Posterized: Movies About Nun
Friday, September 7, 2018 at 1:00PM by Nathaniel R
Sally Field as "The Flying Nun"... but that's a TV showThough we hate that every movie wants to become a 'universe' now, box office pundits predict that The Nun -- part of The Conjuring series -- is going to be huge. And, hell, we kind of love nun movies because we didn't grow up Catholic so it always seems like a fun or exotic other to us with peculiar hangups and fashion sense. Perhaps Catholics don't like nun movies quite as much or go into them with far more complicated baggage?
There are LOTS of B movies about nuns -- particular of the naughty variety (whether that's horror films or sexual films) but we're looking at only the more known titles here. (And surely there are a TON of foreign films about nuns that we're unfamiliar with though we've included a few famous ones in the list below.)
This list is dedicated to Sally Field The Flying Nun, and Ann Dowd's nun in the short-lived TV series Nothing Sacred (both of whom we love) because this list is about nun movies.
OK, let's survey the posters. How many of these 39 nun movies have you seen? If we've discussed the movie, it's linked up below...
The Nun (2018)
Novitiate (2017)
Ida (2013/2014) - Oscar win Best Foreign Film
The Letters (2013)
Doubt (2008) - Oscar Nominated in multiple categories
The Magdalene Sisters (2002)
Sister Mary Explains it All (2001)
Dead Man Walking (1995) - Oscar winner Best Actress
Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993)
Sister Act (1992)
Nuns on the Run (1990)
The Rosary Murders (1986)
Agnes of God (1985) - Oscar nominated in multiple categories
Shattered Vows (1984)
Dark Habits (1983) - Pedro Almodóvar!
Monsignor (1982)
The Runner Stumbles (1979)
In this House of Brede (1975)
The Devil is a Woman (1973)
Brother Sun Sister Moon (1972)
The Devils (1971) - Must be seen to be believed. One of Vanessa Redgrave's greatest performances.
Two Mules for Sister Sara (1970)
Change of Habit (1969)
Where Angels Go Trouble Follows (1968)
The Trouble With Angels (1966)
The Singing Nun (1966)
The Sound of Music (1965) - Oscar winner Best Picture
Lilies of the Field (1963) -Oscar winner Best Actor
Viridiana (1961)
Conspiracy of Hearts (1960)
The Nuns Story (1959) - Oscar nominated in multiple categories
Heaven Knows Mr Allison (1957)
The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima (1952)
Come to the Stable (1949) -Oscar nominated in multiple categories
Black Narcissus (1947) -Oscar winner Best Cinematography & Best Art Direction
The Belles of St Marys (1945)
The Song of Bernadette (1943) - Oscar winner Best Actress
The White Sister (1933)
The White Sister (1923)
How many have you seen and which of these nuns makes you feel most holy in the church of the cinema? Some of these are possibly only tangentially nun-related but I tried to cobble together a list of major titles. Please do let us know if you swear by a nun movie, which is not listed here.
Reader Comments (33)
Nuns rock. I love Doubt, Agnes of God, Sister Act, Dead Man Walking, and of course The Flying Nun. I have never seen Sound of Music, and may be the only person who has not.
Saw 7 of them.
Sound o music and Julie Andrews are who blessed me every single day since I saw them for the first time (2008).
Ida, Doubt, Dead Man Walking, Sister Act, The Singing Nun, The Sound of Music, Lillies of the Field, Black Narcissus, and The Bells of St. Mary's. And I liked them all.
8. The most deeply affecting (plus, what a supporting cast!) - Dead Man Walking. But for flat-out enjoyment I'm more a Sister Act or Nuns on the Run guy I guess. I really should see Black Narcissus, and I'd love to see The Devils, but would like to see it on a big screen, and have never had the opportunity.
Does anyone remember a British movie (could have been a tv show) with Kristen Scott Thomas, she was a young trainee nun (don’t know correct term, sorry) who has an affair with a guy. I was quite young, but I remember a very hot sex scene which has burned itself on my eyeballs still to this day.
Other than that... SISTER ACT 4 LYF!!!
