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  Directed by
  Starring
  Specs
  • Widescreen 1.85:1
  • 16:9 Enhanced
  Languages
  • English: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
  • French: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
  • Spanish: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
  • German: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
  • Italian: Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
  Subtitles
    English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Dutch
  Extras

    Agnes of God

    Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Home Entertainment . R4 . COLOR . 95 mins . M15+ . PAL

      Feature
    Contract

    I’d never seen this film and about half way through it really looked like it was gonna go somewhere, but ended up leaving me deflated with no real answers. A bit like life really. All this working up toward a goal and then you get to the end and -well, hopefully not nothing.

    The acting from the three lead women is amazing, but without doubt Meg Tilly as Agnes is the real stand out of the film. Sometimes loony, sometimes a dreamy teenager, other times a wild eyed prisoner and sometimes a gentle, touching and naïve young girl, she brings her role to life with passion and honesty.

    Agnes is a young postulant preparing to become a nun. Mysteriously, she gives birth one night and the baby is murdered before authorities can get to the scene. Jane Fonda plays a psychiatrist who must investigate an insanity plea and runs head on into Anne Bancroft’s Mother Superior who won’t allow Agnes’ naïvety to be destroyed by medical opinion. What follows is a perilous descent into the dark pasts of these three women, all the while pursuing the truth of what happened to Agnes.

    "There is more here than meets the eye, isn’t there? Lots of dirty little secrets!"

    Directed admirably by Norman Jewison, the three leads play well off each other, taking their characters into the darkness both holding hands and pushing each other away. This isn’t a pleasant story, but one which does raise many questions regarding faith and belief, hope and denial and cause and effect.

      Video
    Contract

    The picture quality of this DVD is really amazing. There is a nice, clear, solid picture with barely an artefact to be seen. All colours are clean and well used by the director, keeping moods flexible with earthy colours and a lack of the bright and garish. Set in a cloistered convent during a harsh winter, naturally there are to be few radiant colours anyway, but the textures of the fields and buildings add depth to the feelings of isolation and unfamiliarity. All detail is clear, including night scenes and within the deeper shadows, and there is never a moment we are trying to figure out what we’re looking at. To that end, the blacks are true blacks (important with so many women in habits) and there's little, if any, aliasing present. Flesh tones all come across well, right down to reddened skin and apple cheeks of nuns working in the frosty fields. This picture has made its way to DVD well and the 16:9 enhancement of the 1.85:1 aspect ratio has been accomplished marvellously.

      Audio
    Contract

    Like its video sister, audio contains a full gamut of chaste excellence, even if it is only Dolby Digital 2.0. The sound quality is clear and clean with no noise or static. Dialogue has been delivered well on screen, and this includes several lines in un-subtitled Canadian French. The recording is superb and well engineered, running from whispers through to full-blooded screams with equal depth. The dialogue is never dominated by the sound effects either, which contributes well toward the final balance of the sound. Topping off the great sounding audio on this DVD is the music, which is well placed and doesn’t overpower the action or the actors, but lends the perfect level of support to the story.

      Extras
    Contract

    Unfortunately, nothing doing. Being a 1985 film, it might have been nice to see filmographies and a trailer at the very least, but no, it’s a vow of poverty.

      Overall  
    Contract

    This DVD will see fewer viewers because of the lack of extras, which is a shame. The film is worth seeing for the sensational acting, the creepiness of the story and the questions it will visit upon you after the credits have rolled. A good movie to view with friends who like a good theological discussion, and this clearly delivered version is the best way to see it. Whilst the story is an interesting one, and one we think we’re capable of predicting, it may disappoint viewers who prefer solidity. Due to the facts gradually uncovered within, together with the issues raised about faith and belief, it will leave more questions with the viewer than answers.


  • LINK: http://www.dvd.net.au/review.cgi?review_id=2543
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      And I quote...
    "It means lamb. Lamb of God."
    - Jules Faber
      Review Equipment
    • DVD Player:
          Nintaus DVD-N9901
    • TV:
          Sony 51cm
    • Receiver:
          Diamond
    • Speakers:
          Diamond
    • Surrounds:
          No Name
    • Audio Cables:
          Standard Optical
    • Video Cables:
          Standard Component RCA
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