Act of the Heart (1970)

A woman's peculiar religious convictions lead her on a self-destructive path.

Director:

Paul Almond

Writer:

Paul Almond

Stars:

Geneviève Bujold, Donald Sutherland, Monique Leyrac

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Geneviève Bujold	...	Martha Hayes
Donald Sutherland	...	Father Michael Ferrier
Monique Leyrac	...	Johane Foss
Sharon Acker	...	Adele
Eric House	...	Choirmaster
Ratch Wallace	...	Diedrich
Billy Mitchell	...	Russell Foss
Gilles Vigneault	...	Coach Ti-Jo
Jean Dalmain	...	Party
Claude Jutra	...	Party
François Tassé	...	Party
Jean Duceppe	...	Parks Commisioner

Storyline

Martha Hayes, a woman fanatically devoted to Jesus Christ, ekes out a meager existence in Montreal, Canada. As a singer in an Anglican Church choir, Martha meets and is fascinated by Father Michael Ferrier, an Augustinian monk who's the guest conductor for an interfaith concert. How far is Martha willing to go to show her devotion to God?

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Plot Keywords:

undressing | self destructiveness | catholic | female nudity | religion | 

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Taglines:

Life is protest is love is rebellion is the "Act of the Heart"

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

GP

Details

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 November 1970 (USA)

Also Known As:

Acte du coeur

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

CAD 450,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Quest

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Martha's Songs"
Written by Gilles Vigneault

User Reviews

A young and beautiful Genevieve Bujold falls victim to her own religious convictions

This one is really hard to find, so if you've managed to get ahold of it kudos. Donald Sutherland and Genevieve Bujold are absolutely great in this as a young priest and commited choir girl. Paul Almond does a really nice job of easing into their growing and confusing relationship, which really picks up as the narrative unfolds in unlikely ways by the third act.

You really have to watch this whole movie before you form an opinion on it, and if you miss the last shocking 30 seconds then you'll probably have a low opinion of this movie. This one really need to be re-released on DVD (or at least video besides at the National Archives!) so it can get an audience.