Body & Soul

What a wild career K.S. Thomas has had. I found this doing a 'Brit' search of Prime this week. There is a real woman sensibility apparent here. Adult, reasoned, understated yet effective. My mother took me to see The Nuns Story when I was age 6. Rather minimalist for a Catholic preadolescent but sacrifice for the spiritual life is kinda baked into the C cake! Some know of which I speak! 1993 is still early in Brit tv production value fortunes. The cinematography kinda sucks. Choices made can only be for budget constraints. I didn't dig the look. But Scott transcends every screen second. Don't believe me? Please just... I gotta go but more people should see this and not annoy me with clever non habit forming reasoning.

This was a superb story of a nun in conflict with her life choices and movement in her nunnery to her transitional departure due to family issues. Kristin Scott Thomas was superb as she ALWAYS is in whatever work she performs. The plot was intricate yet inviting as you moved through the 6 episodes or so of her life and choices. I felt the acting was very good by one and all, the setting interesting and unique and the storyline was really, really good in enticing us to watch more and stirring the desire to "finish" what was started. Pretty outstanding drama as MANY British productions tend to be these days COMPARED with those of Hollywood, USA. I don't know why this is but I continue to find it true.

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.

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 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!