'Doubt' leaves Ceiling Lamp

The streetcar bell, a gift in 1997 from then-San Francisco Mayor Willie L. Brown, went into a cardboard box labeled "decor, pictures, plaques."

A white dove kite, designed by a Virginia Beach woman for the 1996 Summer Olympics, was snipped from the ceiling and packed away.

A drawing of dragons frolicking outside a house by a third-grader at Creeds Elementary named Kasey, was wrapped up with paintings from other children throughout the years.
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Meryl Streep portrays the nun with such ardent conviction and swift sarcasm that it really is believable when, after Flynn promises to fight her accusations, Sister Aloysius tosses out, "You will lose." Although it's a departure in theme, Streep's vociferous role is comparable to that of Miranda in "The Devil Wears Prada" (2006), except now the nun wears black.

Although Streep's character is well-cloistered and devout, a certain spark lurks behind her sacred surface. She hangs a framed portrait of the Pope on the blackboard, not to remind her students of his papal holiness but to use the frame's glass to catch school-age wrong-doers in action. In one hand she wields a Bible and rosary and in the other a carefully crafted verbal slingshot loaded with snide witticisms and acerbic remarks.
The once-married nun is hardly obedient, as Flynn is so kind to remind her. Sister Aloysius rails against the priest's authority with incessant interrogation and promises to have him removed from the parish, even if it means her own excommunication.

Photos of Mayor Meyera Oberndorf - in a floral sundress and straw hat, surrounded by businessmen at her first ribbon-cutting in 1988 and of her greeting President Bill Clinton at a White House dinner - were stuffed away.
In the end, it took nearly 100 boxes to hold the mementos of Oberndorf's 20-year career as Virginia Beach's first elected and longest-serving mayor. That doesn't count the plaques and paintings that were considered city property and not the mayor's.

It is almost as if she undergoes a transformation throughout the film. At first a stalwart authority figure, she later passionately pursues justice with an almost reckless abandon. The exchange between herself and Father Flynn almost immediately escalates into a rampant power struggle between the two ecclesiastics that almost begs examination of their motives. Now, what was it they were arguing about?
Philip Seymour Hoffman plays very opposite Streep's character as the alleged pedophile priest, Father Flynn. He advocates a "friendly" relationship with the school's children and believes the clergy members should seem more like family members to the Bronx parish. The Santa Claus-esque Flynn is all for the radio music Aloysius abhors and thinks "Frosty the Snowman" should be sung in the school's Christmas pageant.

According to a Dec. 10 broadcast of "Fresh Air" on NPR, Hoffman was the only "Doubt" cast member to know the intended resolution of John Patrick Shanley's Pulitzer Prize-winning drama from which the conclusion-less film version is adapted. Because of this he dominates the role with a perfect blend of resolute conviction and nervous rage. Flynn sticks to his story and emanates innocence for those who believe him guiltless, but later he lashes out at Aloysius and makes rash decisions in, to those who condemn him, what seems like a panic to save face.
Shanley, who directed the movie adaptation, plays it safe with minimal characters. Few roles other than those of Streep and Hoffman are highlighted or even existent. Amy Adams's depiction of Sister James is at times amusing and at times heartbreaking, and Joseph Foster captures the timid mannerisms of the downtrodden Donald Miller. But one supporting role is particularly memorable. Viola Davis successfully illustrates Donald's woeful, almost apathetic mother within the span of just one scene. Mrs. Miller's dramatic interlude is necessary to a plot that would otherwise have become stagnant, laced only with banter between the nun and priest.

"Doubt" deserves acclaim for its detailed representation of the 1964 Catholic Church, in everything from the ceremonial proceedings of Mass to the school rules to the clergy's attire.

Shanley also makes use of symbolism and setting. One minute we're inside the church's bright, ethereal nave, and the next we're out there where torrential downpours ensue and autumnal gusts gather the season's fallen leaves in windy whirlpools. In its avant-garde melodrama, "Doubt" kind of resembles "Chocolate" (2000), which centered somewhat on religion as well.
The city paid movers $862 to clear Oberndorf's belongings out of the mayor's office in City Hall on Tuesday. Will Sessoms, who defeated Oberndorf in the November election, will be sworn in on Monday.