The Runner Stumbles (1979)

Father Rivard is a priest in a small, economically depressed coal mining town. Working on what he thinks is a "controversial" work, he lives with the brutal lives of his poor parishioners, ... See full summary »

Director:

Stanley Kramer

Writer:

Milan Stitt

Stars:

Dick Van Dyke, Kathleen Quinlan, Maureen Stapleton

Cast

Credited cast:
Dick Van Dyke	...	Father Brian Rivard
Kathleen Quinlan	...	Sister Rita
Maureen Stapleton	...	Mrs. Shandig
Ray Bolger	...	Monsignor Nicholson
Tammy Grimes	...	Erna Webber
Beau Bridges	...	Toby Felker
Allen Nause	...	Prosecutor
John Procaccino	...	Amos
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Larry Buck	...	Fire chief
Ted D'Arms	...	Sheriff
Bill Dore	...	Judge
Jock Dove	...	Doctor McNabb
Jim Doyle	...	Matt Webber
Billy Jayne	...	James
Casey Kramer	...	Marie

Storyline

Father Rivard is a priest in a small, economically depressed coal mining town. Working on what he thinks is a "controversial" work, he lives with the brutal lives of his poor parishioners, the old, unfriendly nuns in the nearby convent, and his own self doubts. When Rita, an energetic and bright young Sister, arrives at the parish, he finds someone he can talk to, someone with whom he has much in common. This sets into motion a series of events that leads to Sister Rita's death - and the indictment of Father Rivard in that act.

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Plot Keywords:

convent | nun | priest | priest in love | nun in love | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 February 1980 (Australia)

Also Known As:

A Queda

Filming Locations:

Ellensburg, Washington, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Melvin Simon Productions, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Source playwright Milan Stitt once considered becoming a priest.

User Reviews

great movie

I first saw this movie in 1983 when I went out west to see my boyfriend. He was a river runner & was living in a house full of the same. Because river runners are in & out of the house on multi-day trips, many people used the house as their crash pad between trips. The point is that the house was full of people. This came on HBO and a bunch of us watched it with rapt attention. Later that day, it came on again and we all sat there and watched it again! How good is a movie when a house full of people watch the same movie twice in one day! I have never understood why more people have not heard of or seen this movie. It is wonderful. It is not a slam bam action movie, it is more about character and how people evolve through interaction with others even though external events may not allow for it. I have never forgotten this movie and I am going to chase down my own copy.