The Trouble with Angels

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Actress-writer-director Ida Lupino got one of her unfortunately rare opportunities behind a camera making this 1966 family comedy about two mischievous students (Hayley Mills, June Harding) making life difficult for the nuns at a girls' convent school. Rosalind Russell has a fine part as a mother superior vexed by their pranks and outwardly chilly until the girls catch her in a more private moment of emotional release. The script has an anecdotal structure--it's sort of one thing after another with Mills's and Harding's troublemakers--but there is a rising sense that these two kids gradually develop some awareness of the pain and sacrifices of others. A fun and touching movie all around, with a nice twist at the end. --Tom Keogh

Description

Hayley Mills and June Harding act up in this affectionate comedy as two juvenile pranksters at the St. Francis Academy for Girls. It is up to Rosalind Russell, starring as the patient and understanding Mother Superior, to show them the right path. Starring Rosalind Russell and Hayley Mills.

Customer Reviews:

Well worth watching.......2007-08-22

The Trouble with Angels is a fine movie, well worth your time despite being offered in a full screen format. Lupino does an excellent job in directing, and she handles the comedy with a soft touch. Nowadays juvenile comedy is done with such exaggeration and explosive special effects that any snse of realism is destroyed. For instance, in the 1998 version of "the Parent Trap" (which I liked) the trap one twin plays on another in the camp bunk room is so elaborate and sophisticated only the concerted effort of a big budget special effects team could have thought and constructed such an effort. The trouble Mills gets into is much more realistic. We don't get long scenes of Rosalind Russell chewing out the troublemakers. We usually just see them doing dishes as punishment. Lupino doesn't need to beat us over the head to make a point. Gradually we get to see what really motivates the characters, nuns and students alike. Mills and Russell are excellent in their roles, and play with understatement. The Catholic faith is also shown in a positive light, and the call to vocation is also presented in a good light. As others have commented, women are presented in a positive light, while men for the most part are not. Mother Superior would like to kick Mills out of the boarding school, but keeps her because she would rather not have Mills exposed to her uncle, who is a playboy who uses women. I was really much more impressed with this movie than I thought I would be. The acting by almnost all the characters was superior, and the motivations and plot developed gradually. Too bad the Catholic church got rid of it nun's habits and traditions, and substituted horrible services and music. Today it seems stuck in the hippy-ish 60s after abandoning centuries of tradition!

the trouble with angels.......2007-07-16

I received this very quickly. It was excellent quality. I would buy from this dealer again.

The Trouble With Angels.......2007-07-15

I really enjoyed this movie.The overhaul quality of the movie was very good and delivery was prompt. This is just one of my all time favorites. Thanks Sharon

Haley Mills very funny movie.......2007-05-13

Cute funny movie, about girls, but my boys think it is funny. A nice wholesome movie for anyone.

Trouble with Angels.......2007-05-12

This movie is a classic of all ages. A fond memory from my childhood.

Average customer rating:

Lasting Fun
Hail Mary and Holy rockin'
A fun, family-friendly movie!
Pure Fun!
Good Movie

Sister Act
Starring: Whoopi Goldberg , Maggie Smith , Kathy Najimy , Wendy Makkena , and Mary Wickes
Director: Emile Ardolino
Manufacturer: Touchstone / Disney
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005KAQP
Release Date: 2001-11-06

Amazon.com

Whoopi Goldberg plays a Reno lounge singer who hides out as a nun when her villainous boyfriend (Harvey Keitel) goes gunning for her. Maggie Smith is the mother superior who has to cope with Whoopi's unorthodox behavior, but the cute script turns the tables and shows how the latter energizes the stodgy convent with song and attitude. A real crowd-pleaser and a perfect vehicle for Goldberg, this is a happy experience all around. --Tom Keogh

Description

Relive all the fun, laughter, and irresistible music of SISTER ACT -- the inspired comedy hit that packed pews everywhere! Whoopi Goldberg stars as a sassy, low-rent lounge singer forced to hide out from the mob in the last place on earth anyone would look for her -- a convent. While she's there, her irreverent behavior attracts a flock of faithful followers and turns the nuns' tone-deaf choir into a soulful chorus of swingin', singin' sisters. But when the group earns rave reviews, her sudden celebrity jeopardizes her hidden identity. Harvey Keitel and Kathy Najimy join a heavenly cast in this habit-forming comedy bursting with '60s Motown hits.

Customer Reviews:

Lasting Fun.......2007-09-16

"Sister Act,"(1992), a big hit in its time for Disney's Touchstone Studio, is now 25 years old, and surely worth a closer look. Its plot -- script by Joseph Howard--is, of course, lighter than air, concerning one Deloris Van Cartier, second rate Reno lounge singer (Whoopi Goldberg), who is unlucky enough to catch her married, mobbed-up boyfriend Vince La Rocca (Harvey Keitel), committing an execution-style murder. If she wishes to live to testify against him, she's got to go on the run, and she does -- to a failing, out-of-touch San Francisco convent run by Dame Maggie Smith as its Mother Superior. The first thing to say is the script's not only funny, it's also witty -- particularly in the battles of wits between Goldberg's character, rechristened Sister Mary Clarence for convent purposes, and Maggie Smith's Mother Superior. And the wit has held up. The second thing to say is the movie's celebrated Motown musical interludes have held up even better, and that's no accident.

