Agnes of God (1985)

Director:

Norman Jewison

Writers:

John Pielmeier (play)
John Pielmeier (screenplay)

Release Date:

13 September 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

What unspeakable crime took place behind the third floor window? Only Agnes knows. And Dr. Martha Livingston is the one person who can unravel the mystery.

Plot:

When a naive novice nun is discovered with a dead newborn in her convent quarters, a court appointed psychiatrist investigates her case.

Plot Keywords:

Pigeon | Winter | Mother Superior | Psychological Thriller | Nunsploitation

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Jane Fonda	...	Dr. Martha Livingston
Anne Bancroft	...	Mother Miriam Ruth
Meg Tilly	...	Sister Agnes
Anne Pitoniak	...	Dr. Livingston's Mother
Winston Rekert	...	Det. Langevin
Gratien Gélinas	...	Father Martineau
Guy Hoffman	...	Justice Joseph Leveau
Gabriel Arcand	...	Monsignor
Françoise Faucher	...	Eve LeClaire
Jacques Tourangeau	...	Eugene Lyon
Janine Fluet	...	Sister Marguerite
Deborah Grover	...	Sister Anne
Michele George	...	Sister Susanna
Samantha Langevin	...	Sister Jeannine
Jacqueline Blais	...	Sister David Marie

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Netherlands:12 | Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:12 | Peru:14 | Singapore:PG | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The roles given to Jane Fonda, Anne Bancroft and Meg Tilly were portrayed on Broadway by Elizabeth Ashley, Geraldine Page and Amanda Plummer.

Quotes:

Doctor Martha Livingston: Agnes, how do you feel about babies?
Sister Agnes: Oh, they frighten me; I'm afraid I'll drop them. They have a soft spot on their heads, and if you drop them so they land on their heads, they become stupid. I was dropped on MY head; that's why I don't understand things.
Doctor Martha Livingston: Like what?
Sister Agnes: Numbers! You can spend your whole life counting 'em and never reach the end.
Doctor Martha Livingston: I don't understand them, either... Do you 'spose I was dropped on my head?
Sister Agnes: [concerned] I hope not... it's a terrible thing to be dropped on your head.

Movie Connections:

References The Blues Brothers (1980)

Absorbing film

After a nun gives birth, the baby is found strangled in a wastepaper basket. A psychiatrist is brought in to judge the woman's sanity. The film is "Agnes of God," based on the successful Broadway play and inspired by an incident that occurred in my home town of Rochester, New York. It unites three powerful actresses - Jane Fonda, Anne Bancroft, and Meg Tilly in this intriguing story of belief, truth, and perception.

Fonda is the psychiatrist who comes to the idyllic, French Canadian convent setting and first meets the mother superior (Bancroft), a nun with a few secrets, who is opposed to having Agnes, the young woman who had the baby, questioned. Agnes is a pure, childlike girl who hears voices, talks to spirits, doesn't know how babies are born, and claims she never had one. Is she delusional as the result of abuse as a child? Was she raped? Is she insane? The performances in "Agnes of God" are extraordinary. Fonda is brilliant as a woman of science who has long ago turned her back on God, and Meg Tilly gives a breakout performance as the translucent, innocent Agnes. The dramatic scene which ends with Fonda saying, "I love you...As much as God loves you" was one of the most moving in the film.

The powerhouse role, played on stage by Geraldine Page, is that of the mother superior, and what better actress for this than the fantastic Anne Bancroft. She is tough, vulnerable, funny, fierce and warm as a woman trying to protect her delicate charge from the horrors of the world. She and Fonda play beautifully together, whether bonding or fighting, as Fonda strips away the layers to find the truth.

It's so rare to see a film with three great female roles, and to see them all essayed so well in an excellent story. For this reason, Agnes of God is a great, provocative film that will keep you thinking about it long after it's over.