A Sister Act

Well, I was trying to catch up with my movie viewing and saw Doubt last Sunday with my friend Abbi. We had both seen the play and loved it. My observation for the movie version is that the cast were as formidable as the original actors on stage. Meryl Streep, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis were all on even footing in terms of acting in this version. I did like the movie. However, I did find myself feeling that the Sr. Aloysius in the movie was a lot meaner than the play. In the play you'd get the feeling that she was stern and concerned, not here. It's like she was out to get someone all the time. I didn't get that at all in the play. But I'm not sure if that's because of Ms. Streep's interpretation of the role or due to the direction.

This brings me to this point: as a movie audience one is spoon fed a lot in terms of what you get to see. I remember the play didn't even show the child involved nor any of the school children and the convent life. You only got the thoughts and point of views of the main characters via the dialogue and certain scenes. You don't get the whole picture but only bits and pieces. It was up to you to put everything together. I remember the whole time during the play my thoughts kept constantly vacillating between maybe he did it and maybe he's innocent......even to the very end. The movie showed more.....classroom scenes, the convent life, how Fr. Flynn treats the child, how the child is treated in school and as a result, this viewing wasn't as impactful. I was sure he (Father Flynn) did something. To me, this time at least, he was guilty. I don't know maybe it's just me but being spoon fed like this gives me less of a challenge as an audience. But don't get me wrong the movie is still really good. It's just has a different feel to it.

(photo from yahoo movies)

Unsure

One can't resist having high expectations going to a movie like Doubt. With its powerhouse cast of Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and an unforgettable Viola Davis, it delivers its promise of seeing excellent thespians at work. But if you were fortunate enough to have seen the original stage version, then the film might leave you a little disappointed.

John Patrick Shanley's award-winning play is about a progressive priest suspected of sexual abuse in a Bronx Catholic school in the 1960s and the unyielding school principal intent to prove his guilt. I enjoyed watching Ms. Streep stomp around chewing up the scenery and do battle with Ms. Adams and Mr. Hoffman. I secretly wished though that Tony-nominated Brian F. O'Byrne had been cast as the embattled priest instead. (Some might say Meryl's authoritarian Sister Aloysius was over the top, but in the fourth grade, my homeroom teacher was a nun who actually pulled some of my misbehaving male classmates' hair or even push them down to the ground AS she pulled their hair. I guess that's why there are stereotypes.)

In the stage version, I truly vacillated and left the theatre still unsure about what happened. The playwright let the audience decide. I thought the movie was less ambiguous, diminishing the story's power. The play was one act, with four actors. Here in the film, you get to see the students and Father Flynn's interaction with them, so you immediately form an opinion about his guilt or innocence.

The scene with the boy's mother remains as heartrending as ever, a star turn for Ms. Davis. It is a mother willing to make dubious sacrifices to ensure that her son will go on to a better life. Another story of the downtrodden accepting their lot in life. Ms. Streep looked properly horrified, unwilling and unable to believe what she was hearing from this parent. Ms. Adams as Sister James was effectively timid and deferential to her school principal.

It was fascinating to see the battles of the sexes inside the Catholic Church, and there are some comedic moments courtesy of Sister Aloysius. One scene I found incongruous was when Fr. Flynn was talking about gossip, and Mr. Shanley (who wrote the screenplay and directed the film adaptation) made the choice to actually show the feathers flying all around representing the effects of gossip. That sermon was potent enough on its own. I didn't need the visuals.

The Devil Wears Puritan

Well......that was the title of the picture from this article where the pic is from. It's quite fitting I must say. This is from the film Doubt. It's a story set in 1964 about this nun who suspects that their parish priest has abused a schoolboy. It's originally a play that Lani, Mike, Tom, Lynn and I saw in 2005 with Cherry Jones as Sister Aloysius which won her the Best Actress Tony. It is such thrilling piece of theatre. For the film, Sister Aloysius going to be played by Meryl Streep--is another Oscar in the works?