I’ve seen 14.
The holy movie feeling, of satisfaction and knowing all’s right with the world even if a little bit beyond my comprehension, comes with the 2 Hayley Mills movies, “The Trouble with Angels”. Average girls, deep friendships, respect for other women’s choices.
I’m always thinking of Jane Trahey, who wrote this book about her teenage years in Catholic school. Jane Trahey, a pioneer of advertising, who was head of her own advertising company, who loved the new, who knew what you actually liked.
“Danskins are not just for dancing”.
“What becomes a legend most?”
And part of the joy is that Jane Trahey isn’t the ringleader/ instigator in the movie. She’s the good-hearted, sweet-tempered follower. So I always start thinking about how being a leader in your field has to do with the love of what you’re doing.
The great Ida Lupino is the director, and I’m sure that the mental paths the movie leads me down were something that she planned to nudge along.
“Viridiana” is my all time favorite movie.
Which is kinda strange, now that I think about it, because from age 5 to 18, I attended a catholic school run by nuns, so I don’t really gravitate to movies about them.
"the trouble with angels" and "where angels go trouble follows" remain two of my (numerous) guilty pleasure movies... and i say this as someone still in recovery from sixteen years worth of catholic education...
i've always wondered what happened to the actress who played marvel ann in both movies. imdb.com indicates that she stopped working in the early 1970s.
I've seen 9. Sister Act is such a gem. The Sound of Music is formative to my very being.
Though I roll my eyes every time a nun movie is about repressed sexuality (I am looking at you Novitiate), Black Narcissus is obviously a masterpiece and I adore it. I need to watch way more Powell & Pressburger. I've seen The Red Shoes, but what other must sees am I missing?
I'd include The Innocents, a very moving polish film from 2016, in this list.
"change of habit" was too odd even for my mother, who dragged us to see it at the columbia drive-in, which used to be located just outside of battle creek, michigan. if memory serves, we stayed for the first 45 minutes, and fled in dismay to find the nearest dairy queen.
15. When I was growing up, I thought the idea of Nuns on the Run was hilarious. The movie was kind of disappointing, though.
Black Narcissus and Ida are the best. Deborah Kerr is so refined.
The Sound of Music is probably the ultimate nun movie.
I share the love for When Angels Go Trouble Follows and its sequel. It's worth mentioning how much fun Rosalind Russell has as Mother Superior. Stella Stevens is also good as Sister George, the hip, rollerskating nun. in my own life, I can confirm that activist nuns are the best. They get stuff done.
I have seen a lot the last one I saw was Novitiate with Leo drowning out any other supporting actress conversations Julianne Nicolson was criminally overlooked and if you watch it Nicholson shows why she's still extremely underused.
how sad is the fact that i've seen 24 of these movies?
professor miller - wow, that's impressive. I've seen 'only' 15.
I feel like all actressexuals should watch most of them since 'nun' is often a great showcase for actress any age - and Oscars notice that. I've counted around 15 nominated performances from the listed movies.
Huh, only seen Sister Act & The Sound of Music. Guess I'm not all that into nuns! Been meaning to see The Devils like, since forever.
I've seen and loved The Song of Bernadette; The Nun's Story; The Sound of Music; The Singing Nun; Brother Sun, Sister Moon; Agnes of God; Sister Act. I read the book of In This House of Brede in high school and liked it very much. I'll have to watch the movie one of these days.
I will blame my Catholic upbringing on having seen 19 of these films. Black Narcissus is an all-time favorite, but The Nun's Story reminds me if my Catholic school days and the nuns who were teachers.
Gawd I love Heaven Knows Mr. Allison; all the feels and chemistry between Kerr and Mitchum (which they later recreated as husband and wife in The Sundowners). And Black Narcissus, which is so noir. Can't wait for the BBC-commissioned version which has been in development forever.
I think my mom must have had a 45 with "Dominique" on permanent repeat cuz that song haunts my dreams...
Also raised Catholic, and definitely have some "issues" about that.
