Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story (1996)

Director:

Michael Ray Rhodes

Writer (WGA):

John Wells (written by)

Release Date:

27 September 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

No force could sway her. No fear could stop her.

Plot:

The phrase "entertaining angels" refers to the practice of treating all guests--be they kings or peasants--as if they were visiting angels...

Plot Keywords:

Lifting Person In Air | Classical Music | Carrying Person | Unsubtitled Foreign Language | Independent Film

Cast

Moira Kelly	...	Dorothy Day
Martin Sheen	...	Peter Maurin
Lenny von Dohlen	...	Forster Batterham
Melinda Dillon	...	Sister Aloysius
Paul Lieber	...	Mike Gold
Heather Graham	...	Maggie Bowen
Boyd Kestner	...	Lionel Moise
James Lancaster	...	Eugene O'Neill
Geoffrey Blake	...	Floyd Dell
Brian Keith	...	Cardinal
Heather Camille	...	Tamar
Thom Adcox-Hernandez	...	Dan Irwin
David Berón	...	John
Pamela Shafer	...	Tesse
Allyce Beasley	...	Frankie

Also Known As:

Entertaining Angels (USA) (short title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for a range of thematic elements, some sensuality and brief language.

Runtime:

Canada:110 min | USA:112 min (Encore-True Stories Library print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Portugal:M/12 (video premiere) | USA:PG-13

Company:

Paulist Pictures

Ambitious and mostly a success.

I liked this film. It tells the real-life story of Dorothy Day, who founded the "Catholic Worker" newspaper and relief agency for the poor in New York City during the Depression. Moira Kelly gives a very good performance as Day. The story follows her quest to find her way in life, ultimately leading to her helping thousands of people and providing a role model for activists.

The film contains a scene where Kelly says one of the most quotable lines ever: "If you feed the poor, you're called a saint. If you ask why they're poor, you're called a Communist." Kelly says this during a scene when she is responding to people who resist her search for the truth through her newspaper. Americans who are concerned with political freedom and justice should keep this statement in mind - it is especially salient today.

That said, there are flaws in "Entertaining Angels." Kelly's performance as the younger Dorothy Day is great, but in the film Day is supposed gradually to look older, and this aging process isn't convincing. Martin Sheen also has a part as a wandering, Christ-like, populist preacher. He's OK here, but his Inspector Clouseau-like French accent won't be on his career retrospective videotape. Also, the film might have bitten off more than it can chew. It could have used a bigger budget and a more professional cast.

Overall, though, this one is well worth a rental. I'm a big Moira Kelly fan, too. I hope she will be around a long time.