"God Is the Bigger Elvis" is a 36-minute documentary movie from 2012, so this one has its 5th anniversary this year. The director is Rebecca Cammisa and her effort here secured her the second Oscar nomination of her career. The film lost out to "Saving Face" and I believe the reason is because "Saving Face" has more contemporary and political relevance. Bit this does not mean GitBE is a bad film by any means. i think it is fairly enjoyable to watch. This is the story of Dolores Hart, a Hollywood actress in the second half of the 1950s and in the first half of the 1960s and she was actually fairly famous back then. She played lead roles, starred next to the likes of Montgomery Clift and played in several films with Elvis Presley as the title gives away. But then she decided to end her career and become a nun. And that's what she is apparently until today and looking at this slightly over half an hour here, it does not seem she ever regretted it. Or regretted her Hollywood years. She sounds fairly happy I would say having lived the life she wanted. And she still does today in 2017. Yes maybe the film is missing really something to make an impact on the audiences unless you count the references to God, but this sure is no Christian recruitment video or anything. It is a simple story about one woman who managed to make a difference in the most different professions you can think of. Maybe not Oscar-worthy or for general audiences, but worth checking out for documentary lovers. I give it a thumbs-up.
11 Reviews
A pretty unique story that, however, is not as significant as it tries to be
Horst_In_Translation20 July 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Come On, NOTHING Could Be Bigger Than "The King"...... COULD IT ??
msdemos17 January 2022
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LOVE the title and LOVE this short documentary!
Had heard for MANY years the story of Ms. Hart and how she, like Grace Kelly, had left it all behind, but often wondered what her life must have been like after leaving Hollywood.
And now, I KNOW !!
Also appreciate GREATLY that they didn't feel the need to go on for another hour, simply because most "serious" documentaries tend to run anywhere from 90 minutes to two hours, just like most feature films!
This one VERY directly gives all the background info., where, and how Dolores Hart is today, and a brief idea of what her life was like in the intervening 50 years.
No muss, No fuss, and that's it !!
A job, I might add, that is well done, and leaves the viewer NOT wanting any more........simply because nothing more needs to be said !!
Well Done !!
.
LOVE the title and LOVE this short documentary!
Had heard for MANY years the story of Ms. Hart and how she, like Grace Kelly, had left it all behind, but often wondered what her life must have been like after leaving Hollywood.
And now, I KNOW !!
Also appreciate GREATLY that they didn't feel the need to go on for another hour, simply because most "serious" documentaries tend to run anywhere from 90 minutes to two hours, just like most feature films!
This one VERY directly gives all the background info., where, and how Dolores Hart is today, and a brief idea of what her life was like in the intervening 50 years.
No muss, No fuss, and that's it !!
A job, I might add, that is well done, and leaves the viewer NOT wanting any more........simply because nothing more needs to be said !!
Well Done !!
.
A bit heartbreaking
pmpmn914 July 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I didn't realize at first how long ago this documentary was initially released. It was interesting, but what really surprised me was to find out that Mother Delores' fiancé never moved on and kept in touch all those years. What really saddened me, however, was to read one of the news articles connected with this film and find out that he passed away before it was released. It makes the scene of their visit in the film, especially when her eyes watered, that much more poignant.
A deeply touching and profound documentary
valgreet22 July 2013
This is the improbable story of Dolores Hart, Hollywood starlet turned cloistered nun. Best know for "Where The Boys Are", Ms. Hart in 1963 seems to have the perfect life: she is young, beautiful, talented, sought after and about to marry the love of her life. But there is something missing...how she finds that missing piece and where it leads her is the substance of the film. Inter-cutting scenes from her 60's film career with her very different life in the past 50 years and in the present makes for a compelling story. The last ten minutes of the documentary will absolutely haunt you as you realize the full implications of her decision to walk away from her former life.
A great love story
icmorton16 June 2013
I am no catholic. I can't even say I believe there is a god. But I defy anybody with a beating heart to judge this as anything but an ode to love. It is uplifting and heart- breaking. Mostly it drives home the glory of humanity. How many times have you seen that achieved in a short documentary? We have a central character who has made the most anti-Hollywood choice in history and a supporting cast who have made equally bold steps to back her up. Stock footage of the monastery deserve your full attention because they add so much nuance and clarity. It is a perfectly sculpted film, with humour and intrigue and of a succinct but lush economy.
were I to give up acting, I'd do something low-key
lee_eisenberg25 December 2016
Dolores Hart was an actress in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Then, just like that, she gave up acting in favor of a cloistered life. She has been a nun ever since. Rebecca Cammisa's Oscar-nominated "God Is the Bigger Elvis" focuses on Hart's life in the Benedictine order at the Abbey of Regina Laudis, with some clips of her movie roles. Hart is the only nun who is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
I can understand why a person would want to leave Hollywood, but I can't imagine adopting a religious lifestyle. I guess that if it's made Dolores Hart happy, then more power to her. She was a real hottie in her movie roles. The only credit of hers that I've seen - besides this documentary - is an episode of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents". I wonder if she talks to the abbey's other nuns about her encounters with Elvis Presley and Montgomery Clift.
In the end, it's not a great documentary, but worth seeing.
I can understand why a person would want to leave Hollywood, but I can't imagine adopting a religious lifestyle. I guess that if it's made Dolores Hart happy, then more power to her. She was a real hottie in her movie roles. The only credit of hers that I've seen - besides this documentary - is an episode of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents". I wonder if she talks to the abbey's other nuns about her encounters with Elvis Presley and Montgomery Clift.
In the end, it's not a great documentary, but worth seeing.
