Poverty, Charity, and Obedience are extremely difficult... Detachment from family and friends is difficult... Detachment from things and memories is much more difficult...

Silence, detachment and mortification are the conditions of prayer and the negative aspect of a nun's spirituality, while prayer and union with God are its positive aspects... To be firm, prayer must be built on profound humility...

Gabrielle Van der Mal is a morally powerful girl who wants from all her heart to be obedient to the bells of the congregation... She perfectly knows that her personal wishes come to an end when she enters that door... Her loving father remembers her: 'If you ever decide this is not right for you, there's no sense of failure coming back home.'

The film's first part focuses on the making of a Catholic nun as it follows the young Belgian girl, from the time she takes leave of her dispirited father to enter the rigorous Roman Catholic order, until her appearance as an experienced nursing nun, hopeful of following the medical vocation of her famous surgeon father...

The story then moves to the Congo where God selects his moment to offer the most perfect alliance with each individual soul... Gabrielle, now known as Sister Luke, assists as server of Dr. Fortunati, 'a genius, a devil and a non-believer,' who takes pleasure in noting Sister Luke's minor infractions of her vows that would require confession...

It's clear that the process of becoming an exemplary nun is a lot harder than any woman can hope for... Sister Luke is supposed to make the love of God the motive of all her actions... She seems to fail in her Vows of Poverty, Charity and Obedience... Pride is not being burned out of her... The more she attempts, the more imperfect she becomes...

"The Nun's Story" is a fascinating film with wonderful touching moments but also with traumatic scenes in a mental institution... The dark side of the Congo is seen through the eyes of a priest, when Sister Luke visited a leper colony...

The performances are extraordinary... It's visually beautiful, and after a very slow start, the film builds quickly to a very powerful ending... The last shot is the only instance of a Warner Brothers film not to have music over its end-title...

The film garnered eight Academy Award nominations, one for its big star Audrey Hepburn...

I am a monk, an vowed member of the Order of St. Benedict (OSB). I'm also a great fan of Audrey Hepburn. I thought fans of this film (agruably Miss Hepburn's greatest performance) might enjoy how someone living a life under religious vows views the film's accuracy. I'd also like to provide a few interesting historical facts about the way the Nun's story came into existence.

Several contributors have commented on Hepburn's amazing performance, given the fact that she had to rely on pure acting skill, unaided by fashions and glamorous make up. Hepburn's son Sean Ferrer has said his mother considered her work in the Nun's Story to be the piece she was proudest of. It's easy to see why. There is nothing affected or stylized in her performance. It's honest, pure and simple.

Many of the customs of religious life depicted in the film were phased out, de-emphasized or abandoned after Vatican II. Orders that retain customs such as the culpa (the Chapter of Faults) have found ways to make the custom more of a simple acknowledgment rather than a public humiliation. The emphasis nowadays is on being honest about one's failings and less on a striving for a cookie cutter, robotic conforming to a supernatural ideal. There is more of an emphasis on acceptance and charity than on penance.

Dame Edith Evans, as the superior general of the order, Mother Emmanuel is both lofty and empathetic. Her few scenes in the film are some of the best. If anyone reading this has ever been a CEO or alone at the top of a chain of command, you will understand the loneliness of her position. The superior general of a religious order like the one depicted in the film has no equal in rank anywhere in the entire community. The local superiors (in the film Mothers Marcella, Christophe, Mathilde and Didyma) at least have counterparts of equal rank within the congregation. They answer to the superior general. The actresses who played these parts gave very accurate performances. Even the seemingly cold Mother Didyma at the hospital on the Holland border (from where Sister Luke leaves the convent) was accurate. I've known superiors and novice guardians (formerly called novice masters/mistresses) who were just as rigid.

Two of the most important parts in the film are Sister Margarita (mistress of postulants) and Sister William (Sister Luke's idol/role model). The scene where Sister Luke returns to the mother house and encounters Sister Margarita and her current flock of postulants is very poignant. The fleeting smile of recognition and affection on Sister Margarita's face speaks volumes to Sister Luke. Particular friendships, as they were then called, were forbidden, both as a guard against "unnatural affections" and as a way to preserve fraternal charity. The wonderful Rosalie Crutchley makes almost a cameo appearance as the mistress of novices (her last film was "Four Weddings and a Funeral" where she plays the wedding guest who asks Kristin Scott Thomas if she is a lesbian).

Dean Jagger, as Dr. van Der Mal, Sister Luke's father, is sympathetic and sad. Indeed, families "giving a daughter to God" in those days, rarely saw their daughters. Visits home were not permitted (unless you were ill in hospital or traveling to your next mission, you never slept outside of the convent). Your family could visit you four times a year. Letters were strictly censored and restricted.

Much is made of the relationship between Sister Luke and Dr. Fortunati in the Congo years. Fortunati's assessment of Sister Luke's worldliness is dead on. Peter Finch gave just the right amount of sarcasm, respect and adoration of Sister Luke in his performance.

The bottom line is while the film and novel both sensationalize and dramatize religious life (I've never heard of a superior suggesting someone fail an examination to show humility) the depiction of religious life in the early 1900's is pretty accurate. One entered the convent in order to learn to love God more. Mother Emmanual states at the end of the film that Sister Luke's love of medicine must take a back seat to her religious life. Sister Luke's failure is due to her inability get her arms around the vow of obedience.

