Body & Soul

Once again, I am disappointed how little people have seen this marvelous film. I think it is because the main character is a nun. And how attractive is that? But aren't you interested about the story of a smart, modern woman, who chooses to flee in a convent? And don't you want to know what happens if she has to leave?

I must say it is the best role I saw Kristin Scott Thomas play ever. You really feel why she makes her decisions. Only by acting, without spelling it out, this movie makes you understand the behaving of several people. And that is real Art.

It's one of the movies you will be thinking of for days. And every time you see Kristin, or hear someone talk about her, you relive the moments this movie showed you.

Boy, what a surprise this was. Who would have thought that a PBS Masterpiece production with one of the most celebrated of international leading ladies could be such a STINKER. Hackneyed and tedious almost from the get-go, and I stayed with it well past the get-go (in fact, 2 whole hours before I decided to get-going). I mean, one should have been prepared, I suppose, for something wonky when one is asked to accept Kristin Scott Thomas as a contemporary cloistered nun. Was it the (merely hinted it) Lesbian angle in the convent? Was it Thomas's anguished reaction when she stumbles upon a couple bonking in a shed? Was it the prune-faced nun who assaults her upon her return to the convent with the words "God doesn't want you here"? Was it the hunky young factory foreman with whom she allies herself when she decides to save the family textile mill? Now don't misunderstand, it's not that I actually want these questions answered…I was just wondering which WAS it that finally made me give up on this piece of overcooked tripe.

I thoroughly enjoyed this mini-series and feel it's as poignant in 2021 as it was when made in 1993. The acting is universally outstanding. Kristen Scott Thomas is simply amazing! She's probably in 490 of the 500 minutes, and she carries every scene deftly and gracefully.

Interestingly, my wife would gives the series a B+, whereas I give it an A-. Some of the characters are one-dimensional, and arguably the plot is straightforward. However, the strength of the performances and the directing outweigh those elements in my opinion. Also, the journey is often more interesting than the destination.

There are few series that so significantly explore many aspects of living a nun's life, which I find compelling and interesting, as well.

Of note, the third episode is slow, but stick with it because the story picks up strongly again in episode four, and stays that way through the finish.

Body & Soul is well worth your consideration, offers a compelling set of characters and story, and presents extremely well long after it's making. You should absolutely give it a go and will likely find much to enjoy.

This is one of my favorite Mini-Series, because of the storyline, and the acting. Kristen Scott Thomas is excellent and played the role naturally. One would not think that a story of a nun's life could be so dramatically and intelligently portrayed. I have not seen a storyline on the subject so compelling since A Nun's Story (1959) with Audrey Hepburn. Ms. Thomas like Ms. Hepburn, has a very expressive face, and can transmit an array of feelings without speaking.

Body and Soul is a story about the conflicts of duty to one's beliefs, one's family and one's self. Anna (Thomas), after many years of being a nun, has to help her family's floundering business. In the process, she learns some things about herself, and as a result is faced with some decisions. In some cases in stories like this, you can almost guess what will happen next. However, Body and Soul has a few surprises.

If you have not seen this mini-series, it is worth renting or buying.

This is a wonderful showcase for Kristin Scott Thomas' talent -- incroyable! Her Anna Gibson/Sister Gabriel is exquisitely conflicted. Her 1993 Chicago Film Festival win for this film was quite well-deserved. Amanda Redmond is fantastic as Anna's sister-in-law, Lynn, and I adored Madeleine Christie's Sister Godric. Must see!