To begin with, the movie was produced for Disney by New York-born Scott Rudin, who has a sure hand with a light film. You could easily think the lead part was written for Goldberg, as it fits her like a glove, but in fact, it wasn't. It was written for Bette Midler, then the studio's favorite musical/comedy star: the New York-born Goldberg just made it hers. Furthermore, Keitel is frequently accused of a lazy performance in this movie: but when the Brooklyn-born actor gets a chance to sink his teeth into a line like "bupkis--" that's Brooklynite/Yiddish for "nothing" to you, he delivers it with gusto. And the picture introduced the winning Kathy Najimi, as Sister Mary Patrick, to the audience.

But Disney's greatest luck, in regard to this film, has to be the trio of talented men, all born in the greater New York area, who made the musical interludes as infectious as they are. Its director, Emile Ardolino, born in 1943 in Maspeth, Queens, unfortunately passed from us, in 1993, in Bel Air, of AIDS. But it was well-known that he could do magic with musicals. He won an Oscar in 1984 for a documentary, "He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin'." And he's further credited with "Dirty Dancin'," and "Gypsy," two multiple award-winning musicals that also haven't lost their appeal. To arrange the music, the studio kept the musical director of Bette Midler's stage shows, the New Jersey-born Marc Shaiman. We now know that he, too, is extraordinarily talented musically: he's recently written "Hairspray," that's won Grammy, Tony, and Emmy Awards, and is also more than likely to pick up an Oscar or two this year. Finally, the musical scenes were choreographed by Lester Wilson, an experienced man with a Motown connection: among his other triumphs, he choreographed "Saturday Night Fever." You just gotta say that these guys couldn't put a foot wrong, musically-speaking, and it shows -- will continue to show-- on the screen.

Hail Mary and Holy rockin'.......2007-08-30

What a riot! A black cabaret motown singer witnesses her boyfriend killing someone - 'I've never seen a dead guy before! - I mean, you see the odd body on the freeway, but that's it'. She ends up under witness protection at a convent. She is predictably bored with the monastic life, but soon finds her niche - taking over the dilapidated choir. She fuses religion with the spirit of motown and gets the nuns singing. They prepare for a visit of the pope - but the mob are also on her trail. Which will prevail in the swinging and thrilling musical climax?

A fun, family-friendly movie!.......2007-06-17

If you're looking for a fun, family-friendly movie to watch on a lazy Sunday, this is it. Whoopi Goldberg was made for this movie with her great acting and quirky lines.

So what's this movie about? A lounge singer named Delores has to go into hiding when her (ex)boyfriend comes after her after shooting someone in front of her eyes. Delores must become the complete opposite of what she is. She must disguise herself as a nun. While dealing with the extremely early wakeup times, the crazy nuns, and not being able to do things she's used to doing, she finds herself as the leader of the church's choir. She ends up turning the once awful choir into a spectacle (even the pope has to see it for himself!). This movie shows Ms. Goldberg having to cope with her life as a nun while staying away from the man who is trying to kill her.

So what's to like about this movie? It's just a fun, little movie to watch that'll pass a couple of hours leaving you entertained. I wasn't expecting much going into it because it's not meant to be an Oscar-worthy film but you'll be really surprised that the storyline is actually decent and original. The nuns are funny and kids will get a kick out of them.

What's not to like? Not much. As I said above, it's not supposed to be a ground-breaking movie so don't expect much out of it.

Be sure to watch this movie (along with the sequel) and add it to your movie collection!

Pure Fun!.......2007-02-09

This movie is Fun, Fun, FUN! The music is irresistible and it delivers laughs every minute. The story follows a low-rent casino singer, Deloris Van Cartier (Whoopi), who witnesses her mobster boyfriend, Vince LaRocca (Harvey Keitel) muder an employee. She goes straight to the police, who hide her from Vince in a convent while preparing for his trial. The Mother Superior (Maggie Smith), puts up with Deloris's unorthodox behavior long enough for her to turn the convent's chior into a swinging, soulfull hit. But when the group gets rave reviews, Vince and his goons go hunting for Deloris. Will they find her?
This movie is purely halarious! Whoopi and Maggie Smith are brilliant, and all of the acting is awesome! The music is toe-tapping (you must buy the soundtrack), and the story is fun! You must watch this movie!

Good Movie.......2007-01-18

I love to see Whoopi in some good movies. This is a clean and funny movie and it is a movie that families can watch and not have to worry about it being bad. I like this movie very much. Thanks

Average customer rating:

Images in a covent
Actually ........
Tipical Itilan movie
For Rental Only
Pretty edgy.

Images in a Convent
Starring: Paola Senatore , Marina Hedman , Paola Maiolini , Marina Ambrosini , and Angelo Arquilla
Director: Joe D'Amato
Manufacturer: Exploitation Digital
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0007UVXCW
Release Date: 2005-06-14

Description

As nuns get possessed by the devil, the situation only worsens when well-meaning priests try to intervene.

