the audience applauded

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

'Agnes of God' is simply one of the best acted films made. Based on a Broadway play, it stars Jane Fonda, Anne Bancroft, and Meg Tilly in roles that are their career best in my opinion.The story is that a young novitiate (she is not yet a nun) has had a baby that is found in the waste paper basket with the umbilical cord wrapped around it's neck and the novitiate unconscious, seemingly having no recollection of the pregnancy or birth. Dr. Martha Livingstone is chosen by the court to interview the Mother Superior and Agnes to find out what has happened. Agnes is seemingly an innocent, having no knowledge of sex or childbirth, having been raised by an alcoholic mother who had migraines and visions of angels. She kept Agnes innocent so she wouldn't end up like her. The Mother Superior is her Aunt, which adds complexity to the back story. Dr. Livingstone is a lapsed Catholic who believes in science and has no belief in miracles and knows that Agnes must have been with a mortal man to get pregnant. Mother Miriam is so steadfast in her belief in Agnes as touched by God, that she is willing to suspend belief in the hope of a miracle. The interactions of the three main characters in seemingly a battle for Agnes' immortal soul and the belief by Dr. Livingstone that Agnes may not be as innocent as she seems, makes for compelling and fascinating drama. The fact that you are never sure how the child was conceived is beyond the point. It doesn't need to be answered. The point of this film is that a woman became pregnant and the child is dead. Who did it and how much does Agnes know.My only complaint with the film is I read the play before I ever saw the film. A miracle happens, the play makes clear what it is. The final speech by Dr. Livingstone and indeed the trial is very different and should have been used in the film. It makes more sense. Still, a brilliantly acted and directed film that never got the credit it deserved.

Norman Jewison directed this drama about Sister Agnes(played by Meg Tilly) an innocent young woman living in a convent who inexplicably found herself pregnant, though the baby dies... Jane Fonda plays Dr. Martha Livingston, a court-appointed psychiatrist sent to investigate the matter, though ends up butting heads with the Mother Superior(played by Anne Bancroft) who has a most personal interest in protecting Agnes; the question still remains however: how did Agnes get pregnant, and who is the father? Meg Tilly is excellent, and outshines her two famous leads, whose characters start to grate after awhile. Though Agnes is a fascinating woman, the script brings up religious and philosophical questions it is clearly either unwilling or unable to answer, making this film ultimately unsatisfying, though Meg Tilly is radiant throughout.

After a nun gives birth, the baby is found strangled in a wastepaper basket. A psychiatrist is brought in to judge the woman's sanity. The film is "Agnes of God," based on the successful Broadway play and inspired by an incident that occurred in my home town of Rochester, New York. It unites three powerful actresses - Jane Fonda, Anne Bancroft, and Meg Tilly in this intriguing story of belief, truth, and perception.Fonda is the psychiatrist who comes to the idyllic, French Canadian convent setting and first meets the mother superior (Bancroft), a nun with a few secrets, who is opposed to having Agnes, the young woman who had the baby, questioned. Agnes is a pure, childlike girl who hears voices, talks to spirits, doesn't know how babies are born, and claims she never had one. Is she delusional as the result of abuse as a child? Was she raped? Is she insane? The performances in "Agnes of God" are extraordinary. Fonda is brilliant as a woman of science who has long ago turned her back on God, and Meg Tilly gives a breakout performance as the translucent, innocent Agnes. The dramatic scene which ends with Fonda saying, "I love you...As much as God loves you" was one of the most moving in the film.The powerhouse role, played on stage by Geraldine Page, is that of the mother superior, and what better actress for this than the fantastic Anne Bancroft. She is tough, vulnerable, funny, fierce and warm as a woman trying to protect her delicate charge from the horrors of the world. She and Fonda play beautifully together, whether bonding or fighting, as Fonda strips away the layers to find the truth.It's so rare to see a film with three great female roles, and to see them all essayed so well in an excellent story. For this reason, Agnes of God is a great, provocative film that will keep you thinking about it long after it's over.

When Anne Bancroft died this past year, I remembered this film because of her performance. I can't forget Jane Fonda and Meg Tilly's as well. The three actresses really provided some of their finest performances for the camera. We are left with more questions than answers. But as we go through watching this film, we love Anne's role as the Mother Superior with a few secrets of her own and Jane Fonda as the psychiatrist assigned to Sister Agnes. I love the interaction between Fonda and Bancroft. They're professionals and they're good in this film. That's why the three earned Academy Award nominations. Finally a film about nuns that's not so demeaning or patronizing. Mother Superior joins the convent for her reasons or because she felt chosen to do God's work. Sister Agnes and Mother Superior's relationship is not so obvious to the viewer. YOu have to take into account every word of what is said between these three characters. You feel sorry for Fonda's childless lonely character as well. In the end, we have more questions than answers that are never really resolved but it's a great film and one of Anne's best work.