For me, I think it would strange be to talk about religion and music without referring to the film Sister Act. Sister Act is an American Comedy film made in 1992 starring Whoopi Goldberg. The film has remained firm as a classic fun musical that is still enjoyed today. A less successful sequel followed in 1993 and the original film has been formed on stage many times by both big productions and minor productions such as in schools. It is currently touring as a musical production in the UK soon to hit Broadway again later this year. Here is the link to the touring Sister Act show: http://www.sisteractthemusical.com
The storyline involves a Reno casino singer who had an affair with a gangster witnesses a murder and is put into police witness protection in a small convent that’s church has a little congregations and is disconnected from the neighbourhood. She pretends to be a nun; the only persons knowing her real identity are the police detective that placed her there and the head sister in the convent. Whoopi’s character finds it hard to adapt to the quiet live in a strict convent and is placed in the choir to try to fill her time there. There she finds that she is of use and can help the women there to become a choir with soul, her music of choice. Her passion for music is a great influence on the other nuns and she starts to encourage them to face the community and help clear it up. During there first performance during a service, youths in the community hear the music from the new choir and come into the church to investigate. The priest is so over come by joy that people were moved to enter the church due to the choir, and thoughts from the head sister to banish Whoopi Goldberg’s character, Deloris, is disregarded. The work to turn the parish around spread so far that the Pope decides to visit them on his tour. A leak in the police department alerts the gangster to where Deloris is hiding and they kidnap her. The nuns find out her real identity and feel touched by what she has done for them despite not being a real nun, fly to Reno to help her. They manage to rescue her and she makes it back to sing for the Pope before returning to her casino singing career.
The film despite the light heartedness of the movie is full of religious thought and practice. One of the most significant parts of the movie is when the youth of the neighbour first approach the church due to the choir’s new sound. It sums up the very reason for this blog, showing how music can speak to people spiritually. Please see the Clip below:-
The music that the character Deloris creates is mixing traditional church hymns with the music of Motown soul. The sound is more gospel than what was previously sang in the church that the sisters finds speaks more to the wider community. The people in the neighbourhood can relate to the new choir music and can find their own religious thoughts inspired by the music that the character Deloris creates. Below is my favourite of the songs from the film as it uses a Motown classic song and replaces the word ‘Guy’ with ‘God’ giving the song a whole new meaning.~ One Love x