Customer Reviews:

Images in a covent.......2007-07-07

This is the best movie about Nuns i've ever seen. It's has eroticism,
penetration,beauty----It delivers. Behind Convent Walls does not compare to this DVD. It has beautiful color, beautiful actresses. If you want eroticism in Nuns actvity--this is a well written Movie

Actually ...............2007-03-11

if you take out the scenes of the nuns running up and down the dark halls of the convent then this movie is probably only 25 minutes long ... In the short I guess 84 minutes of this film I saw more doors opening and closing that can probably last me a lifetime, but then, of course, its a movie in a convent ......SSSHHHHHHH

All the girls in this movie except for the token fat and ugly nun ... there were no old ones here thats for sure .... are HOT HOT HOT .... The men are all pretty well continental dork material except for the bishop that had screen time at the beginning for about 4 minutes ....

The camera work on the sex scenes is absolutely stupendous and if you can overcome the 'nun' thing its probably one of the best erotica films around ......

Tipical Itilan movie.......2007-03-11

I found it better to watch if you turn the sound off.

For Rental Only.......2007-01-06

Yes, this is typical Joe D'Amato. It is explicit, but the the scenes are relatively short. If your curious and can rent it then do so. I wish that I had now that I'm stuck with a movie I don't particularly like. I've seen quite a few of his films, and I have "99 Women"( the explicit euro vers.), "Emmanuel in America" uncut just to name two. This movie is so bad that I've only seen a portion of it, and I have no intention of seeing the rest of it. I wish they would release "Top Model" as that was a good one.

Pretty edgy........2006-10-04

This one does have some hardcore scenes in here, especially toward the end. recommend the double disk set, has some other interesting sex scene clips.

Gwendoline - Unrated Director's Cut (aka - The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik Yak)

Average customer rating:

"don't put it away... throw it with great force!"
A Faulty Memory
Funny, sexy, but weird
Gwendoline - Unrated Director's Cut
If you like a full sweater and an empty head, this one's for you.

Gwendoline - Unrated Director's Cut (aka - The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik Yak)
Starring: Tawny Kitaen , Brent Huff , Zabou , Bernadette Lafont , and Jean Rougerie
Director: Just Jaeckin
Manufacturer: Severin
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000FILVFA
Release Date: 2006-06-27

Amazon.com

So bad it's good, the notorious Gwendoline is one of those outrageously entertaining camp classics that will be enjoyed long after thousands of "better" movies have faded into obscurity. Loosely adapted from John Willie's pioneering 1940s comic strip "The Adventures of Sweet Gwendoline," and directed with good-natured humor by French softcore specialist Just Jaekin (Emmanuelle, The Story of O), this delirious dose of mainstream erotica plays like a sexy parody of Raiders of the Lost Ark and Romancing the Stone. In his own audacious fashion, Jaekin was attempting an ambitious, good-looking adventure with above-average production values, but Gwendoline owes its "bad movie" cult status to its cheesy combination of globe-hopping scenery, tacky sets, hopelessly wretched dialogue, laughably awful acting, and a constant parade of beautiful women, either half-naked or scantily clad in outrageous S&M costumes. The film is also notorious for being the screen debut of Tawny Kitaen (shortly before she appeared with Tom Hanks Bachelor Party), who brings a breathtaking lack of talent (and a very hot body) to her title role as Gwendoline, a scrappy stowaway who arrives in China on a quest to find her missing father, who'd ventured into remote jungles in search of a rare and beautiful butterfly.

Joined by hunky mercenary Willard (Brent Huff) and her loopy friend Beth (played by French model/actress Zabou), Gwendoline survives a variety of absurdly amusing obstacles (including one very phony-looking alligator) until they eventually reach the land of the Yik Yak, an Amazonian slave-culture consisting entirely of slim, sexy women! Through it all, Jaekin's image of women is a source of constant fascination: When they're not kicking ass or running around topless, Kitaen and Zabou act like helpless, virginal airheads who need a man to survive, and Gwendoline plays out like an adolescent wet dream. With a climactic chariot chase that must be seen to be believed, it's all so ridiculous that you can't help but be entertained, and Jaekin's 106-minute, French-language director's cut contains several action scenes that were cut for the film's English-dubbed 88-minute American version, released (and available separately) as The Perils of Gwendoline in the Land of the Yik Yak. --Jeff Shannon

On the DVD
Jaekin's original cut has been spectacularly restored for this Severin Films DVD release, with both French and English audio tracks and a delightful commentary by Jaekin with journalist/author Tony Crawley and Frederick Levier, former contributor to Starfix, a French magazine devoted to fantastic films; their unabashed enthusiasm for the film makes this commentary an unexpected treat. Also included: a 24-minute video interview with Jaekin, in which he discusses the production history of Gwendoline; a 10-photo gallery of Tawny Kitaen from the French softcore magazine Lui; and a fascinating vintage audio interview with Sweet Gwendoline creator John Willie, from the archives of sex-research pioneer Dr. Alfred Kinsey. Kudos to Severin Films for including these high-quality bonus features with a film that many consider one of the "worst" of the 1980s! One caveat, however: Why not include the American cut Perils of Gwendoline on a second disc, instead of as a separate DVD release? --Jeff Shannon

Description

BASED ON THE KINKY COMICS THAT SHOCKED THE WORLD - UNCUT, UNCENSORED & UNRATED FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER IN AMERICA!

Video vixen Tawny Kitaen made her movie debut as the virgin adventuress on a provocative odyssey to find her lost father. But even if she can endure the scorching torment of the desert and steamy hungers of the jungle, will she survive her final ordeal at the hands - and more - of the warrior women of Yik Yak?

