Choices of the Heart (1983): Cast & Plot
Choices of the Heart is a 1983 drama directed by Joseph Sargent, starring Melissa Gilbert as Jean Donovan, Pamela Bellwood and Mary McCusker. It runs 1 hour 40 minutes.
- Released
- Runtime
- 1h 40m (100 min)
- Director
- Joseph Sargent
- Genre
- Drama
- Original language
-
English - Studio
- katz-gaffin productions
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Choices of the Heart About?
The premise of Choices of the Heart without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
Jeannie Donovan, a party‑girl searching for meaning, travels to El Salvador and becomes involved with three American nuns amid the civil war. She faces love, loss and terror as the story recounts the true 1980 murder of four U.S. churchwomen in the countryside and the U.S. government’s indifferent response.
Choices of the Heart Themes & Keywords
· 6 tags- four word title
- missionary
- el salvador
- year 1980
- 1980s
- based on true story
Choices of the Heart Cast & Characters
Melissa Gilbert leads the cast as Jean Donovan, with Pamela Bellwood as Sister Dorothy Kazel and Mary McCusker as Sister Maura Clarke. Directed by Joseph Sargent; 14 actors are credited in all.
- Director Joseph Sargent
- Melissa Gilbert as Jean Donovan
- Pamela Bellwood as Sister Dorothy Kazel
- Mary McCusker as Sister Maura Clarke
- Mari Gorman as Sister Ita Ford
Also Starring in Choices of the Heart
· 10 more- Mike Farrell Ambassador Robert E. White
- Martin Sheen Father Philan
- Peter Horton Doug
- Demián Bichir Armando
- René Enríquez Archbishop Romero
- Helen Hunt Cathy
- Enrique Lucero Colonel Rojas
- Patrick Cassidy Patrick
- George Belanger Father Rich
- Delores Devine Gwen
More from Joseph Sargent
More films directed by Joseph Sargent, best-rated first: White Lightning, Jaws: The Revenge, Sweet Nothing in My Ear and Sybil.
Choices of the Heart Plot Summary
What happens in Choices of the Heart from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 15 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
As the film opens, Jean Donovan [Melissa Gilbert] and Sister Dorothy Kazel [Pamela Bellwood] meet Sisters Maura Clarke [Mary McCusker] and Ita Ford [Mari Gorman] at the El Salvador airport, and the four pile into a van driven by Jean for the trip back to the mission where Jean and Dorothy live and work. Shortly after leaving the airport, the van is stopped by a group of armed soldiers. The women then go missing, and the US Ambassador to El Salvador, Robert White [Mike Farrell], searches for them, repeatedly following leads and clues that point toward a dangerous eventual truth. His investigation is interwoven with intimate flashbacks that trace Jean’s life from college to her surprising transformation, offering a window into the person behind the mission.
Full summary
The whole story of Choices of the Heart, scene by scene
How Well Do You Know Choices of the Heart?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
Who portrays Jean Donovan, the young lay missionary at the center of the story?
Choices of the Heart Also Known As
Also known as “In December the Roses Will Bloom Again”.
- Also known as
-
- In December the Roses Will Bloom Again
Seen Choices of the Heart?
Movies Like Choices of the Heart
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Choices, Salvador and Gracie’s Choice.
Choices of the Heart FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date
Runtime, release date, director, cast and post-credit scenes of Choices of the Heart, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Choices of the Heart?
Choices of the Heart runs 1 hour 40 minutes (100 minutes).
When was Choices of the Heart released?
Choices of the Heart was released on December 5, 1983.
Who directed Choices of the Heart?
Choices of the Heart was directed by Joseph Sargent.
More films by Joseph Sargent Who is in the cast of Choices of the Heart?
Choices of the Heart stars Melissa Gilbert as Jean Donovan, Pamela Bellwood as Sister Dorothy Kazel and Mary McCusker as Sister Maura Clarke, among 14 credited actors.
Does Choices of the Heart have a post-credit scene?
No. Choices of the Heart has no extra scene during or after the credits.
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