The Act of the Heart
Encyclopedia
The Act of the Heart is a 1970 Canadian film written, directed and produced by Paul Almond
.
), a devoutly religious young woman from Québec
's Côte-Nord
who fancies herself as some kind of a saint, arrives in Montréal
to serve as nanny to Russell (Bill Mitchell), the son of a widowed business woman (Monique Leyrac
).
Martha joins a church choir and becomes emotionally attracted to Father Michael Ferrier (Donald Sutherland
), an Augustian monk who has selected her to sing solo in an interfaith concert. When Russell accidentally dies, Martha suffers a crisis in faith and declares her love for Ferrier in the church. Ferrier reciprocates and leaves the order so they can live together with Martha singing to support them. But tormented by guilt for betraying her profound religious principles she immolates herself on a hill (Mount Royal
) overlooking Montréal.
s - including Direction (Almond) and Lead Actress (Bujold).
Paul Almond
Paul Almond, is a Canadian former television and motion picture screenwriter, director and producer, and since 1990 has been a novelist.-Life and career:...
.
Synopsis
Martha Hayes (Geneviève BujoldGeneviève Bujold
Geneviève Bujold is a Canadian actress best known for her portrayal of Anne Boleyn in the 1969 film Anne of the Thousand Days, for which she won a Golden Globe Award for best actress and was nominated for an Academy Award....
), a devoutly religious young woman from Québec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
's Côte-Nord
Côte-Nord
Côte-Nord is the second largest administrative region by land area in Quebec, Canada, after Nord-du-Québec...
who fancies herself as some kind of a saint, arrives in Montréal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
to serve as nanny to Russell (Bill Mitchell), the son of a widowed business woman (Monique Leyrac
Monique Leyrac
Monique Leyrac, is a Canadian singer and actress from Quebec. Born Monique Tremblay in Montreal, Quebec 1928. She was the first great international star from French Canada. Using her natural gifts of music and drama she started her acting career on radio in 1943...
).
Martha joins a church choir and becomes emotionally attracted to Father Michael Ferrier (Donald Sutherland
Donald Sutherland
Donald McNichol Sutherland, OC is a Canadian actor with a film career spanning nearly 50 years. Some of Sutherland's more notable movie roles included offbeat warriors in such war movies as The Dirty Dozen, , MASH , and Kelly's Heroes , as well as in such popular films as Klute, Invasion of the...
), an Augustian monk who has selected her to sing solo in an interfaith concert. When Russell accidentally dies, Martha suffers a crisis in faith and declares her love for Ferrier in the church. Ferrier reciprocates and leaves the order so they can live together with Martha singing to support them. But tormented by guilt for betraying her profound religious principles she immolates herself on a hill (Mount Royal
Mount Royal
Mount Royal is a mountain in the city of Montreal, immediately west of downtown Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the city to which it gave its name.The mountain is part of the Monteregian Hills situated between the Laurentians and the Appalachians...
) overlooking Montréal.
Comment
The second of three films by Almond featuring Bujold, it aroused considerable difference in opinion upon its release, but it stands nonetheless as a profound statement on the universal themes of ritual, sacrifice and purification. A disappointment at the box-office, it nevertheless won six Canadian Film AwardCanadian Film Award
The Canadian Film Awards were the leading Canadian cinema awards from 1949 until 1978. These honours were conducted annually except in 1974 when Quebec directors withdrew their participation and prompted a cancellation that year....
s - including Direction (Almond) and Lead Actress (Bujold).