The second of four versions of the 1909 novel by Francis Marion Crawford, I've known the title for years, but the film itself proved a revelation. For the first 90 minutes (the film is 143 minutes long!) it was pretty much what I expected; lavishly produced on handsome Italian locations with a star performance in the title role by Lillian Gish fetchingly attired in a nun's habit. But by the halfway mark - with well over an hour still to go - I was having difficulty seeing how on earth it was going to justify it's colossal running time.
I've already given away more about the story arc than I care to, so I'll just confine myself to saying that what came next I thought was sensational; more like I would have expected from DeMille than Henry King...!
I've already given away more about the story arc than I care to, so I'll just confine myself to saying that what came next I thought was sensational; more like I would have expected from DeMille than Henry King...!