Product Details

• Actors: Dick Van Dyke, Kathleen Quinlan, Maureen Stapleton, Ray Bolger, Tammy Grimes
• Format: NTSC
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00005JPNK
• For more information about "The Runner Stumbles" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This poignant film of faith should be on DVD!, April 28, 2005

By 

Danny M. Hobbs "deebledd" (Tigard, OR United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Runner Stumbles [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Father Rivard (Dick Van Dyke) once dreamed of a life of religious scholarship, but years in a small, economically depressed mining town (in the 1920s) have dulled his dreams. Then arrives the young Sister Rita (Kathleen Quinlan) to teach in the village school. She is fresh and full of life, and despite their deep commitments to their religious vows, the two find themselves falling in love. To make matters **really** interesting, the film opens with Rivard accused of Sister Rita's murder.

This is tight, well-plotted, character-driven drama. Once Sister Rita arrives and the two are thrown together, matters proceed with that measured inevitability that leaves me tense every time I watch. Their story is told in flashbacks, interleaved with scenes of Rivard in prison and, later, on trial. The shifts in time are deftly handled, giving us not one, but two suspense stories to enjoy. (Milan Stitt wrote the play in the 1920s - based on a true story - then, over 40 years later, wrote the screenplay. I find the writing in both stage and film versions compelling.) The film also features excellent performances by Maureen Stapleton as Rivard's housekeeper, along with Beau Bridges as his lawyer, Tammy Grimes, and Ray Bolger.

I've read that this film was condemned by the Catholic Church, but I can't for the life of me see why. There's no bodice-ripping, no devil worship. And if ever there was a movie that tackled - and honored - the heartbreak of faith in the "real world," this is it.

This excellent film should be on DVD.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I've loved this since I was a kid, March 31, 2005

By 

S Peterson "Thais Peterson" (Haslet, TX) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Runner Stumbles [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I saw this movie in the "70's with about 13 other people worldwide. But the murder trial of a Catholic priest for a nun under his care is so lovely and evocative. And the ending is a surprise. I remember most that upon leaving the theater I went to the restroom and there was a woman just sobbing her heart out. She expressed how I felt about the film. I know it's hard to find, but it's worth it. Dick Van Dyke is great.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Runner Stumbles, October 12, 2005

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Narciso G. Reyes - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Runner Stumbles [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is one of the great love stories I've ever seen. I've seen this movie in the '70's when I was studying in the seminary and I found it to be compelling and great. I never became a priest though but I'm married to a wonderful woman who studied in a secondary school run by nuns. The actors in the movie are superb and I really love to watch it again with my wife. Could this be on DVD too? I'd really really appreciate it.