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Anchoress (1993)

Director: Christopher Newby

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From Time Out Film Guide

This directorial debut convinces in its exploration of spiritual ferment, but fumbles the task of assembling a coherent narrative. In a medieval community, a peasant (Morse) becomes obsessed with the local chapel's statue of the Virgin, and, pronounced a holy anchoress, is walled up in the building with the object of her passion. With only a small window to the world, the girl creates a rich interior domain for herself, but in the process becomes something of a tourist attraction and longs for freedom. The film is most powerful during the cell-bound mid-section, contrasting the heroine's innocence with the machinations of Church and State. Aided by lustrous b/w cinematography, Newby delineates the textures of her pastoral surroundings to hallucinatory effect.

Author: TJ 0000-00-00 00:00:00

Time Out Film Guide

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Cast & crew

Director: Christopher Newby

Producer: Paul Breuls, Ben Gibson

Cast: Natalie Morse, Julie T Wallace, Eugene Bervoets, Peter Postlethwaite, Toyah Wilcox, Christopher Eccleston full cast

Duration: 107 mins


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