Brent Huff and French sex kitten Zabou co-star in this erotic cult classic directed by Just Jaeckin (EMMANUELLE, THE STORY OF O), now fully restored from French vault materials and featuring scenes never-before-seen in America!

Customer Reviews:

"don't put it away... throw it with great force!".......2007-07-04

Gosh, this is -without any trace of a doubt - THE silliest and stupidest movie I have even seen.

In the Soviet Russia in the 80s, when I was in the university, the only source of information about Western (made in West, not just the cowboy stuff) movies - besides the officially approved and thus empty editions - was a couple of obscure and very cheezy Polish magazines, printed on bad paper with smudged photos and unreadable texts. "Gwendoline" was a sensation with them and they dedicated article after article to the movie (they did the same with Emmanuelle and other softcore masterpieces).
So I finally decided to find out what was all the frenzy about.

Well , the 70s and 80s are over (thanks for small mercies) and the movie proved to be so bad, that it is not even good. You know, how we often say - oh, it is so bad it is delicious. This is not the case. This one clearly transcends the stage "so bad, it is actully good" and goes into "oh boy, bad is not the word".

Even softcore adventures should have at least one good idea, one good laugh and one good line per movie. This one does not. Girls look good (nobody argues) , the boy looks great (very neat six-pack) , costumes (if you can call them that) are rather abbreviated.

Usually when I do not like a movie and do not intend to keep it, I give it away. In this case I dropped it into trash as I would have been too ashamed to give it to anybody - not because of the naked bodies, but due to sheer stupidy of the film.

A Faulty Memory.......2007-06-12

I remembered this movie from high school as a mildly amusing adventure story with some pretty girls showing some of their charms. I had a faulty memory.

The pretty girls are there. Tawny Kitaen and Zabou and definitely easy on the eyes and they show themselves off quite a bit. So do a lot of other girls but those are nothing to stick in the memory. The problem though is with the story.

It is a silly adventure story but it is much worse than I remembered. A girl devotes herself to finding the butterfly her scientist father died trying to find. She is aided by her girl sidekick and by a mercenary guide. They find the butterfly and a lost civilization of Amazons with nefarious plans. Silly but the background is worse.

What I did not remember or realize from all those years ago is that this is some sort of fetish film intended to excite those who like seeing women wear leather and be led around on leashes. Blah!

It was watchable but not very good.

Funny, sexy, but weird.......2007-05-30

This movie is a typical sexy B-movie, but it has enough scenery to keep your attention while trying to find the plot. We watched this twice through, and each time was about the same. Funny, sexy, but kinda cheap and amateurish, like most B-movies can tend to be. Knowing that you are not getting this movie for the plot or action scenes, but for the scenery and Tawny, you can settle in and enjoy this movie. There are a couple of scenes that are a bit gross, but overall it isn't as bad of a movie as I had expected. And yes, Tawny does look good in it. :)

Gwendoline - Unrated Director's Cut .......2007-05-08

Great female adventure film where the female gets to have just as much fun as her male counter-part.

If you like a full sweater and an empty head, this one's for you........2007-05-07

It is what it is, a skin-flick with Tawny Kitaen.

Average customer rating:

"I like it!"
This is not as good as the original film.
Wish there were more
Fun, nostalgic film
Where Angels Go Trouble Follows

Where Angels Go... Trouble Follows
Starring: Rosalind Russell , Stella Stevens , Binnie Barnes , Mary Wickes , and Dolores Sutton
Director: James Neilson
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000CDRW3
Release Date: 2003-11-11

Description

High-spirited sequel to The Trouble with Angels, starring Rosalind Russell reprising her role. Stella Stevens stars as a modern nun who convinces the Reverend Mother to take the girls on an unforgettable bus trip to a California peace rally. All-star cast: Rosalind Russell, Stella Stevens, Susan St. James, Van Johnson and Milton Berle.

Customer Reviews:

"I like it!".......2007-09-03

Everyone is over analyzing this movie. It's just plain fun and light-not too serious or deep. I first saw this on public tv in the late 80's and prior to that didn't even know it existed as in the past I had seen "The Trouble With Angels" several times and even recorded it off of a public tv station here in Chicago on a beta machine back in 1982.

Stella Stevens always seems to be stereo typed into these roles in which her character is loud, boisterous and hyper; ie. "Linda Rogo" in the original movie "The Poseidon Adventure." Here, "Sister George" is no exception-there are moments when I fully support what her character's beliefs and ideas are and then there are times when she gets too loud and irritating.

My favorite scene is when the girls shortened their hems of their skirts and were go-go dancing to that 60's style at the all boys school and the band singing the theme song of the movie. I couldn't get that song off of my mind when I first saw this film and caught myself singing it to myself numerous times!

This is not as good as the original film........2007-07-29

My granddaughter really enjoyed Hayley Mills in the original film and wanted to see the sequel. She was disappointed that Mills was not in it and it didn't keep her attention. My husband and I watched it and there are so many scenes of the bus and the title song that it is pretty ridiculous. There are a few fun moments though. I remember it being much more enjoyable when I saw it on the big screen. I'd have to say it is a wholesome movie though so more worthwhile that most other stuff out there for kids today.

Wish there were more.......2007-06-27

I have always loved these movies and I would love to see more like them.

