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"God is The Bigger Elvis," which was nominated for an Academy Award this year, will be screened at the Ridgefield Playhouse Friday, May 25, followed by a question-and-answer session with Mother Dolores Hart -- the woman at the heart of the film.
Fifty years ago, Hart was a rising star in Hollywood, starring in 10 movies with film legends Montgomery Clift, Anthony Quinn, Anna Magnani and Elvis Presley. At 23, she was engaged to be married, but instead left Hollywood to become a Benedictine nun at the Abbey of Regina Laudis in Bethlehem, Conn.
Although she and fiance Don Robinson, would never marry, he continued to visit her at the Abbey for 47 years, until his death in December. Today, Mother Dolores is the only nun who is also a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The HBO documentary will be presented as part of the Ridgefield Playhouse Film Society's "Documentary Film Series." In the film, Mother Dolores introduces viewers to the world inside the abbey -- a remarkable place seldom seen by outsiders -- where she contributes to the spiritual guidance of 38 cloistered Benedictine nuns, whose daily lives are documented in the film.
Mother Dolores will appear at the question-and-answer session with Ira Joe Fisher and Morton Dean, both Emmy-winning journalists. All seats are reserved, with proceeds to the New Horizons Renovation Project of the Abbey of Regina Laudis.
The Ridgefield Playhouse, 80 E. Ridge, Ridgefield. Friday, May 25, 7:30 p.m. $10 donation. 203-438-5795, www.ridgefieldplayhouse.org