Good Documentary on Hart
Michael_Elliott10 December 2012
God Is Bigger Than Elvis (2012)
*** (out of 4)
Oscar-nominated documentary taking a look at the life and career of Dolores Hart. The title, and the film's main focus, centers on Hart walking away from a good career in Hollywood and becoming a nun. Hart is probably best remembered for her role with Elvis in LOVING YOU and this 36-minute documentary interviews her about working with the star, other Hollywood people and why she gave it up to become a nun. Looking around the internet it seems this film has gained quite a bit of praise by people who respect Hart for giving up a career to become a nun but there's another group of people out there that seem to really hate her and the story told here. It's interesting that a film such as this can have such strong views by two opposite sides but I guess this happens when religion is involved. For the most part I found the documentary to be interesting and especially the early stuff with Hart in Hollywood. I thought the Elvis stories were quite nice and it was also interesting hearing about where her career might have gone had she not had a change of heart. It's also interesting hearing from the man she was supposed to marry and he talks about his heart being broken when he got the news that she was going to join the abbey.
*** (out of 4)
Oscar-nominated documentary taking a look at the life and career of Dolores Hart. The title, and the film's main focus, centers on Hart walking away from a good career in Hollywood and becoming a nun. Hart is probably best remembered for her role with Elvis in LOVING YOU and this 36-minute documentary interviews her about working with the star, other Hollywood people and why she gave it up to become a nun. Looking around the internet it seems this film has gained quite a bit of praise by people who respect Hart for giving up a career to become a nun but there's another group of people out there that seem to really hate her and the story told here. It's interesting that a film such as this can have such strong views by two opposite sides but I guess this happens when religion is involved. For the most part I found the documentary to be interesting and especially the early stuff with Hart in Hollywood. I thought the Elvis stories were quite nice and it was also interesting hearing about where her career might have gone had she not had a change of heart. It's also interesting hearing from the man she was supposed to marry and he talks about his heart being broken when he got the news that she was going to join the abbey.
God is the Bigger Elvis is a wonderful short documentary of former actress Dolores Hart's life in the convent
tavm23 October 2020
After Mom mentioned wondering about Dolores Hart after she left the movies for the convent, I mentioned this short doc of hers was on YouTube. So we both watched it right away and we were both fascinated by her journey from Hollywood to the abbey in which she now resides. The most fascinating part is when we get to her former fiancee Don Robinson and his eventually never marrying because of his eternal love for Ms. Hart. I think that's all I'll say about that so on that note, Mom and me both highly recommend God is the Bigger Elvis.
Making life more difficult than it needs to be
ghigau26 May 2014
I have a hard time distinguishing a cloistered life from a Manson cult. It has the same mental illness, the same self-hatred, the same power figure, and the same denial of reality. It is quite possible to live simply and close to nature without the trappings of an organization with rules, rituals, and rites. Only when life is "too much" for you is there a temptation to give up. But giving up it is, make no mistake.
I remember a drinking game called Cardinal Puff. It required an exact routine. If you made a mistake, you had to drink up and start over. It had as much meaning as the cloistered routine.
It made me sad to see that Ms. Hart gave up on life and mental health, but also very happy that she is content with her choices. The true thing is that we have to reconcile ourselves to the choices we make. She has done so.
I remember a drinking game called Cardinal Puff. It required an exact routine. If you made a mistake, you had to drink up and start over. It had as much meaning as the cloistered routine.
It made me sad to see that Ms. Hart gave up on life and mental health, but also very happy that she is content with her choices. The true thing is that we have to reconcile ourselves to the choices we make. She has done so.
A unique and fascinating life
proud_luddite21 September 2018
The amazing and unusual life of former Hollywood actress Dolores Hart is exposed in this short film. In 1963 at the age of 25, Hart was a star having acted with superstars like Elvis Presley and was in love and engaged to architect Don Robinson. Despite having what most could only conceive in dreams, she gave it all up to her calling to live as a nun in a benedictine abbey in Connecticut where she has lived ever since.
With modesty, Hart explains the need for a deeper spiritual connection in her life as the reason for her life-changing decision. The film explores her history of living at the abbey and interviews other nuns and how they reached the same decision. A few nuns were idealists during the 1960s and 1970s - a time when idealism was popular. While the society around them changed, they found the monastic life suitable to the ideals they wanted to keep.
Most amazing is the continuous connection Hart and Robinson had maintained during Hart's life in the convent. This is best exposed in the final scene which is deeply moving in a quiet way. It can remind one of the sadness we feel when we have visited loved ones from far away and might not see again for a long time. It was quite touching and it's worth noting that Robinson died shortly after the film's completion.
The monastic life is described as quite difficult yet many interviewees have found the experience to be more than worth the hard times. While there are no "dropouts" interviewed, "God is the Bigger Elvis" could make one at least think about what monastic life might be like - whatever the spiritual philosophy. - dbamateurcritic.
With modesty, Hart explains the need for a deeper spiritual connection in her life as the reason for her life-changing decision. The film explores her history of living at the abbey and interviews other nuns and how they reached the same decision. A few nuns were idealists during the 1960s and 1970s - a time when idealism was popular. While the society around them changed, they found the monastic life suitable to the ideals they wanted to keep.
Most amazing is the continuous connection Hart and Robinson had maintained during Hart's life in the convent. This is best exposed in the final scene which is deeply moving in a quiet way. It can remind one of the sadness we feel when we have visited loved ones from far away and might not see again for a long time. It was quite touching and it's worth noting that Robinson died shortly after the film's completion.
The monastic life is described as quite difficult yet many interviewees have found the experience to be more than worth the hard times. While there are no "dropouts" interviewed, "God is the Bigger Elvis" could make one at least think about what monastic life might be like - whatever the spiritual philosophy. - dbamateurcritic.
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