Fun, nostalgic film.......2007-06-24

A great sequel to "The Trouble With Angels" that reflects the Catholic church at a time when it was actively trying to look forward, rather than regress.

A strait-laced but good-hearted older Mother Superior is convinced by a younger, progressive nun to take a load of high school girls to a peace rally (yes, a peace rally! Try that with a Catholic school these days) in California. They have various mis-adventures, and everyone learns a thing or two: Including both the older and younger nun.

Even if you're not a Catholic, you're sure to find some fun and nostalgia in this film.

Where Angels Go Trouble Follows.......2006-12-29

Yuck! I agree with the reviewers who say this shouldn't be called a sequel. This movie shows what must have gone wrong in the Church to have had such an exodus from the convents during the 70's. Thankfully, the trend is reversing. The first movie was cute. I wanted to share it (The Trouble With Angels), with my daughter and got this one by mistake. I had seen it (Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows), when I was growing up and remember being disappointed that is wasn't more like the first movie. I had to shut this "sequal" off after about 20 mins. We're going to double ck. our titles next time!

Average customer rating:

Vanessa
Starring: Anton Diffring , Eva Garden , Olivia Pascal , Henry Heller , and Astrid Boner
Director: Hubert Frank
Manufacturer: Severin
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000RZIH2Q
Release Date: 2007-08-28

Description

The Infamous Saga Of An Innocent Schoolgirl Turned Sexual Plaything... Now Totally Uncut & Uncensored

"Where EMMANUELLE ended," the original ads panted, "VANESSA begins!" The tantalizing Olivia Pascal of BLOODY MOON and ISLAND OF 1000 DELIGHTS stars as the titular teen who journeys from curious convent virgin to prisoner of a lavish Hong Kong bordello. But along the way, she'll experience the sensual and shocking extremes of pleasure, pain and even black magic perversion. In a world where respectable men and women have gone mad with greed and lust, can one succulent young girl escape her family's ultimate legacy of depravity?

Amazon.com

You'll finding yourself rooting for this movie to take off in a sustained flight of comic inspiration, but it seldom does. It's too bad that it doesn't, given the casting, because both leads (Eric Idle and Robbie Coltrane) are capable of extreme funniness. Idle and Coltrane play a couple of low-level crooks who decide to get a piece of the action for themselves and abscond with the loot from a big score. But they're discovered before they can get away and their only avenue of egress is into a convent. So they don habits and hide out by pretending to be nuns, teaching parochial school to budding young girls. Now think about the possibilities in that premise, and anything you can think of is in the film (though Coltrane remains one of the funniest men alive). --Marshall Fine

Description

Brian and Charlie work for a gangster. When the boss learns they want to "leave" he sets them up to be killed, after they help rob the local Triads of their drug dealing profits. B&C decide to steal the money for themselves, but when their escape doesn't go to plan, they have to seek refuge in a Nuns' teacher training school. Disguised as nuns, B & C have to avoid their boss, Triads, police and Brians's girlfriend. There's also the problem of them being men disguised as nuns in an all women institution.

Customer Reviews:

One of our favorites.......2007-08-05

We have been fans of Nuns on the Run since way back in the tape days. It is great to have the DVD version.

you call this going straight???.......2006-08-17

eric idle and robbie coltrane make a hilarious pair, in habit and out. their misguided adventures in the dangerous world of crime are inspired. throw in a gambling nun,the triads,two greasy henchmen- not to mention a legally blind girlfriend- and you have quite a busy time. by the time sister liz sorts it all out, it really is "every nun for himself"! enjoy!!

Good fun!.......2006-03-06

Really a lot more entertaining than it should be, this is to all intents and purposes a one-gag film. Petty crooks Brian (Eric Idle of Monty Python fame) and Charlie (Robbie Coltrane) are on the run from the police after they have a plan to steal a suitcase full of money from the Triads and then run off to Brazil with it. So in an attempt to "go straight" they hide out in a convent dressed as nuns, attempting to pass themselves off as the genuine article.
With its' mix of slapstick and some crude gags (Nun to Robbie Coltrane who wants him to teach a class: Do you have experience with 18 year old girls? Robbie: Yes, plenty) , the film cant hide its British origins and has a very 80's feel. The film provides some good laughs though as Brian and Charlie get into comic scrapes trying to avoid the Triads, the Police, and also Brian's girlfriend Faith, he can't let her guess he is hiding out in the convent.

Finally, a great film comes to DVD.......2005-09-04

An early film of Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid of Harry Potter fame) is a fantastically humorous film, especially if you are or know something about Catholicism. Robbie's explanation of the Holy Trinity will have you in stitches. And the method he uses to remember the proper way of making the sign of the cross is still the way I remember it. Buy this film!!!

FUNNY, UGLY NUNS.......2005-04-23

If the last Pope was John Paul. Why isn't the new one George Ringo?

Irreverent Catholic humour abounds in NUNS ON THE RUN (Anchor Bay), a low brow romp that follows Eric Idle and Robbie Coltrane -- two crooks with loot taken from bigger crooks -- into a convent where they don habits and pretend to be nuns assigned to teaching young girls.

I laughed out loud at these desperate, inept, ugly nuns and their silly complications.

