The Nun's Story (1959)

I consider Fred Zinnemann a bit underrated. Sure, he had his honors in life, but how often do even film buffs mention the director of High Noon, From Here to Eternity, and A Man for All Seasons? I don't recognize many more of his titles, but they tend to have IMDb ratings in the sevens. Throw in Oscar nominations plus a young Audrey Hepburn and I'm there.

The story begins in late '20s Bruges when Gaby (Hepburn) begins convent life as "Sister Luke." By the '30s, her bumpy road has led her to Belgian Congo, where she serves as a nurse and hopes to convert some natives along the way, despite brash nonbeliever Dr. Fortunati (Peter Finch). But she always considers herself more disciplined in medicine than in faith, and the latter especially gets put to the test when Germany invades her homeland....

Far from the Madding Crowd (1967)

The latest re-adaptation of the Thomas Hardy novel inspired me to move an old one up in my queue, though it had a very long wait. Both movies presently have a 7.3 on IMDb; the newer has the higher Rotten Tomatoes rating. I've learned that newer ratings are less trustworthy, prone to going down later, so I knew my priority.

If people really don't like the oldie as much, I suspect that a significant difference in run time has something to do with it. Back in 1967, people still accepted epics with overtures and intermissions. The plot synopsis may not sound like enough to sustain nearly three hours, either: Victorian rural heiress Bathsheba Everdene (Julie Christie) gets courted by a shepherd (Alan Bates), a landowner (Peter Finch), and a soldier (Terence Stamp). Of course, the relative familiarity of those actors' names was another reason I had less interest in the 2015 version.