The Runner Stumbles (1979)

Set in the 1930s in a rural Michigan town, a priest (Dick Van Dyke) is awaiting trial for the murder of a young nun (Kathleen Quinlan). Visited by his attorney (Beau Bridges), the priest reflects on the day the nun arrived at his parish and their ensuing complicated relationship. Based on the play by Milan Stitt and directed by Stanley Kramer (GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER) in his final film. The play and film are based on an actual murder case that occurred in 1907 where a nun's body was discovered buried underneath a parish church, the nun was pregnant at the time of her death. Alas, a provocative narrative is poorly executed though to be fair, not having seen or read the play I don't know if the problems were inherent in the original source material. The film suffers from the casting of Dick Van Dyke in the lead role. In 1979, it must have seemed daring to cast an actor known for comedy in such a dark and complex role but it comes across as "stunt" casting. Van Dyke isn't believable for a minute and the depths required to inhabit the part seem beyond his ken as an actor. The film also doesn't address the issue of Van Dyke being a lousy priest. As the vivacious nun, Quinlan fares much better but she seems to be acting in a vacuum in her scenes with Van Dyke. It may be a failure as cinema but I actually enjoyed it more than some of Kramer's more celebrated films. At least, he isn't pounding us over the head with a hammer. On the plus side, Laszlo Kovacs provides some handsome images. With Maureen Stapleton, Tammy Grimes (in the film's best performance) and Ray Bolger.