Anchoress (1993)
A girl decides to become an anchoress in a church to avoid marrying an official.
Genre
Characters/Groups
Christine Carpenter - Natalie Morse
Pauline Carpenter - Toyah Willcox
William Carpenter - Peter Postlethwaite
Priest - Christopher Eccleston
Ragged Martin's Wife - Mieke De Groote
Priest's Boy - Hugo Harold-Harrison
Twin Pilgrims - Corine Michel and Nancy Michel
Character thumbnails with links to profiles
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Detailed Synopsis
In the village of Shere, Christine Carpenter watches as two men carry a statue of the Virgin Mary across the wheat field. As they stop to rest and take a nap, Christine approaches the statue and kisses it. After the statue is placed in the local church, Christine and Meg Carpenter enter the church and place apples in patterns around the statue. Meg leaves and Christine falls asleep and later the door to the church opens and Meg returns with Pauline Carpenter, the Reeve, William Carpenter and the Priest. Pauline yells at Christine for offering the towns apples to the statue. The Reeve demands that every apple be brought back. but the Priest says that the offering can not be given back. He points out that if Eve had not taken the apple, then they never would have had Mary. That night, Christine has a dream about the statue and the church. The next day Christine and Meg are forced to gather rocks from the field. The Reeve rides up and offers a fruit to Christine and she gives it to his horse. He then tosses one to Meg, who eats it. Christine, Meg, Pauline, Ragged Martin's Wife, Mary and Alice dig a hole in the field and pours milk and honey into it. Bertha sees them and runs away. As they are harvesting the grain, Christine has images of the wheat stocks turning into strands of hair. Christine then goes to the statue and as she is altering the hair on it, the Priest catches her. She tells him that the statues hair is wrong and then asks to stay with the statue. The Priest tells her the story of an anchoress who dwelled in a church and now flies in Heaven. The Priest tells Pauline that Christine has requested to become an anchoress, which upsets Pauline as she wanted Christine to marry the Reeve. The Priest mentions the lusts of the flesh and Pauline brings up that she knows he has been having an affair with Daisy. Pauline then tries to convince Christine not to do it. The Bishop arrives in town and spies on the Priest talking with Daisy. Oswald is peeing while the Bishop, Carter, Drover, and Mason wait. Christine is brought to the church and questioned by the Bishop while Oswald translates from Latin to English. The town, including Dyer and the Innkeeper watch as Christine answers the questions correctly. The Mason then walls Christine into the church with her marble being the only thing from her old life that she keeps. The Priest's Boy shows the other children where Christine lives. Pauline brings Christine food and as the Reeve walks towards her cell, she closes the window flap. Mary asks Christine's advice about what she should do about pursuing Robert. More and more people bring offering to Christine. Meg starts to ask Christine's advice about the Reeve, but leaves. Ragged Martin's Wife and Ragged Martin asks her why they don't have any children. The Priest catches Pauling touching Christine and forbids Christine from touching others.