Average customer rating:

AGE WITH DIGNITY.
Robin and Sean
love that is ment for all time
Audrey Hepburn's masterful performance is beyond amazing!
One of the latest classics in film history

Robin and Marian
Starring: Victoria Abril , Ron Barker , Peter Butterworth , Sean Connery , and Kenneth Cranham
Director: Richard Lester
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B00005JL6M
Release Date: 2002-07-16

Amazon.com essential video

This underrated Richard Lester film is really a classic--and one of the most romantic movies ever made. Working from James Goldman's script, Lester casts Sean Connery as an aged Robin Hood, returned after years away at the Crusades with an increasingly mad King Richard (Richard Harris). Robin and Little John (a very funny Nicol Williamson) return to find that the sheriff of Nottingham (Robert Shaw) is up to his old nasty tricks--and that Maid Marian (Audrey Hepburn) is now a nun. Lester brings the same touch to this period film that he did to The Three Musketeers and The Four Musketeers, blending authenticity with a knowing wink at the conventions of period films. But the heart of this film is the very palpable emotion between Hepburn and Connery (and between Connery and Williamson). The ending is guaranteed three hankies, minimum. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews:

AGE WITH DIGNITY........2007-03-15

this is good but "older" and may be hard at first to "get." a good entry point for this movie would be THE AMERICANIZATION OF EMILY (james garner, julie andrews, paddy chayefsky).

same screenwriter as THE LION IN WINTER (itself outstanding).

Robin and Sean.......2007-01-11

Robin and Sean are an unbeatable combination. At last a down-to-earth view of the mature Robin Hood, devoid of Hollywood's frilles and glitz.
Audrey Hepburn and Robert Shaw's excellent characters add further to a movie and a tale very well told.
Most recommentable.

A Norwegian film buff.

love that is ment for all time.......2006-10-29

This film is in the great style of a classic old movie, with much dialog and emotional thought provoking scenes of two seemingly star crossed lovers who reconnect after many years only to be threatened again by the unyielding wonderlust ego of Robin. Marian put and end to his wondering in a most surprizing way so the two of them can be together for all time. it made my husband cry, a beautiful story of unending, enduring love that follows them into eturnity...

Audrey Hepburn's masterful performance is beyond amazing!.......2006-10-15

I watched this movie a long, long time ago. I recall the the movie being slow and somewhat tormented. What made this movie so memorable even after all these years is Audrey Hepburn's extraordinary performance at the end of the movie. Not only, IMHO, was this Audrey Hepburn's very best performance of her long and distinguished career, but perhaps the best performance by an actress ever! Even after all these years (decades) I still remember how she expresses her love to Robin "... I love you ... more than the morning prayers .....". Simply brilliant!

One of the latest classics in film history.......2006-09-11

Tremendous cast, work perfectly, the three of them. This may be a rare case where a mediocre director produces one great work of art out of the blue, way above his talents.

The story no need re-telling. Bottom-line, it is a love story, emphasized by the beauty of the (Spanish landscape, curiously enough) that pushes this movie beyond the ordinary Hollywood detritus.

There are probably more subjects entangled into the plot, say religion, social struggles, and what have you, but there's no need to even get into that (so secondary to the main story are they).

I say it's a modern classic because it's so hard to make a film so deep nowadays, about LOVE, without falling into ridicule and hyperbole, the kind of 'Romeo and Juliet' story on film, that being this a rare case, it deserves the honor full-heartedly. There are a couple of moments though that the scriptwriter is on the brink of becoming 'melodramatic/soap-operish', but (in my opinion) it saves itself from this ignominy.

There's an impromptu statement made by Marian, at the end of the film, where she declares to love Robin so much, and then she adds... 'more than God.' Which sentence, I believe, may have been introduced by the scriptwriter in order to summarize the anti-religious viewpoint of the film (and Marian being an ex-nun, more so). But I'd like to rescue this film from an apparently blasphemous impulse by way of quoting I John 4:7-8:

"and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love."

but also John 3:12 "If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things (Marian)?"

So, even though this film may have been intended to sow incredulity and narcisism among the viewers (surreptitiously), it can still be redeemed through God's grace, because in matters of love, no one knows better than God Himself.

It's a beautiful film, and it will make you cry more than think, which is fair enough for me.

Average customer rating:

Outstanding dramatic portrayal of conflicts in religious life
So real and honest.
More like Brides of Frankenstein
Realistic and Thought-Provoking
Ch Ch Changes

Brides of Christ
Starring: Brenda Fricker , Sandy Gore , Josephine Byrnes , Lisa Hensley , and Simon Burke
Director: Ken Cameron (II)
Manufacturer: KOCH VISION
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0009NZ6PW
Release Date: 2005-08-09

Amazon.com

Brides of Christ sounds like a modest miniseries about the lives of nuns in an Australian convent and girls' school in the 1960s. But within that simple summary are astonishing stories, both in the rich personal lives of the nuns and the cultural shifts at work as the Catholic Church struggled to bring itself into the modern age. Over six hourlong episodes, Brides of Christ focuses on six women: Sister Ambrose (Sandy Gore), the Mother Superior of Santo Spirito, whose gentle leadership goes astray when the school hires a male teacher; Sister Agnes (Brenda Fricker, My Left Foot), a conservative nun who resists the modernizing changes dictated by the Vatican; Sister Paul (Lisa Hensley), an uncomplicated but devoted young nun who leaves the sisterhood when she falls in love; Frances (a young Naomi Watts, Mulholland Drive, 21 Grams), a student whose parents are undergoing divorce; Rosemary (Kym Wilson), a rebellious girl who fights against the sexual repression of the church; and woven through it all, Sister Catherine (Josephine Byrnes), an independent-thinking nun whose craving for reform puts her at odds with her superiors.

