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IMDbPro

Choices of the Heart

  • TV Movie
  • 19831983
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
235
YOUR RATING
Choices of the Heart (1983)
Drama
The film tells the story of a young missionary girl from the United States who was killed in 1980 in El Salvador together with two other missionaries.The film tells the story of a young missionary girl from the United States who was killed in 1980 in El Salvador together with two other missionaries.The film tells the story of a young missionary girl from the United States who was killed in 1980 in El Salvador together with two other missionaries.
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
235
YOUR RATING
    • Joseph Sargent
    • John Pielmeier
  • Stars
    • Melissa Gilbert
    • Peter Horton
    • Helen Hunt
    • Joseph Sargent
    • John Pielmeier
  • Stars
    • Melissa Gilbert
    • Peter Horton
    • Helen Hunt
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 7User reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

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    Top cast

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    Melissa Gilbert
    Melissa Gilbert
    • Jean Donovan
    Peter Horton
    Peter Horton
    • Doug
    Helen Hunt
    Helen Hunt
    • Cathy
    Mary McCusker
    Mary McCusker
    • Sister Maura Clarke
    Mari Gorman
    Mari Gorman
    • Sister Ita Ford
    Pamela Bellwood
    Pamela Bellwood
    • Sister Dorothy Kazel
    Patrick Cassidy
    Patrick Cassidy
    • Patrick
    René Enríquez
    René Enríquez
    • Archbishop Romero
    Mike Farrell
    Mike Farrell
    • Ambassador Robert E. White
    Martin Sheen
    Martin Sheen
    • Father Philan
    Demián Bichir
    Demián Bichir
    • Armando
    • (as Demian Bichir)
    Enrique Lucero
    Enrique Lucero
    • Colonel Rojas
    Les Monroe
    • Father Alan Keeler
    Delores Devine
    • Gwen
    • (as Dolores Devine)
    George Belanger
    • Father Rich
    Ken Grant
    • Brother - Donovan
    • (uncredited)
      • Joseph Sargent
      • John Pielmeier
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      Final film of Delores Devine.
    • Soundtracks
      El Rossinyol
      Traditional

      Performed by Joan Baez

    User reviews7

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    2/10
    Fails to communicate the important facts
    I was shown this movie in class during high school. It struck me then as well- intentioned but rather spineless, and new information released about the 1980 murder of four churchwomen during the ensuing years have only confirmed that impression.

    The three nuns and the lay worker were only four of the tens of thousands that ultimately perished during El Salvador's 12-year civil conflict. They were repeatedly raped then murdered by Salvadoran soldiers, and the ensuing evasions and cover-up by both San Salvador and Washington were justified (and continues to be by many) in the name of holding the line against Communism. Evidence collected after the signing of the 1992 peace treaty has revealed that the killing of the women was not a matter of rogue soldiers on a rampage as the two governments long insisted, but was ordered by the Salvadoran military.

    However, because the political backdrop is not well-drawn in this film, the viewer is likely to come away with any number of wrong impressions. In fact, an earlier user review of this film states that the women were killed for being Americans. This of course is utterly inaccurate. El Salvador's ruling junta was enjoying massive aid packages, not to mention weapons and military training, from the U.S.

    The women were killed because they were associated with the Catholic liberation theology exemplified by Archbishop Oscar Romero (in fact, the lay worker Jean Donovan served as one of his pallbearers). By 1980, the Salvadoran military was increasingly enamoured of the idea that every poor, rural civilian was a potential guerrilla, and should simply be "cleaned up". While most religious activists like Romero and Jean Donovan made it clear that they also condemned violence by left-wing guerrillas, their vocal and material support for civilians caught in the crossfire made them military targets in the eyes of the junta.

    "Choices of the Heart" claims to portray actual events, and as such, has certain responsibilities. In shying away from placing the murders within the context of the catastrophic Carter-Reagan policy in El Salvador, the film fails miserably in these responsibilities. The lives of these women cannot be honored unless we are willing to take a hard, honest look at why they died.
    helpful•21
    9
    • hibernium
    • Jan 1, 2005

    Details

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    • Release date
      • December 5, 1983 (United States)
      • United States
      • Mexico
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Estudios Churubusco - C. Atletas 2, Country Club Churubusco, Coyoacán, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico
    • Production companies
      • Katz-Gallin Productions
      • Half-Pint Productions
      • Metromedia Producers Corporation (MPC)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 1 hour 40 minutes
      • Color
      • Mono

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