The Singing Nun [VHS]

Price 11.89 USD

EAN/UPC/ISBN Code 27616139139, 9780792814160, 9786302478952

Brand MGM (Warner)

One of the unlikeliest pop stars of the 1960s gets the bio treatment in The Singing Nun, a fictionalized account of the Belgian nun dubbed "Soeur Sourire" (Sister Smile). The cute tone is regrettable, and it"s difficult to adjust to Debbie Reynolds in a habit, but the movie isn"t bad for its kind. It"s the light version of The Nun"s Story, with Hollywood conflicts substituted for spiritual angst. The supporting cast brings in some camp appeal: Agnes Moorehead as a cranky nun, Chad Everett, and "Ed Sullivan as Himself." The best sequence has Sullivan"s CBS crew showing up in Belgium to tape the Singing Nun for his TV shew--er, show--and sending the irresistibly catchy "Dominique" on its way to international success. It"s the same breakthrough sequence found in every rock & roll movie, except the song happens to be about a Catholic saint. Doesn"t matter: what works, works. --Robert Horton