In real life, Marie Louise Habets entered the convent two weeks after a brief interview with the superior general, Mother Xaverine. Today, months (if not a couple of years) of discernment would take place and the aspirant would be expected to pass a series of psychological tests.

Kathryn Hulme wrote a novel, not a biography, inspired by the life of a woman she met after WWII. Neither Hulme or Habets ever claimed the book was true from start to finish. One of the European publishers did that and thus created a myth that persists to this day.

The Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary, the order to which Habets once belonged, were scandalized and devastated by the book. The publisher's claims of accuracy and truth shocked them. An internal document, written by the assistant superior general (a former classmate of Habets -they entered on the same day and took vows on the same day) strongly and vigorously denounced the booked and accused the former nun of betrayal and the worst form of pride imaginable.

Hulme wrote a letter to Mother Xaverine explaining the "misunderstanding" and asking for her understanding. Hulme and Habets became life long companions.

The Nun's Story is a beautiful and exquisitely crafted film. The direction, acting, sets and musical score are among the best.

Enjoyable as well colorful picture about a dedicated religious nurse who attempts to cure troubled people in the Belgian Congo . The melancholy tale from the Kathryn Hulme book dealing with a young missionary working as a nurse during WWII and based on the novel of the same name, that told the story of the real-life "Sister Luke," Marie-Louise Habets . Gabriella (enticing Audrey Hepburn ,the character was suggested for Ingrid Bergman but Bergman herself said she was too old for the role and instead proposed Audrey) is the daughter of an important doctor (Dean Jagger) who leaves the convent as Sister Luke . The movie has opening credits play out over street scenes of Bruges , at over 1,500 years old , one of the oldest cities in Belgium, and at one time, the most important commercial city in the world . In 1939, while the Nazi regime subjugates European Nations Graciella travels to the Belgian Congo , her assignment in the Congo is at a European hospital under the atheist eye of a doctor called Fortunai (Peter Finch). Slowly , Gabriella or Sister Luke heals ills , helps injured villagers and usually prays . But the Nazis rise to power and invade her homeland . Then , she returns Belgium , there questions her religious vocation and her moralizing comes back to haunt her .

Director Fred Zinneman struck a correct balance of fine pace and sensitivity in the mesmerizing tale of a young Belgian girl who becomes a religious missionary and is sent to the Belgian Congo to work at a hospital . Finely starred by a luminous Audrey Hepburn as a dedicated nun who subsequently comes to question her vocation , as she is struggling to reconcile her free spirit and philanthropic wishes with the religious rigors ; Hepburn chalked up another hit in this long but always interesting flick based on Kathryn Hulme's novel , being rightly adapted by screenwriter Robert Anderson . Spectacular settings and well staged scenes , in fact , members of the Rome Opera ballet corps were hired to play some of the nuns, and complex convent rituals were literally choreographed for them . This agreeable flick packs an exciting screenplay , thought-provoking drama , fine interpretations and intelligent filmmaking . It's surprising that the movie didn't achieve any of the six Academy Award for which it was nominated ; however , it won NY Film Critics to best actress and director and British Academy gave prizes to best actress and support cast . Casting is frankly well . Good acting by Audrey Hepburn as a beautiful missionary nurse who gains the trust of the locals , not only providing medical care but dealing with African people ; this was one of Audrey Hepburn's favorite of her films and it was also one of her most financially successful . Excellent Peter Finch as a good surgeon , he doesn't quite hit it off with Gabriella at first but soon starts to develop deep affections for her . Furthermore , a nice support cast formed by notorious secondaries such as Edith Evans , Peggy Ashcroft , Dean Jagger ,Beatrice Straight ,Rosalie Crutchley , Ruth White , Barbara O'Neil , Lionel Jeffries , Colleen Dewhurst and Niall MacGinnis , among others . ¨Nun's story¨ consolidated a sub-genre about nuns or religious people in far countries , going on ¨Heaven knows , Mr Allison¨ by John Huston with Robert Mitchum Deborah Kerr , ¨The Sins of Rachel Cade¨ also produced by Henry Blanke and directed by Gordon Douglas with Angie Dickinson , Roger Moore and Peter Finch , too , and ¨A Nun at the Crossroads¨ with Rosanna Schiaffino and John Richardson , among others.

Appropriate as well as sensitive musical score by the classic Franz Waxman . Glamorous and evocative cinematography by Franz Planer , though mostly filmed on real African exteriors , in fact , the film was shot on location in Rome, Bruges, Stanleyville and a real leper colony in the Congo . The motion picture well produced by Henry Blanke was stunningly directed by Fred Zinneman. This is one of various and pleasant works , some major and minor successes of his long career as a filmmaker . He was a Hollywood veteran director, directing early movies and a long career until the 80s . With ¨The nun's story¨ Zinnemann chalked another major hit in this overlong but always absorbing tale . After acquiring the rights to Kathryn Hulme's bestselling novel, Fred Zinnemann found that no one in Hollywood had any enthusiasm towards turning it into a film, citing it as being devoid of action , but all that changed when Audrey Hepburn expressed a desire to take the lead role . Rating : 8 , Above average , well worth seeing .