Anchoress
Ecstasy and Orthodoxy in the 14th Century!
Enter the medieval world of Christine Carpenter, a visionary girl whose passions attract two powerful men in the village; the priest and an officer. Each decides he will be the one to control Christine, but she has eyes only for the Virgin Mary. When the Priest urges her to become an Anchoress (a walled-in recluse), she accepts, attracting pilgrims seeking her advice and healing power. Christine’s awakening sexuality calls into question this lifelong arrangement, as a battle between the priest, the officer and Christine’s mother turns dangerous. When she challenges the priest’s authority - the order of society; its government, religion and sexual relations are all thrown into turmoil.
Member Reviews
Odd, but interesting - themiddleseat
Though completed in 1993, this movie is filmed in black and white, so don’t let that startle you. This is the story of Christine (Natalie Morse) who has such a strong attraction to the Virgin Mary that she agrees to become an anchoress. An anchoress is a life long calling to a woman (or a man, who would then be called and anchorite) who is subsequently and ritually walled into a church. There were three windows built into the anchoress’ structure; one facing the church where she received communion, one where her assistant brought her food and eliminated waste and a third window that was used by the public to receive wisdom from the anchoress. Christine is encouraged to take this position by her local parish priest, since having an anchoress was quite a boon to a parish. Christine’s mother, who is the local “wise woman”, behaves and speaks in such a fashion as to rebel against the church. Her protests end up having her labelled as a witch. There are many other sub-plots to this story. The obsession of the priest with the anchoress, the pedophile nature of the marriage of the reeve to a young girl and the role of the church in the lives of people during the fourteenth century. It’s a bit of an odd movie to watch; with it’s long lapses of silence but it is historically accurate and interesting.
Member Reviews
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Odd, but interesting - themiddleseat
Though completed in 1993, this movie is filmed in black and white, so don’t let that startle you. This is the story of Christine (Natalie Morse) who has such a strong attraction to the Virgin Mary that she agrees to become an anchoress. An anchoress is a ...