Brides of Christ

I loved this series although I'm not a Catholic, not Australian, not a woman. Extremely good exploration of conservative institution beset by a plateful of changes in turbulent times. Depicts how different woman struggle to find the path forward using their different talents and faculties to arrive at their own approach to challenges.

In my opinion, very well cast. I found the characters for the most part very involving. This mini series is a good example of how the Australian movie- and television-making industry outperformed the entire rest of the English-speaking world on any kind of per capita measure in producing wonderful projects in the last two decades of the 20th century.

Incredible account of the sweeping changes that occurred during the Vatican-inspired mini-revolution during the 1960s, focusing on one convent of nuns in Australia. I must admit, not being Christian myself, I was a little skeptical before seeing this series; as it happens, I was so hooked, I watched all six episodes back-to-back (I had it on video), and woke up tired the next morning!! Like the brilliant CHANGI a decade later, each episode revolves around one particular character; unlike CHANGI, each episode is primarily concerned with keeping the plot moving, rather than going back and looking at the character's past, although this comes into it. What we see is a group of women who, for whatever reason, have all chosen to live a celibate life following the teachings of Christ (from the Catholic viewpoint) and of the various religious philosophers of the past millenium. Like any group of people, there are, of course, differences: many of the older women are happy to let the church guide their decision processes, and accept whatever their superiors say. The more educated among the group tend to question the values of the church and, in the opinion of the seniors, threaten to undermine the very substance of what the religious is all about. It was an interesting time for the Catholic church: still regarded as one of the more stringent Christian sects, the western world was undergoing a major cultural revolution, as scientific developments, introductions to new cultures, and different ways of thinking were being encouraged by youth leaders. In an attempt to remain relevant, the Vatican, led by the Pope of the time, recognised that change was inevitable and thus tried to instigate it themselves. A wide number of issues are dealt with here: birth control, abortion, divorce, sex before marriage, interchurch marriages, etc...: many of these issues are, of course, distinct NON-issues among non-Catholics and non-Christians today - birth control, via pills, condoms and surgery, is seen as necessary and, indeed, healthy practice; 50% of marriages in the USA and Australia now end in divorce or separation; most people have sex before marriage. But to Catholics of the time these things were mortal sins, and led to eternal damnation (I can hear non-believers either chuckle or, indeed, gasp with horror, as I did, that all these people were and are wasting their lives, living in fear of something that wouldn't - couldn't ever happen...but it made sense to them, and that's the main thing, it gave their lives purpose...). Every single performance within this miniseries - even down to Russell Crowe's small role as a young man destined to become a conchie - is first-rate, and, when the 330-minute production came to an end, I felt like I had really gotten to know the characters - and indeed that I had seen longer movies with 80 minute runtimes! This is an absolutely top-quality miniseries, comparable with CHANGI, and everyone should see it. 9/10.

This mini series was shown in the U.S. on the A&E Television network and it was landmark miniseries that correctly showed the turmoil effecting the catholic church after Vatican II. The story is a very Australian one in terms of how the changes going on in the church effected Catholics in Australia in the 1960s. This miniseries launched the careers of many young actors such as Naomi Watts and Russell Crowe. There is a huge amount of acting talent in Australia and they shine in this production. BOC was the performance of Brenda Flicker's career and is the one actress that stands out in the miniseries. The irony is almost half a century after Vatican II real reform seems to elude so much of the catholic church but it has reversed it's positions on so many issues since the 1960s.

IMO one of the best mini series ever produced (not that I'm an authoritative source mind you), Brides of Christ ranks up there with the British production Edge of Darkness with a similar high level of the quality and intelligence in the writing, acting and general execution. (The subject matter and treatment could not be more different though.)

Each of the six episodes deals with a different aspect of Catholic life in 1960s Australia as viewed through the nuns and students of an Australian convent/school. While the setting and recurring characters remain constant, each episode concentrates on a different character (well, one character gets two episodes). There is also a subtle arc which spans the entire mini series.

The performances are uniformly excellent - to single anyone in the recurring or guest cast out would be to slight the others who haven't been mentioned. As a piece of casting trivia however, fans of the Australian production of the stage musical Les Misérables will be pleased that no less than four members of the original Australian cast appear in Brides of Christ in guest roles. One episode also features an early performance by Russell Crowe.

This series, dealing with issues such as loyalty, integrity, faith and change makes you feel and it makes you think. You don't have to be Catholic to appreciate this series (I'm not and loved it), just a fan of high quality television.

I really enjoyed 'Brides of Christ'. I first saw it a few years ago when I had to study it at school, and even though you are not really supposed to enjoy school texts I liked it. I have since watched it several times. The film which is really a short series gives you an insight into the director's version of how nuns and Catholics lived in the 60s. I actually liked nuns for nearly the first time (I liked them in Sound of Music).

The actors are excellent, and the movie gives you a wonderful cross-section of styles of people that are portrayed. I understand that this film caused a bit of trouble because of its views, and the fact that it deals with some sensitive issues, but it is well worth watching. It deals with 'ordinary person' issues as well as Catholic ones. I would recommend it to just about anyone.