Brides of Christ balances respect and empathy with a critical social perspective, always channeled through these superbly realized women. The smart and deeply felt scripts are given dynamic life by uniformly beautiful performances (also appearing is a pre-stardom Russell Crowe). An absolutely fantastic miniseries that can't be recommended strongly enough. --Bret Fetzer

Description

Inside the convent walls of Santo Spirito, six remarkable women find themselves caught between centuries old tradition and the radical social changes reshaping the secular world in the 1960s. Bound by their vows, these "Brides of Christ" struggle to confront questions they cannot answer, disciplines they refuse to follow and love they dare not feel. Entrusted to their care are spirited teenagers, schooled in the doctrines of the church, but eager to taste the newfound freedoms of their generation.

Winner of four Australian Film Institute Awards including Best Mini-Series and Best Television Actress (Lisa Hensley), Brides of Christ stars Academy Award® winner Brenda Fricker (My Left Foot) and features breakthrough performances from Academy Award® nominee Naomi Watts (21 Grams) and Academy Award® winner Russell Crowe (Gladiator).

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding dramatic portrayal of conflicts in religious life.......2007-08-21

The brilliance of this series, where conflicts within the Roman Catholic religious life are treated through incidents in the lives of Sisters and students, may not be captured by all at first glance. The obvious (and superbly handled) theme is adjusting to drastic changes in monastic and Church life. Yet there is a greater depth still in less glaring themes, which mirrored what many Sisters faced.

The community of Spirito Santo is depicted as quite exceptional, with a high intellectual standard and, even in the days before the 'old ways' are abandoned, a degree of warmth and interaction between most Sisters which is beyond what some communities would have experienced. Various Sisters illustrate shortcomings (which one can see only in hindsight) which had drastic implications for the Church at large, not only the religious life (which too often was in its dying days.) For example, the wise, truly caring Mother Ambrose, who at first seems to wish to involve the viewpoints of all Sisters in community decisions, illustrates a very common response of the time - valuing 'unity' (such as that shown in forcing all Sisters into the modified habit) at all costs. It may not be obvious to those who did not have close associations with religious Orders, but, during the period, far more drastic, sometimes devastating, 'options' than a modified garb became permissible, then an unwritten rule, in the name of the 'ways of the community.'

Diane/Sister Catherine is an interesting, if exasperating, character, because, initially, it is to the congregation's credit that one who questioned constantly, often in a superior, smug, and self absorbed fashion, was not dismissed for a lack of 'obedience.' One would wonder why someone of her sort entered religious life in the first place, though there is a strong hint that she overestimates her own intellectual gifts and thinks herself to be quite a prize. Catherine's overall story points out traps into which many Sisters fell.

For example, much of the conflict surrounding Humanae Vitae (the topic of one episode), which was stirred by celibates, arose from anger that the pope's statement was against the recommendations of his committee - the Religious protested more because of collegiality or a sense of 'democracy', where the married (who did not depart in droves, even if they did not obey the directives) largely were not concerned with such consultations. Catherine's ire is not only directed at Rome, but at married people who don't 'take her side up on' the prohibition on birth control. She is too blinded by her own agenda to see the implicit condescension, nor, for all her academic intelligence, does she have the minimal wordly wisdom which would have prevented her from commenting on, let alone interfering in, anything as private as a couple's marital practise.

Another solid image is how many Sisters, looking to show acceptance and dispel a supposed image of their being inapproachable and rigid (though most Spirito Santo Sisters, from the first frame of the film, are anything but), ignored prudence. It is perfectly understandable when student Frances is sent to attend her mother's registry office wedding - yet neither Sisters Catherine nor Paul can see that their attending, then dancing the twist in long habits at the reception, could make them seem vaguely pathetic (look at the queens of cool...), as well as be taken for a protest against teachings of the Church which they represent. The mothers at the school, who avoid Frances' mother, indeed seem hard and uncharitable, but the dimension that is not presented (and which Sisters well might forget, because their desire to seem tolerant could cause tunnel vision) is that parents may not wish their children to see a fuss over one who, to their minds, departed from the commitment of sacramental marriage.

Sister Paul's story was especially insightful. Non-Catholics, or Catholics who were not that aware of matters theological at the time, can miss that this is not merely a tale of a young woman who suddenly is questioning whether her decision to enter a convent should be permanent. In the aftermath of Gaudium et Spes, a document which presented a far from new idea about the 'universal call to holiness,' too many religious minimised the value of their own lives, seeing the 'only call as baptism.' Sister Paul is a delightful young teacher, who seems perfectly happy in convent life, but who is not only dealing with her first strong attraction to a man (whom she cannot see does not return her love, but is using her to 'get back at' the Church as he departs the priesthood in bitterness) but with the sudden new idea that there is no real value in religious life, sees only that she'd serve God just as well as a wife and mother. Ambrose's comment captures a great deal of a situation which many Sisters of sanguine disposition faced: Paul entered at 19 more because it was 'what everyone expected,' and 'never really made a decision in her life.' Her ultimate decision is to remain a religious, but she did not see that she had not developed maturity until confronted with the conflict.

