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Anchoress

  • 19931993
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 48m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
392
YOUR RATING
Anchoress (1993)
Drama
In fourteenth-century England, peasant girl Christine Carpenter is so attracted to a statue of the Virgin Mary that the local priest (who lusts after her) suggests she be walled up in the ch... Read allIn fourteenth-century England, peasant girl Christine Carpenter is so attracted to a statue of the Virgin Mary that the local priest (who lusts after her) suggests she be walled up in the church as an anchoress, a holy woman with responsibility for blessing the villagers. But whe... Read allIn fourteenth-century England, peasant girl Christine Carpenter is so attracted to a statue of the Virgin Mary that the local priest (who lusts after her) suggests she be walled up in the church as an anchoress, a holy woman with responsibility for blessing the villagers. But when the priest has Christine's mother tried as a witch, she digs herself out of her cell, a ... Read all
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
392
YOUR RATING
    • Chris Newby
    • Judith Stanley-Smith
    • Christine Watkins
  • Stars
    • Natalie Morse
    • Gene Bervoets
    • Toyah Willcox
    • Chris Newby
    • Judith Stanley-Smith
    • Christine Watkins
  • Stars
    • Natalie Morse
    • Gene Bervoets
    • Toyah Willcox
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 11User reviews
    • 10Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Photos27

    Anchoress (1993)
    Anchoress (1993)
    Anchoress (1993)
    Anchoress (1993)
    Anchoress (1993)
    Anchoress (1993)
    Anchoress (1993)
    Anchoress (1993)
    Anchoress (1993)
    Anchoress (1993)
    Pete Postlethwaite in Anchoress (1993)
    Anchoress (1993)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Natalie Morse
    • Christine Carpenter
    Gene Bervoets
    Gene Bervoets
    • Reeve
    • (as Eugene Bervoets)
    Toyah Willcox
    Toyah Willcox
    • Pauline Carpenter
    Pete Postlethwaite
    Pete Postlethwaite
    • William Carpenter
    Christopher Eccleston
    Christopher Eccleston
    • Priest
    Michael Pas
    Michael Pas
    • Drover
    Brenda Bertin
    • Meg Carpenter
    Annette Badland
    Annette Badland
    • Mary
    Veronica Quilligan
    Veronica Quilligan
    • Daisy
    Julie T. Wallace
    Julie T. Wallace
    • Bertha
    Ann Way
    Ann Way
    • Alice
    François Beukelaers
    • Bishop
    Jan Decleir
    Jan Decleir
    • Mason
    David Boyce
    • Ragged Martin
    Mieke De Groote
    • Ragged Martin's Wife
    Erik Konstantyn
    • Carter
    Guy Pion
    • Innkeeper
    Peter van Asbroeck
    • Dyer
      • Chris Newby
      • Judith Stanley-Smith
      • Christine Watkins
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Ann Way's last film. She died before release.
    • Goofs
      When Christine and Meg are decorating the Virgin Mary with apples, they go up a ladder, which clearly ends on a small ledge inside the church. Cut scenes then indicate that the ladder actually leads to the top of an apple tree somewhere outside.
    • Connections
      Featured in Arcadia (2017)

    User reviews11

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    breathtaking, mystifying
    shot in B&W, but with a glaring brightness at times, "Anchoress" unravels a strange slice of life of a young woman who feels called to live in a cell of a church within sight of a statue of the Virgin. the Cult of Mary was strong in the medieval times (and i suppose it still continues today), and this and other bits of the medieval life bring some historical credibility to the screen.

    but far from being a sort of documentary, there are surreal and mystical elements too, which i think should serve to appeal to a modern audience. this film has what i would consider an art-house feel, but it also bears a purity to the viewer, of a simple age where belief meant everything and proof is almost heretical.

    whether a character has truly experienced a vision, or is a witch, or is holy,is never justly determined by the characters in their peasant lives, but is merely enforced by entrenched codes of social, religious, and other laws. to watch christine encounter each of these, to watch her life and her family be affected by the strangeness of the story and the rules of the age is captivating to behold.

    i found this film to be beautiful, bizarre, with a wonderful cast, as faithful as possible to the historically-known experiences of folk in European middle ages (well, aside from the imaginative bits), comical, tragic, but entirely fascinating.
    helpful•21
    3
    • atandt
    • Jul 7, 2005

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 1995 (United States)
      • Belgium
      • United Kingdom
      • International Film Circuit
      • English
      • Latin
    • Also known as
    • Production companies
      • British Film Institute (BFI)
      • Corsan
      • Upstate Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 1 hour 48 minutes
      • Black and White
      • Dolby

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