Doubt (2008/I)

Director:

John Patrick Shanley

Writers (WGA):

John Patrick Shanley (screenplay)
John Patrick Shanley (play)

Release Date:

25 December 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery

Tagline:

There is no evidence. There are no witnesses. But for one, there is no doubt.

Plot:

Set in 1964, Doubt centers on a nun who confronts a priest after suspecting him of abusing a black student. He denies the charges, and much of the play's quick-fire dialogue tackles themes of religion, morality, and authority.

Plot Keywords:

Priest | Nun | Student | 1964 | Catholic

Awards:

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 32 nominations

Cast

Meryl Streep	...	Sister Aloysius Beauvier
Philip Seymour Hoffman	...	Father Brendan Flynn
Amy Adams	...	Sister James
Viola Davis	...	Mrs. Miller
Alice Drummond	...	Sister Veronica
Audrie J. Neenan	...	Sister Raymond (as Audrie Neenan)
Susan Blommaert	...	Mrs. Carson
Carrie Preston	...	Christine Hurley
John Costelloe	...	Warren Hurley
Lloyd Clay Brown	...	Jimmy Hurley
Joseph Foster	...	Donald Miller (as Joseph Foster II)
Mike Roukis	...	William London
Haklar Dezso	...	Zither Player
Frank Shanley	...	Kevin
Robert Ridgell	...	Organist

Also Known As:

La duda (Argentina) (Peru) (Spain) [es]
Dúvida (Brazil) (Portugal) [pt]
Doute (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Сомнение (Russia) [ru]
Сьмнения (Bulgaria: Bulgarian title) [bg]
Amfivolia (Greece) [el]
Doubt - Epäilys (Finland) [fi]
Glaubensfrage (Germany) [de]
Il dubbio (Italy) [it]
Kahtlus (Estonia) [et]
Pochyby (Czech Republic) [cs]
Süphe (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Sumnja (Croatia) [hr]
Tvivel (Sweden) [sv]
Watpliwosc (Poland) [pl]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for thematic material.

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #39360) | Ireland:15A | Australia:M | Canada:G (British Columbia) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | UK:15 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Spain:13 | South Africa:13LS | Hong Kong:IIA | New Zealand:M | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Brazil:12 | Argentina:13 | Netherlands:AL | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Czech Republic:12 | Sweden:7 | Mexico:B | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

College of Mount Saint Vincent, Riverdale, Bronx, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Goodspeed Productions

Trivia:

The Broadway play ran for over a year at the Walter Kerr Theatre, with 525 performances. The original cast was: Cherry Jones (Sister Aloysius), Brian F. O'Byrne (Father Flynn), Heather Goldenhersh (Sister James) and Adriane Lenox (Mrs. Miller). All four were nominated for a Tony award. The play won four Tony awards: Best Play, Best Director (Doug Hughes), Best Actress (Jones), and Best Featured Actress (Lenox). Author John Patrick Shanley wrote both the stage play and the screenplay adaptation.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The classroom door open inwards. Ever since the 1908 Collinwood school fire in Cleveland, state laws were written to mandate that classroom door opened outward. The panicking children pushed against the doors which prevented escape from the fire resulting in 172 deaths. Rebuilt and renamed as Memorial school, the school was surrounded by gardens in memory of the children who died.

Quotes:

Father Brendan Flynn: A woman was gossiping with her friend about a man whom they hardly knew - I know none of you have ever done this. That night, she had a dream: a great hand appeared over her and pointed down on her. She was immediately seized with an overwhelming sense of guilt...

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Orange British Academy Film Awards (2009) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Silent Night

Thrilling, thoughtful, intriguing. One of the best films of 2008

Doubt {dir. John Patrick Shanley} (****/****)

Although it includes some heavy themes, Doubt, is one of the most entertaining and involving films to come along in quite sometime. Rarely have my heart and mind been so engaged in a film simultaneously. At its heart, Doubt remains the stage play upon which it is based, about a priest who is accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a young boy. The priest is played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman, and the nun investigating (Sister Aloysius, great name) the situation is played by Meryl Streep, the best living actress and the best actress of the year. The language used in the film treats the situation very carefully and the confrontations between the characters crackle with well- written intensity. The film's central theme is indeed the title: Doubt. As an audience, we are left to our own devices in judging Father Flynn's relationship to the young boy. This uncertainty is a rare and valuable thing in film today. Great performances, wonderful writing and tough themes.