The Nun (1966 film)
| La Religieuse | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Jacques Rivette |
| Produced by | Georges de Beauregard |
| Written by |
Jean Gruault Jacques Rivette |
| Based on |
La Religieuse by Denis Diderot |
| Starring | Anna Karina |
| Music by | Jean-Claude Éloy |
| Cinematography | Alain Levent |
| Edited by | Denise de Casabianca |
| Distributed by |
Les Films Impéria Hanns Eckelkamp Filmproduktion Altura Films International Bela Productions Lionsgate (US) |
|
Release date
|
6 May 1966 (France) |
|
Running time
|
135 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
The Nun (French: La Religieuse, also known as French: Suzanne Simonin, la Religieuse de Denis Diderot) is a 1966 French drama film directed by Jacques Rivette and based on the novel of the same title by Denis Diderot.
The Nun starts out with a young woman, named Suzanne, in a wedding gown preparing to take her vows of chastity, obedience, and poverty to make herself a nun, but she refuses at the last moment and instead begs her parents not to force her to take them.
This does not work, and later Suzanne learns much about her family and her heritage - or her lack thereof. She discovers that her mother's husband is not her father, and that her mother is shutting her up in the convent because she doesn't want her husband to know that the girl was not his daughter. She also does not want to see her sin in the flesh, for she says bearing the girl was her only sin. The father sends the priest to convince her, who reveals her heritage, but it fell on deaf ears. Later the mother falls on her knees to beg the daughter to take the vows, explaining the story enough to make Suzanne resign herself to her fate, realizing that her mother would never give her a chance to marry because the mother did not feel she was worthy to marry and the family could not afford to marry her off. According to the mother, she did not have the bloodline to marry. She writes her mother a letter that says she will take the vows, a letter that will later be used against her in the court case she wages against the church to be released of her vows.
Suzanne allows herself to be dressed in a wedding gown and takes the vows. She enters the convent, extremely depressed and unresponsive, unable to cope with the requirements of being a nun. She bonds to the Mother Superior, who takes her under her wing, and they have many long conversations. The Mother Superior, Mme de Moni, knows it's a mistake to accept the girl as a nun but does not stop it, instead telling the girl to accept her fate and make the best of it. Suzanne attempts to, which is made easier by Mme de Moni's encouragement, and does not utter more words but her body language reveals all. During this time, Suzanne's mother dies, and Mme de Moni does as well. She bears it until the life finally drives her mad, for the new Mother Superior, Sister Sainte-Christine, mistreats her because of her rebellion as a result of her dislike of the nun's life. She isolates her constantly and deprives her of food, forcing her to adopt a diet of bread and water.
...
Wikipedia