Agnes of God opens with screams in a convent. As nuns rush to the room where the screams come from, the viewer is confronted with the scene of a novice nun, Sister Agnes (Meg Tilly), covered in blood; in a paper wastebasket next to her a dead newborn is found. The authorities want to know what happened, but Sister Agnes has blocked all memories from that night, so Dr. Martha Livingston (Jane Fonda), has the inglorious task of discovering the truth.
Norman Jewison has made a name for himself tackling hot issues in his movies: cold war paranoia (The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming), racism (In the Heat of the Night; A Soldier's Story), corruption in the legal system ( And Justice for All). In Agnes of God he portrays the touchy relationship between religion and secular authority. A murder probably occurred in the convent but, like a judge says, no one wants to send a nun to prison. They'll be content with declaring Agnes insane and temporarily locking her away in an institution. What makes Dr. Livingston's task so inglorious is that she's fighting alone, against the state and the church, to find the truth.
Appointed by court to analyse Sister Agnes' state of mind, Dr. Livingston starts asking interesting questions that no one else cares about: who was the father? Did any of the nuns know about the pregnancy? Why was Sister Agnes' room the only one with a paper wastebasket? And, more importantly, was the death an accident or a premeditated murder? Opposing the investigation is Mother Miriam Ruth (Anne Bancroft), the head of the convent, a disillusioned woman looking for miracles in the modern world and who wants to believe that Sister Agnes' presumed virgin pregnancy is the work of God.
The movie's main strength lies in the confrontation between these two great actresses. Although the narrative is weak at times, the screenplay fleshed out the characters very well, giving the viewer a lot of information about their past. We learn that Dr. Livingston had a Catholic upbringing but became an atheist after a traumatic experience in her childhood. She sees Sister Agnes as a victim that must be saved from a world that wants her to live in ignorance.
Mother Miriam, who could easily have been portrayed as a sinister antagonist, since it's always easy to make religious figures in cinema evil or crazy, is one o the most compassionate character in the movie, wishing only to protect Sister Agnes from an outside world that only brought pain and misery to the young woman. Sister Agnes, with her devotion and piousness, also reminds Mother Miriam of a time when she still had faith and so becomes an ideal worth fighting for.
Meg Tilly also stands out. Always dressed in white, in opposition to the black garments worn by other nuns, Sister Agnes, with her baby-like face, is a beacon of innocence and kindness. She loves everyone, knows nothing about the world outside the convent, and may be visited by angels. Most of her performance consists of just looking angelic. But when she starts talking about the baby her soft voice takes a sorrowful, angry tone that temporarily upstages the veteran actresses.
It's a pity, however, that her most dramatic scenes come up while she's under hypnosis. That's one my few complaints about the movie. Hypnosis should always be used judiciously since it resolves things too easily. The screenplay could have been stronger – I have nothing to say about the dialogues, which are mesmerising, but the narrative could have had some tweaking.
Also, those who watch this movie may not realise that it contains one of the best scores ever composed for cinema. Georges Delerue, who composed the music for Contempt, Day for Night, A Little Romance, Platoon and other classics, composed a score here that creates a relaxed feeling of harmony, perfect for meditation, and with beautiful church-like choral music – and it's hardly heard in the movie. It's a strange decision (and ironic since Delerue got his fifth Oscar nomination for it) because seldom have a score and movie complemented each other so well.
Nevertheless, this character-driven mystery should satisfy anyone looking for some thought provoking ideas. Although Norman Jewison is not hailed as one of cinema's greatest, his ability to raise controversial topics and get unforgettable performances from his actors always makes his movies interesting to watch.
Norman Jewison has made a name for himself tackling hot issues in his movies: cold war paranoia (The Russians Are Coming the Russians Are Coming), racism (In the Heat of the Night; A Soldier's Story), corruption in the legal system ( And Justice for All). In Agnes of God he portrays the touchy relationship between religion and secular authority. A murder probably occurred in the convent but, like a judge says, no one wants to send a nun to prison. They'll be content with declaring Agnes insane and temporarily locking her away in an institution. What makes Dr. Livingston's task so inglorious is that she's fighting alone, against the state and the church, to find the truth.
Appointed by court to analyse Sister Agnes' state of mind, Dr. Livingston starts asking interesting questions that no one else cares about: who was the father? Did any of the nuns know about the pregnancy? Why was Sister Agnes' room the only one with a paper wastebasket? And, more importantly, was the death an accident or a premeditated murder? Opposing the investigation is Mother Miriam Ruth (Anne Bancroft), the head of the convent, a disillusioned woman looking for miracles in the modern world and who wants to believe that Sister Agnes' presumed virgin pregnancy is the work of God.
The movie's main strength lies in the confrontation between these two great actresses. Although the narrative is weak at times, the screenplay fleshed out the characters very well, giving the viewer a lot of information about their past. We learn that Dr. Livingston had a Catholic upbringing but became an atheist after a traumatic experience in her childhood. She sees Sister Agnes as a victim that must be saved from a world that wants her to live in ignorance.
Mother Miriam, who could easily have been portrayed as a sinister antagonist, since it's always easy to make religious figures in cinema evil or crazy, is one o the most compassionate character in the movie, wishing only to protect Sister Agnes from an outside world that only brought pain and misery to the young woman. Sister Agnes, with her devotion and piousness, also reminds Mother Miriam of a time when she still had faith and so becomes an ideal worth fighting for.
Meg Tilly also stands out. Always dressed in white, in opposition to the black garments worn by other nuns, Sister Agnes, with her baby-like face, is a beacon of innocence and kindness. She loves everyone, knows nothing about the world outside the convent, and may be visited by angels. Most of her performance consists of just looking angelic. But when she starts talking about the baby her soft voice takes a sorrowful, angry tone that temporarily upstages the veteran actresses.
It's a pity, however, that her most dramatic scenes come up while she's under hypnosis. That's one my few complaints about the movie. Hypnosis should always be used judiciously since it resolves things too easily. The screenplay could have been stronger – I have nothing to say about the dialogues, which are mesmerising, but the narrative could have had some tweaking.
Also, those who watch this movie may not realise that it contains one of the best scores ever composed for cinema. Georges Delerue, who composed the music for Contempt, Day for Night, A Little Romance, Platoon and other classics, composed a score here that creates a relaxed feeling of harmony, perfect for meditation, and with beautiful church-like choral music – and it's hardly heard in the movie. It's a strange decision (and ironic since Delerue got his fifth Oscar nomination for it) because seldom have a score and movie complemented each other so well.
Nevertheless, this character-driven mystery should satisfy anyone looking for some thought provoking ideas. Although Norman Jewison is not hailed as one of cinema's greatest, his ability to raise controversial topics and get unforgettable performances from his actors always makes his movies interesting to watch.
