Choices of the Heart
Encyclopedia
Choices of the Heart is an award-winning television movie
based on the lives of Jean Donovan
, Archbishop Oscar Romero, and the three other churchwomen
who were killed in El Salvador
during their Civil War.
were killed on December 2, 1980, by Salvadoran
death squads, possibly funded by the United States
. Three of the women dedicated their lives to helping refugees and sick people for years. Jean Donovan had been in El Salvador for over two years helping the children that she was so devoted to. Donovan says over and over in her letters to her family in the U.S. that God brought her to El Salvador. These women were raped, tortured, and killed by members of a Salvadoran death squad. Attempts from the Salvadoran and American governments were made to try to cover
the murders up.
. Mike Farrell
plays Robert C. White
, then U.S. President Jimmy Carter
's Ambassador
to El Salvador, who keeps running into official interference and noncooperation in his investigation concerning the murdered women. Martin Sheen
appears as Matt Phelan, a Dublin priest whom Miss Donovan meets while spending her junior college year in Ireland
.
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
based on the lives of Jean Donovan
Jean Donovan
Jean Donovan was an American lay missionary who was murdered with three nuns in El Salvador by a military death squad while volunteering to do charity work during the civil war there.-Life:...
, Archbishop Oscar Romero, and the three other churchwomen
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
who were killed in El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
during their Civil War.
Plot
The movie is based on actual events. On March 24, 1980, Romero was killed, and three Roman Catholic nuns and a lay Catholic missionaryMissionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
were killed on December 2, 1980, by Salvadoran
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
death squads, possibly funded by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Three of the women dedicated their lives to helping refugees and sick people for years. Jean Donovan had been in El Salvador for over two years helping the children that she was so devoted to. Donovan says over and over in her letters to her family in the U.S. that God brought her to El Salvador. These women were raped, tortured, and killed by members of a Salvadoran death squad. Attempts from the Salvadoran and American governments were made to try to cover
Cover-up
A cover-up is an attempt, whether successful or not, to conceal evidence of wrong-doing, error, incompetence or other embarrassing information...
the murders up.
Production
The production was filmed mostly in MexicoMexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Mike Farrell
Mike Farrell
Michael Joseph "Mike" Farrell is an American actor, best known for his role as Captain B.J. Hunnicutt on the television series M*A*S*H . He is an activist for politically liberal causes....
plays Robert C. White
Robert White (ambassador)
Robert E. White served as U.S. ambassador under different administrations. He is currently president of the Center for International Policy....
, then U.S. President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
's Ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
to El Salvador, who keeps running into official interference and noncooperation in his investigation concerning the murdered women. Martin Sheen
Martin Sheen
Ramón Gerardo Antonio Estévez , better known by his stage name Martin Sheen, is an American film actor best known for his performances in the films Badlands and Apocalypse Now , and in the television series The West Wing from 1999 to 2006.He is considered one of the best actors never to be...
appears as Matt Phelan, a Dublin priest whom Miss Donovan meets while spending her junior college year in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
Cast
- Melissa GilbertMelissa GilbertMelissa Ellen Gilbert is an American actress, writer, and producer, primarily in movies and television. Gilbert is best known as a child actress who co-starred as Charles Ingalls's second daughter, Laura Ingalls Wilder, on the dramatic television series Little House on the Prairie...
- Jean Donovan - Peter HortonPeter HortonPeter Horton is an American actor and director. He played the role of Prof. Gary Shepherd on the popular television series Thirtysomething until 1991.-Early life:...
- Doug - Helen HuntHelen HuntHelen Elizabeth Hunt is an American actress, film director, and screenwriter. She starred in the sitcom Mad About You for seven years, before being cast in the romantic comedy As Good as It Gets...
- Cathy - Mary McCusker - Sister Maura Clarke
- Mari GormanMari GormanMari Gorman is an American actress perhaps best known for her work in television. One of her first major roles was as murder victim and mob pawn Taffy Simms on the soap opera The Edge of Night, in the 1970s....
- Sister Ita Ford - Pamela BellwoodPamela BellwoodPamela Bellwood is an American actress most famous for her role as Claudia Blaisdel Carrington on the 1980s prime time soap opera, Dynasty....
- Sister Dorothy Kazel - Patrick CassidyPatrick CassidyPatrick Cassidy may refer to: * Patrick Cassidy , Irish classical composer of movie soundtracks* Patrick Cassidy , U.S. actor in musical theatre and television...
- Patrick - René EnríquezRené EnríquezThis article is on the television actor. For the Mexican Mafia dropout, see Rene Enriquez René Enríquez was an American television actor of the 1970s and 1980s. He may be best-remembered for his role as Lt...
- Archbishop Romero - Mike FarrellMike FarrellMichael Joseph "Mike" Farrell is an American actor, best known for his role as Captain B.J. Hunnicutt on the television series M*A*S*H . He is an activist for politically liberal causes....
- Ambassador Robert E. White - Martin SheenMartin SheenRamón Gerardo Antonio Estévez , better known by his stage name Martin Sheen, is an American film actor best known for his performances in the films Badlands and Apocalypse Now , and in the television series The West Wing from 1999 to 2006.He is considered one of the best actors never to be...
- Father Philan - Demián BichirDemián BichirDemián Bichir Nájera is a Mexican actor. Both of his parents, Alejandro Bichir and Maricruz Nájera, and brothers Odiseo and Bruno Bichir are actors. He was married to singer Lisset Gutiérrez.-Career:...
- Armando - Enrique LuceroEnrique LuceroEnrique Lucero was a Mexican film actor. Notable for such films as Macario and Two Mules for Sister Sara ....
- Colonel Rojas - Delores Devine - Gwen
- George Belanger - Father Rich
External links
- John J. O'Connor New York Times, December 5 1983: "TV: DRAMA OF CHURCHWOMEN SLAIN IN EL SALVADOR"
- New York Times Arts Section, December 5 1983, comprehensive article
- movies.nytimes.com: review summary and movie details
- movies.msn.com: Choices of the Heart: overview, cast, synopsis, and ratings
- videoeta.com: cast verification
- hollywood.com: synopsis, cast, and production informations
- allmovie.com: film information and plor synopsis
- spout.com: film synopsis and reviews
- Entertainment Weekly, February 21 1992: "LADIES-IN-WAITING", Melissa Gilbert listed as "most memorable" for Choices of the Heart
- InterReligious Task Force on Central America: "Martyrs of Central America & Colombia"
- thebiographychannel.co.uk: biography of Martin Sheen