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Features: DVD, Widescreen, Aspect Ratio 1.85:1, English, Spanish, French Subtitles
A stirring, must-see motion picture critics called one of the best films of the year, The Magdalene Sisters is the triumphant story of three extraordinary women whose courage to defy a century of injustice would inspire a nation! Abandoned by society and cast out by their families for crimes they did not commit, these women found themselves stripped of their liberty and dignity and condemned to indefinite sentences of manual labor. Within the church-run Magdalene Laundries, these women were forced into unbearable institutional servitude in order to cleanse themselves of the "sins" of which they had been accused. From acclaimed director Peter Mullan, this award-winning powerhouse not only reveals the truth behind one of the great tragedies of our time, but celebrates the bravery that would bring it to an end!
"...it's impossible not to be moved by the ending..." J. Hoberman, The Village Voice
"This extraordinary film is celluloid incendiarism, rabble-rousing cinema with a delirious, delicious edge of black comedy..." Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
"...the film gets to you; it's a powerhouse." Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Editor's Note
Peter Mullen's shocking drama THE MAGDALENE SISTERS is based on real events that took place in Ireland from the 1960s until 1996 when an estimated 30,000 young women, considered by their families to have committed sexual sins, were sent away from their homes to earn penitence working in profit-making laundries run by the Sisters of Magdalene Order. However, the acts the girls committed to have been sent to these miserable prisons were clearly not punishable. What's worse, the nuns were cruel money grubbers who worked the girls to the point of exhaustion, and used poor living conditions and psychological abuse to break and brainwash the girls into subservience. The awful treatment the nuns gave these innocent young women was terrifying, and the ways the girls suffered were utterly disturbing. Mullen designed the fictional characters in the film based on interviews with actual survivors of the laundries, working their stories into his plot. Margaret (Anne-Marie Duff) is a shy girl who is raped by her cousin at a wedding shaming her family, Patricia/Rose (Dorothy Duff) gets pregnant and her parents take her baby away from her, Bernadette (Nora-Jane Noone) is a pretty girl who is deemed "too flirtatious," and Crispina (Eileen Walsh) is a loving young mom whose children are forbidden to see her and are being raised by her sister. The imposing Sister Bridget (Geraldine McEwan) is pure evil, and will strike fear into the souls of MAGDALENE viewers. With this expertly crafted, haunting film, Mullen presents his second feature, following 1999's ORPHANS.
| Features | The Complete Sex In A Cold Climate Documentary, Which First Brought To Light the Tragedy of the Magdalene Laundries, Hailed as "Breathtaking" by the Sunday Times | | Widescreen Presentation |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Buena Vista |
| Release Date: 9/7/2004 |
| Running Time: 119 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2003 | | Catalog ID: 3343503 | | UPC: 00786936233094 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
British Academy Awards (2003) | | | Frances Higson, Peter Mullan, Nominee, Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film | | | Peter Mullan, Nominee, Best Screenplay (Original) | |
Independent Spirit (2004) | | | Peter Mullan, Nominee, Best Foreign Film | |
Venice Film Festival (2002) |  | Peter Mullan, Winner, Golden Lion |
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| | Professional Reviews | New York Times
"...Grim, powerful..." 08/01/2003 p.E10USA Today
"...It is an unsettling tale told simply and chillingly by director Peter Mullan, with stand-out performances, an evocative soundtrack and spare, haunting visuals..." 08/01/2003 p.4E Los Angeles Times
"...Graced with performers who bring a purity of emotion to their work, the film is always dramatically convincing..." 08/01/2003 p.C1 Entertainment Weekly
"...Fearless and powerful....THE MAGDALENE SISTERS is the rare movie that turns cruelty into art..." 08/08/2003 p.51 Rolling Stone
"...The film gets to you; it's a powerhouse..." 08/21/2003 p.82 Movieline's Hollywood Life
"...Undeniably powerful..." 09/01/2003 p.112 Chicago Sun-Times
"A powerful indictment..." 03/19/2004 p.28 James Berardinelli's ReelViews 7 of 10
The film might have been more compelling had Mullan allowed Sister Bridget to exhibit as much compas - James Berardinelli
Chicago Sun-Times 7 of 10
The drama in The Magdalene Sisters is not equal to its anger. The film turns, as I suppose it - Roger Ebert
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