The single deficiency in the presentation was that Sisters who are of more conservative bent are shown as being so because of defects of character rather than conviction. This was a very common idea in religious life at that time - and indeed a manipulative tactic to push conformity. (For example, Sisters who preferred to retain religious garb were convinced that they must want to keep people at a distance - those who wished common prayer schedules were written off as immature.) Though Sister Agnes is an intelligent, learned woman, she is of a very trying, domineering personality, and it seems implicit that her desire for the 'old ways' is based on her difficulty in dealing with others. I was sorry that there was no episode from her point of view. The other 'conservative' Sister who is any major emphasis is pathetic - an emotional wreck who breaks down before the community, sobbing that she wants to be told what to do and does not want to make her own decisions, and then makes a suicide attempt. One could come away from a series which otherwise is notably frank and realistic with the impression that more conservative Sisters were either dreadful personalities or mentally ill.

Of course, there is an element of pathos in the final product as well. The efforts of the Sisters at the time are understandable - seeking to adapt and have a fresh spirit, and to become more available to those whom they served. As time has shown, the very climate of 'options', supposed democracy and dialogue which cut out voices which did not fit the party line and thought such voices inferior, and the conformity, no less than that of the old ways even if it was called being 'community minded' rather than 'obedience,' sounded the death knoll for the positive religious life one sees in this film.

So real and honest........2007-08-10

I was in religious life and this series honestly reflects the joys and sorrows of religious life and the struggles many of the sisters endured during the 60's. I loved all the actresses. They seemed so real. It was so finely tuned and non-judgmental. I bought this film to loan it out to friends so they can understand me better. If that is possible?

More like Brides of Frankenstein.......2007-05-20

I was excited to watch this movie and thought, from the title, that it would be enjoyable. I couldn't have been more wrong. This was a horrible and innaccurate portrayal of religious life,and one thing is clear in the movie and that's the anti-Catholic bias of the movie makers. This movie was about as enjoyable as a root canal.
I hated this film and I urge everyone who might consider watching it to avoid it.

Realistic and Thought-Provoking.......2007-02-20

I really enjoyed this series. It was well written and well acted, but I especially appreciated the story lines for the different episodes. Each episode dealt with a very specific, very Catholic, very debatable topic, such as the Catholic stances on birth control and divorce and investigating the world of the convent and parochial school. The series faced each issue squarely and honestly, neither condemning nor simply excusing each practice. An excellent program.

Ch Ch Changes.......2006-09-04

I viewed all of the episodes one day last week when I was sick, and perhaps that dampened the mood of my opinion of the series. I read the other reviews and on most parts agree whole heartedly that the acting is top notch and the script an accurate portrayal of the crises that many monastics experienced in the time leading up to Vatican Two and especially thereafter regarding the meaning and substance of not only their personal vocation, but the value of the faith and Church at large. Brides of Christ also shows the Catholic societal milieu wherein the Church held an authority over the faithful somewhat unknown in our time.

OK, READ NO MORE IF YOU DO NOT WANT THE ENDING SPOILED.

My main qualm with the series centers around the way the writers portrayed the crises of faith for the cast. In general, and I think actually this applies to every case, those who remained faithful to the Church's teaching were portrayed as either naïve and simple minded or strict and rigid, unable to live in the "real world." I have the suspicion that this was part of the writers' agenda and bias, but who knows. Moreover, those who were portrayed positively in the film were the rebels who disobeyed the Church and were "with it," or simply those who wised up and threw off the habit or the novitiate. This is my only issue in an otherwise very entertaining series that I will watch again sometime (maybe when I am not ill).

One true point that the film made was how the legitimate and progressive interpretation of the spirit of V2 that sought to give personal choice was used by the liberals to, ironically, strictly enforce their own agenda to rid the Church of authority and traditionalism in most forms. It seems to this reviewer that this is one of the tendencies of reform movements is that they lose sight of their spirit and become just as tyrannical and despotic as their supposed oppressors, e.g. communism and most academia. I would argue that in truth the Orthodox and Catholic traditions are actually more tolerant and liberal than the liberals, but that's another story.

I know several nuns and ex-nuns from the era and they also watched it with similar feelings, even though one of them is of the liberal type to begin with and left about 15 years after V2. Yes, going from Latin to "Kumbaya Lord" was indeed a huge shift for them all, along with the forced decisions that some of the more "progressive" abbesses and bishops shoved down the pipe.

Average customer rating:

habit forming

Dixie Changing Habits
Starring: Suzanne Pleshette , Cloris Leachman , Kenneth McMillan , John Considine , and Geraldine Fitzgerald
Director: George Englund
Manufacturer: Platinum Disc
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001OGW02
Release Date: 2004-03-01

Customer Reviews:

habit forming.......2004-08-03

a truly tragicocomic tale of a displaced traditional sister adrift in the tumultuous epoch of changes which overtook many American Roman Catholic religious communities in the raging wake of Vatican II. Ms Pleshette is a veritably peripathetic protagonist searching for a relevant and conventual identity amid the vicissitudes of her fluid circumstance. the technical parameters of this dvd are remarkable.

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