Agnes of God (1985)

When a naive novice nun is discovered with a dead newborn in her convent quarters, a court-appointed psychiatrist investigates her case.

Director:

Norman Jewison

Writers:

John Pielmeier (screenplay), John Pielmeier (play)

Stars:

Jane Fonda, Anne Bancroft, Meg Tilly

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jane Fonda	...	Doctor Martha Livingston
Anne Bancroft	...	Mother Miriam Ruth
Meg Tilly	...	Sister Agnes
Anne Pitoniak	...	Dr. Livingston's Mother
Winston Rekert	...	Detective Langevin
Gratien Gélinas	...	Father Martineau
Guy Hoffmann	...	Justice Joseph Leveau (as Guy Hoffman)
Gabriel Arcand	...	Monsignor
Françoise Faucher	...	Eve LeClaire
Jacques Tourangeau	...	Eugène Lyon
Janine Fluet	...	Sister Marguerite
Deborah Grover	...	Sister Anne
Michele George	...	Sister Susanna
Samantha Langevin	...	Sister Jeannine
Jacqueline Blais	...	Sister David Marie

Storyline

When a dead newborn is found, wrapped in bloody sheets, in the bedroom wastebasket of a young novitiate, psychiatrist Martha Livingston is called in to determine if the seemingly innocent novice, who knows nothing of sex or birth, is competent enough to stand trial for the murder of the baby. While searching for the answer that her supervisors want, Dr. Livingston finds herself inevitably drawn into searching for the truth about the baby's conception and death. Despite the lack of cooperation that she receives from her own organization and the church itself, she eventually discovers more than she may have bargained for.

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Plot Keywords:

watching tv | psychiatrist | novice | convent | trial | 

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Taglines:

That night, murder wasn't the only sin.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Latin

Release Date:

27 September 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Agnes de Dios

Filming Locations:

Rockwood Academy - 477 Main Street South, Rockwood, Ontario, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$220,642, 15 September 1985, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$25,627,836, 31 December 1985

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Delphi IV Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

To prepare for her role as psychiatrist Dr Martha Livingstone, actress Jane Fonda met with forensic psychiatrists to observe several hypnotisms as well as to get a sense of their work and the kind of training they go through and what kind of medical profession psychiatry is, and what psychiatrists do on a day-to-day basis.

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Goofs

During the most profound scene where Agnes receives the stigmata, the audio boom is visible for at least five seconds.

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Quotes

Mother Miriam Ruth: [about Sister Agnes] I am saying that you have a beautifully simple woman here.
Doctor Martha Livingston: An unhappy woman.
Mother Miriam Ruth: She's happy with us, and she could go on being happy if she were left alone.
Doctor Martha Livingston: Then why did you call the police in the first place, Mother, huh? Why didn't you just throw the baby into the incinerator and be done with it?
Mother Miriam Ruth: Because I am a moral person.
Doctor Martha Livingston: Bullshit.
Mother Miriam Ruth: Bullshit yourself.
Doctor Martha Livingston: The Catholic Church doesn't have a corner on morality.
Mother Miriam Ruth: Who said anything about the Catholic Church?
Doctor Martha Livingston: You just did.
[...]

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Connections

Features Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (1981)

User Reviews

Fairly good psychological drama

In one of her best performances, Jane Fonda plays a psychiatrist who is assigned to deal with a case involving a naive young nun(played by Meg Tilly) who allegedly gave birth to a baby and murdered it in the convent.

While slow and gimmicky at times, the acting and story are enough to keep the film worth watching.

Anne Bancroft also gives a very good performance as the Mother Superior at the convent who is highly skeptical of Fonda's character and profession.

Generally worthwhile.