Life With Mother Superior

(WARNING - Plot Details Discussed Below)



I'm happy the book is still available. I attended a private Catholic school in the 60s & read Jane Trahey's "Life With Mother Superior" BEFORE "The Trouble With Angels" was released. And though I loved Ida Lupino's film, I think anyone looking for the ultimate "St. Francis Experience" should also spend time with the book.

What makes "Life With Mother Superior" a must-read is the completely different point-of-view it offers. While the film's primary focus is the clash of wills between Mary Clancy and Mother Superior, the book is seen through the eyes of Rachel (as the Trahey-based character was called in the movie). The film portrays Rachel as "a follower, not a leader," but in the book she's very much Mary's equal when it comes to creating mischief. The sequence depicting Rachel's attempts to design a dress - essentially a Rachel/Mother Superior scene in the book (peach silk, anyone?) - becomes a Mary/Mother Superior scene onscreen. And Rachel's big adventure late in the book (when she secretly takes a scholarship examination) is left out of the film entirely. In fact, the book's focus on Rachel makes Mary's decision to enter the convent all the more shocking, because it hits the reader the same way it hits Rachel - unexpectedly, and out of the blue.

Another highlight of the book (that didn't find its way into the film) was a hilarious sequence in which the girls of St. Francis created a "living rosary" on a golf course. And while the scene's humor may have depended too much on a familiarity with the rosary - thus making its deletion understandable - the moment when Mary gets her foot stuck in a hole (causing the girls around her to topple like dominoes) is unforgettable.

But while a few story angles were lost in the adaptation, others were gained. Mary's progression as a character became clearer and far more touching, and her power struggles with Mother Superior set off some genuine dramatic sparks (helped immeasurably by the ideal casting of Hayley Mills and Rosalind Russell). And though the film made Rachel into more of a supporting character than she was in the book, Jane Harding made sure she didn't get lost in the shuffle; it's Harding's brilliantly played moments at the film's climax that give "The Trouble With Angels" its emotional power. When she discovers Mary is planning to become a nun, the expression on Harding's face alone is worthy of an Oscar - and I'm not exaggerating. As an actress, Harding knocks this one out of the park.

So yes, "The Trouble With Angels" is essential viewing. But experience "Life With Mother Superior" if you get the chance - you'll be glad you did.


(By the way, I referred to the Trahey character as "Rachel" for the sake of clarity and because I can't remember what she was called in the book. Was it "Jane"? I've drawn a blank...)

I had to buy this book from AUSTRALIA to get my hands on it, but I cried with laughter through almost every page. It's a wonderful book.