Mesmerizing film with magnificent screenplay , wonderful performances and intense drama . It takes place during an uprising in the Belgian Congo , there a nurse nun , Sister Maria (Rosanna Schiaffino) works at a European hospital under the eye of the Reverend Mother along with other nuns . Sister Maria gains the trust of the locals , not only providing medical care the African people and some peaceful countrymen , as she heals ills , helps injured villagers and usually prays . Meanwhile , bloody soldiers and other ruthless mercenaries subjugating people . But the convent of nuns are besieged by the cruel rebellions and the Superior Mother (Lili Murati) is killed and Sister Maria is attacked . After the upheavals Sister Maria goes back to Belgium, finding her beloved family and an old friend (John Richardson) . Then Sister Maria finds out to her horror that she is pregnant and her moralizing comes back to haunt her . Things go wrong when she is rejected by her family , parents (Andrés Mejuto, Margot Cottens) and her sister (Mara Cruz) . The picture follows a thorny decision with fateful consequences .
This agreeable flick packs an exciting screenplay , thought-provoking drama , fine interpretations and intelligent filmmaking . Enjoyable as well colorful picture about a dedicated religious nurse who attempts to forget a terrible happening in the Belgian Congo, and to make a hard decision . The melancholy tale dealing with a young missionary working as a nurse during the African rivolts when there occurs a violent group rape , as she has to make a difficult decision , she is told by the Vatican that she is supposed to either give the baby to the church and still be a nun or keep the baby and leave the order . Director Julio Buchs provides a correct balance of fine pace and sensitivity in this really sentimental tale of a young Belgian girl who becomes a religious missionary and is sent to the Belgian Congo to work at a hospital . Finely starred by a luminous Rosanna Schiaffino as a dedicated nun who subsequently comes to suffer a horrible event , as she is struggling to reconcile her free spirit and philanthropic wishes to continue her religious life ; Rosanna Schiaffino chalked up another hit in this long but always interesting flick from writers : José Frade, Federico De Urrutia and Manuel Sebares . Spectacular settings and well staged scenes from Alcalá de Henares, Valdetorres del Jarama , Madrid , Spain , Brujas, Belgium , Brussels-Capital, Belgium and Guinea Ecuatorial and convent rituals were literally choreographed for them . It pays tribute to Brujas by showing street scenes of Bruges , at over 1,500 years old , one of the oldest cities in Belgium, and at one time, the most important commercial city in the world . This Encrucijada para una monja or A Nun at the Crossroads (1967) bears certains rembrance to Fred Zinneman's The Nun's story (1959) in which a good-natured nun : Audrey Hepburn living in Brujas goes to Africa where she suffers hardships, misfortunes and other calamities , subsequently returning to Belgium similar to Rosanna Schiaffano . Main and support casting are frankly well . Good acting by Rosanna Schiaffino as a beautiful missionary nun ; this was one of Rosanna's favorite of her films and it was also one of her most financially successful . Nice John Richardson as a good doctor who soon starts to develop deep affections for her . Furthermore , a nice support cast formed by notorious Spanish secondaries , such as : Mara Cruz, Ángel Picazo , Paloma Valdés , Lili Muráti , Margot Cottens , Andrés Mejuto , Claudia Gravy, María Fernanda Ladrón de Guevara , Antonio Pica , Matilde Muñoz Sampedro , Guadalupe Muñoz Sampedro , María Isbert , Laly Soldevila, Luchy Soto , Francisco Sánchez , among others. It won some prizes and nominations , such as National Syndicate of Spectacle, Spain 1967 Winner Prize of the National Syndicate of Spectacle Best Film , Rank: 1st place Best Set Decorator Jaime Pérez Cubero.
The motion picture was competently directed by Julio Buchs ,1923-1973. Julio Buchs was son of a known director of silent films, in fact at 17 he began working with his father as an assistant . His debut films were 2 uneven comedies, ¨Piedra de toque¨ 1963 and ¨El pecador y la bruja¨ 1964. He made other genres as Paella Western : ¨Mestizo¨, ¨El hombre que mató a Billy el Niño¨, ¨Los desesperados¨. Thrillers and Giallos as ¨Alta Tension¨, ¨Las trompetas del Apocalipsis¨ and ¨Salario para el crimen¨ that won prize National Syndicate Spectacle to best fim. And more comedies as ¨Una señora llamada Andres¨, ¨El apartamento de la tentación¨ starred by Juan Luis Galiardo and Carmen Sevilla .His best fim was this melodrama about a nun in Belgian Congo starred by Rosanna Schiafino, until his early death at 47. Rating : 6.5/10. Notable. The flick will appeal to Spanish cinema buffs.
