Anchoress (1993)

Director:

Chris Newby

Writers:

Judith Stanley-Smith (writer)
Christine Watkins (writer)

Release Date:

May 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Ecstasy and orthodoxy in the 14th century!

Plot:

In fourteenth-century England, peasant girl Christine Carpenter is so attracted to a statue of the Virgin...

Plot Keywords:

Anchorwoman | Religion | Virgin | 1300s | Medieval

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Natalie Morse	...	Christine Carpenter
Gene Bervoets	...	Reeve (as Eugene Bervoets)
Toyah Willcox	...	Pauline Carpenter
Pete Postlethwaite	...	William Carpenter
Christopher Eccleston	...	Priest
Michael Pas	...	Drover
Brenda Bertin	...	Meg Carpenter
Annette Badland	...	Mary
Veronica Quilligan	...	Daisy
Julie T. Wallace	...	Bertha
Ann Way	...	Alice
François Beukelaers	...	Bishop
Jan Decleir	...	Mason
David Boyce	...	Ragged Martin
Mieke De Groote	...	Ragged Martin's Wife

Runtime:

108 min | UK:106 min

Country:

Belgium | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Spain:13 | UK:12

Company:

British Film Institute (BFI)

Trivia:

Ann Way's last film.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Christine and Meg are decorating the Virgin Mary with apples, they go up a ladder, which clearly ends on a small ledge inside the church. Cut scenes then indicate that the ladder actually leads to the top of an apple tree somewhere outside.

God wants you to live in the wall...

"Anchoress" (English/Dutch): I've watched this one over and over. I don't own it yet, but I will. It is fascinating, beautiful, strange, and insightful. "Anchoress" takes place during the European Medieval period, when humans survived at the mud level. This story is about one young woman who tries to find comfort and beauty inside the church,

with the 'Mother Mary'...or at least a poorly made icon. She hasn't the capability of deciphering her motives, and soon offers herself to the church as an "Anchoress" - a person devoted to God, relinquishing all worldly connections, and being voluntarily cemented into a small crawl space of her church's wall (!) - for the rest of her life. Strange times, those...except we see that the priest considers this a good marketing move for the church (to have such an "attraction"). Yet, things don't go the way anyone predicted... "Anchoress" is shot in some of the most powerful black & white film I've ever seen (equal to Bergman or Lynch), has an incredibly sensitive sound track (not music) attuned to the daily life of Earth, and, a camera that loves to be thoughtful and intimate. Each shot is a composed, artful image worthy of Rembrandt. If Rembrandt had used a movie camera, with b/w film, this could've been one of his films. Despite, or because of, the near total lack of dialog, there are scenes you will never forget. This is a very grounded film, while being mystical at the same time. Perhaps that's part of the attraction. It deals with our dual urges to rise above daily life, yet revel in it at the same time. I understand more upon each viewing of "Anchoress".