultimate teen sexpot in Baby Doll, Carroll Baker plays a young nun who was a foundling. The convent where she is a postulant serves as a medical hospital during the Napoleonic Wars. It's there that Baker starts doubting whether she has the right stuff to be a nun.
Who is giving her second thoughts is young Roger Moore, wounded nephew of the Duke Of Wellington. While he convalesces he also stirs something in Baker about what she's missing on the outside. When Moore leaves to rejoin his regiment, Baker follows.
But The Miracle happens. A statue of the Virgin Mary comes off a pedestal in the nunnery chapel and takes Baker's place. But with the statue gone the country around withers and dies, crops go bad, animals and people go hungry. Still no one knows in the convent that the greatest woman in Catholic history is among them.
As for Baker the rest of the film is episodic at best as she joins the gypsies, specifically Walter Slezak as a come-on for his various enterprises. She's also hard luck to any man who falls for her.
I couldn't quite buy Baker as a Catholic nun still the film is worth a look. Roger Moore when he was young and before James Bond was great at these stalwart hero roles. Gypsy brothers Vittorio Gassman and Carlos Rivas and their mother Katina Paxinou stand out as well as Dennis King as old roué of a nobleman and Gustavo Rojo a matador. All the men fall hard for her.
Someone like Sophia Loren would have been great in the title role. And more convincing than mid-west born and bred Carroll Baker as a Spaniard.
Who is giving her second thoughts is young Roger Moore, wounded nephew of the Duke Of Wellington. While he convalesces he also stirs something in Baker about what she's missing on the outside. When Moore leaves to rejoin his regiment, Baker follows.
But The Miracle happens. A statue of the Virgin Mary comes off a pedestal in the nunnery chapel and takes Baker's place. But with the statue gone the country around withers and dies, crops go bad, animals and people go hungry. Still no one knows in the convent that the greatest woman in Catholic history is among them.
As for Baker the rest of the film is episodic at best as she joins the gypsies, specifically Walter Slezak as a come-on for his various enterprises. She's also hard luck to any man who falls for her.
I couldn't quite buy Baker as a Catholic nun still the film is worth a look. Roger Moore when he was young and before James Bond was great at these stalwart hero roles. Gypsy brothers Vittorio Gassman and Carlos Rivas and their mother Katina Paxinou stand out as well as Dennis King as old roué of a nobleman and Gustavo Rojo a matador. All the men fall hard for her.
Someone like Sophia Loren would have been great in the title role. And more convincing than mid-west born and bred Carroll Baker as a Spaniard.
Could've been great
badolatodiane30 November 2019
This could've been a great great movie. The problem was Carol Baker. While I think she's absolutely beautiful and I liked her in baby doll
giant she just wasn't the right person for the role of the nun. I could see Natalie Wood, Pier Angeli, Susan Kohner (Imitation of life), Leslie Caron or Susan Strasberg. My mother saw it on Broadway and said what an absolutely beautiful show years and years and years ago also there was a silent film version that is all handpainted in color . it's supposed to bePantomime and absolutely breathtaking.
.
A nice spectacle , but the film fails in trying to achieve a profound religious meaning...
Nazi_Fighter_David29 April 2000
Warning: Spoilers
A classical beauty, Carroll Baker, is cast by Irving Rapper to play Teresa, a postulant nun during the troubled world of the Peninsula War... Teresa breaks her vows and abandons the limit of her Spanish convent of the valley of Miraflores, to follow a handsome British officer she falls in love with...
In doing so, the statue of the Madonna disappears from its altar, stepping down in human form, to take Teresa's place in the community of nuns...
When Captain Michael Stuart (Roger Moore) is believed to have been killed by the French troops roaring through Spain, Teresa gives up herself to a series of amorous encounters with a happy gypsy (Vittorio Gassman), a handsome matador (Gustavo Rojo), and an elderly aristocrat (Dennis King).
Becoming a famous singer under the name of 'Miraflores, the gypsy,' and after finishing her tour in Rome, Paris, Amsterdam, Teresa meets in Brussels, once again, her dearest Michael who turns out to be very much alive...
Nevertheless, after discovering that the Madonna has gone, and praying for Michael's safety in the Battle of Waterloo, Teresa decides to return to the droughty countryside deserted four years by God and by the Madonna... By her return, a 'miracle' occurs...
In the title role, Carroll Baker misses the trait in playing the candidate for admission to the religious order... She lacks the ability to deliver the warmth needed for the role... As always, she looks fabulous and moves with great assurance... But her interpretation fails in communicating the real sense of engagement in Teresa's emotional dilemma... Unfortunately, her vocal ability as the Spanish gypsy and singer proves to be erratic and ultimately frustrating...
Filmed in Technirama and Technicolor and with a great music by Elmer Bernstein, "The Miracle" depicts the horror of the Peninsula War, the intervention of the English army, the itinerant way of life of the Gypsies, the popular spectacle of bullfighting, the strategy of war of the "The Iron Duke," the Duke of Wellington (Torin Thatcher), but fails in trying to achieve a profound religious meaning, missing, lamentably, its objective...
In doing so, the statue of the Madonna disappears from its altar, stepping down in human form, to take Teresa's place in the community of nuns...
When Captain Michael Stuart (Roger Moore) is believed to have been killed by the French troops roaring through Spain, Teresa gives up herself to a series of amorous encounters with a happy gypsy (Vittorio Gassman), a handsome matador (Gustavo Rojo), and an elderly aristocrat (Dennis King).
Becoming a famous singer under the name of 'Miraflores, the gypsy,' and after finishing her tour in Rome, Paris, Amsterdam, Teresa meets in Brussels, once again, her dearest Michael who turns out to be very much alive...
Nevertheless, after discovering that the Madonna has gone, and praying for Michael's safety in the Battle of Waterloo, Teresa decides to return to the droughty countryside deserted four years by God and by the Madonna... By her return, a 'miracle' occurs...
In the title role, Carroll Baker misses the trait in playing the candidate for admission to the religious order... She lacks the ability to deliver the warmth needed for the role... As always, she looks fabulous and moves with great assurance... But her interpretation fails in communicating the real sense of engagement in Teresa's emotional dilemma... Unfortunately, her vocal ability as the Spanish gypsy and singer proves to be erratic and ultimately frustrating...
Filmed in Technirama and Technicolor and with a great music by Elmer Bernstein, "The Miracle" depicts the horror of the Peninsula War, the intervention of the English army, the itinerant way of life of the Gypsies, the popular spectacle of bullfighting, the strategy of war of the "The Iron Duke," the Duke of Wellington (Torin Thatcher), but fails in trying to achieve a profound religious meaning, missing, lamentably, its objective...
Am interested in watching this film
cgkarnani5 March 2021
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
