Other Titles • Agnes of God • Agnes - Engel im Feuer (1986)
Synopses for Agnes of God (1985)
1.
This Broadway hit gets a solid film treatment by director Norman Jewison, but that can't make up for the weaknesses of the script (which were as true onstage as they are here). Jane Fonda plays a chain-smoking shrink sent to a convent to do a psychological evaluation of a novice (Meg Tilly) who gave birth to a baby and then killed it in her little room. Was it a virgin birth? A miracle? And what of the bloody stigmata that seem to spontaneously appear on her hands? Fonda also finds herself clashing with the Mother Superior (Anne Bancroft) over the line between faith and science. But writer John Pielmeier can't flesh this out beyond an idea; in the end, the solution is a disappointingly earthbound one that even the strong acting in this film can't elevate. --Marshall Fine
2.
When fragile young novice Agnes (Tilly) secretly gives birth to a baby and is accused of murder after it is found strangled, court-appoointed psychiatrist Dr Martha Livingtone (Fonda) is sent to the scene to investigate. Faced with a hostile and guarded Mother Superior (Bancroft) who is reluctant to co-operate with her questions, excusing the birth and the murder as an inexplicable act of God, Dr Livingstone has no easy task ahead of her.
3.
Jane Fonda portrays Dr. Livingston, a psychiatrist who is called in as part of the investigation when a dead infant is found at a convent. The child is found to belong to solemn, naive Sister Agnes (Meg Tilly), who offers little in the information about who the father is or why she committed the crime. The Mother Superior (Anne Bancroft) is willing to help in the investigation anyway she can, but when the idea of a virgin birth is suggested, the agnostic Dr. Livingston finds herself in a heated dialogue pitting faith against science. The screenplay was written by the author of the original stage play, John Pielmeier. Academy Award Nominations: 3, including Best Actress--Anne Bancroft.
4.
An isolated convent becomes the setting for murder in this suspenseful tale of spiritual passion and pride. Jane Fonda, Anne Bancroft and Meg Tilly star in Norman Jewison's riveling adaptation of the hit Broadway drama. When the infant of a young nun, Agnes (Tilly), is found strangled, a court-appointed psychiatrist, Martha Livingston (Fonda), must decide if the devout but troubled girl is fit to stand trial. In her quest for truth, Martha goes head-to-head with the intractable Mother Superior (Anne Bancroft), who assures her that Agnes has no memory of the pregnancy. But the probe uncovers mysterious aspects of Agnes' personality, which leads to a shattering climax. Is "Agnes of God" a hysterical young woman - or is her ordeal divinely inspired?
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