I've seen 9:
The Sister Act movies, The Sound of Music, Agnes of God, Monsignor, Doubt, Dead Man Walking, Two Mules for Sister Sara, Change of Habit
There was an 80's TV Show with Stephanie Beacham, the Joan Collins of the "Dynasty" spin off "The Colbys", cast waaaaay against type as a Nun in "Sister Kate". It did not last long.
As someone who is not religious at all I'm so confused as to why I love movies about nuns so much.
I guess I have to blame my mom and that day when I was a kid when she brought home a VHS copy of The Trouble with Angels. It's been a favourite ever since!
I know we aren't counting TV, but I still want to talk about Jessica Lange and Lily Rabe on "American Horror Story: Asylum", as they were both amazing. (Rabe briefly reprised her role on the fourth season)
I've seen 22. Some of these are really very good!
16
My pick is Sister Helen Prejean beautifully played by Susan Sarandon.
Isn't The Magdalene Sisters one of the most terrorific movies ever made?
All bow to Sally Field! No one could ever have made Sister Bertrille as delightful as she despite the fact that she was bitterly unhappy doing the show.
I've seen 25 of wildly varying quality!
Loved:
The Bells of Saint Mary’s
Black Narcissus
In This House of Brede-Interesting story and a dynamite Diana Rigg.
Sister Act
The Sound of Music
Where Angels Go Trouble Follows
Liked:
Agnes of God
Dead Man Walking
Doubt
Heaven Knows Mr. Allison
Lilies of the Field
The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima
The Nuns Story
The Rosary Murders
The Singing Nun
Where Angels Go Trouble Follows
Adequate:
Brother Sun Sister Moon
Monsignor
Sister Act 2
The Song of Bernadette
Two Mules for Sister Sara
The White Sister (1923)
The White Sister (1933)
Just Awful:
Change of Habit
Come to the Stable-Just nauseatingly sweet and phony. Outside of Celeste Holm’s character having the totally rockin’ name Sister Scholastica this is a complete dud.
I really have to track down The Devils and that Glenda Jackson film. While we’re on the subject no Nasty Habits? It’s an imperfect satire of Watergate set in a nunnery but with a cast consisting of Glenda Jackson, Melina Mercouri, Geraldine Page, Sandy Dennis, Anne Jackson, Anne Meara, Edith Evans, Jerry Stiller, Rip Torn, Eli Wallach it’s definitely worth the view.
Ten of these, plus a few others like MARY and some cheap horror movies about killer nuns (including MS 45 if you want to be pedantic).
Anybody who loves nuns should seek out the Australian miniseries BRIDES OF CHRIST with Naomi Watts, Brenda Fricker and more.
16
Best Film: Black Narcissus, which would be a contender for my all time top ten.
One I'm most curious about: In the House of Breede
I've seen 21 of these, but also I survived 8 years of grammar school with nuns. I have to say the Sisters in "Doubt" came closest to the real deal.
And "Nasty Habits," is dripping with Oscary actresses! Glenda Jackson! Geraldine Page! Sandy Dennis! Dame Edith Evans! Melina Mercouri! In the same film.
OMG!
I just remembered "Airport 1975," which showcased the screen debut of Helen Reddy as Sister Ruth, a nun who sings a wretched song to the critically ill Linda Blair.
And Reddy got a Golden Globe nomination!
Hands down, Black Narcissus!!
Luv the dramatic landscape poster!! ♥ ♥ ♥
Trvia: Bergman, Kerr n Hepburn all won NYFCC best actress for their holy portrayal (for Kerr, twice), but only Jen Jones n Sarandon won the Oscars as nun.
JB, that would be Body & Soul, which was a great miniseries back in the early 90s!
mark -- i also thought Nicholson was > than Leo in "Novitiate"... i'm eager for her to find her Oscar role.
Jono -ohno. sound of music is awesome. see it.
everyone -- i've never heard of "Nasty Habits" which is why it doesn't appear here even though i did various internet searches of nun movies to try and compile this. curious that that never came up because of all those actresses! but now i must see it.
The Song of Bernadette.