source: Sister Kenny

Moviecut—Sister Kenny

Sister Kenny

I am a retired medical practitioner and my wife a retired RN both of us have found this hidden gem to be enlightening of women's contributions to medicine. Women bring a compassionate approach to caring and that is why many women are drawn to nursing. Doctors whom are women also have this sensitivity but need to balance it with evidence based care. There need more intellectual films of this kind to encourage our children to strive in the sciences

The previous writer suggested the title promised a nun, but the sister Rosalind Russell actually plays a a nurse; and the uniform she eventually wears is a military one. Ms Russell is her usual feisty self in the title role of RKO's answer to Metro's 'Madame Curie' which also represents one of Hollywood's very few films set Down Under; not that you'd know it from the accents!

In early 20th century, Sister Elizabeth Kenny (Rosalind Russell) decides to be a bush nurse in the Australian outback far from the closest hospital. She treats a child with a case of Infantile paralysis and develops a treatment but the medical establishment is resistant to her work due to her lack of formal medical education and its direct opposition to medical orthodoxy. This is one of those biopics where the lead spends all her life struggling without realizing that she had been doing great work over a lifetime. These are uplifting sentimental fares and that's mostly what this movie is. Sister Kenny is a bit vinegary but not really. The biggest problem for me is the moniker Sister Kenny. I assumed that she was a nun. The movie should really explain that Australian terminology much earlier. I thought that I was missing something for most of the movie. Geez.

Set during Field Marshal von Hindenburg's time, the story centres around a dedicated nurse, Rosalind Russell. She continually tries to help the suffering of paralyzed children but has to overcome the obstacles of a narrow minded, bureaucratic medical establishment which refuses to recognize her unique treatment for the children. In the absence of official sanction from the medical establishment, she is ridiculed and threatened with legal action if she continues using her treatment. All this she has endured instead of getting married and leading a happy normal life. One cannot help but admire her dedication and personal sacrifice. Justice triumphs in the end and the numerous children she has helped eventually wish her well on her birthday. This is the ultimate satisfying reward for 20 years of hardship, dedication and sacrifice. Actors Dean Jagger and Alexander Knox provide excellent character and depth to Russell's role. On a scale of 1 to 10 stars, I give this movie 8.

This fine movie has a very inspirational message and Rosalind Russell's strong performance delivers it. Based on a true story, Sister Kenny never wavers from her conviction about the amazing treatment she has discovered for helping polio sufferers. This film should be considered a classic and a must see for the encouragement of dedication towards a worthy cause, as this story delivers so strongly. Rosalind Russell was a perfect choice to play the strong-willed nurse with an important mission. Philip Merivale is equally good as the stubborn nemesis Dr.Brack, whom Sister Kenny must continually battle against his cynicism of her treatments. Presented well, this film does not mire down in sentimentality, but rather, proceeds at an entertaining pace, sufficiently delivering an uplifting story. I found this to be an enjoyable and worthwhile movie that has stood the test of time.

I like this film, but it's hard to believe that it's set in Australia. It has a strange idea of what Australia was like in the early 20th century. A bush dance is filled with Scots and Irish folk, and the music is bagpipes?! The accents are mostly British with the exception of the title role, which is played by Rosalind Russell, who has a distinctly American accent. Place names are mispronounced (like "Bris-bane" instead of "Bris-ban" for Brisbane). And yet, there's a charm to this film. The real Elizabeth Kenny was an outsider who used unorthodox techniques and terminology to treat polio. It didn't cure the condition, but alleviated the symptoms. In the film she resolutely persists in practicing this and opposing the medical establishment, at a cost of her personal life. Well worth watching.

Outstanding Rosalind Russell vehicle which gave her another Oscar nomination. True to form, Russell lost, but she gave her everything as the Australian nurse who dedicated her life for children stricken with infantile paralysis. Also outstanding here were Philip Merivale, as Dr. Brack, the embodiment of medical ignorance, who refused to accept Kenny's theories and fought her for many years. Stubborn and resistant to change, Merivale was excellent and certainly warranted a best supporting actor nomination. Ditto for Alexander Knox,as the doctor who believed in what Kenny was trying to do. Kenny dedicated her life to this cause and for this reason she did not marry. Heartbreaking and inspiring, this film should not be missed.