Florence Nightingale (1985)

She dared to disrupt a man's world, stepping in to change the ways hospitals were run, and testing her own inner strength which she claims came from a divine calling. Changing from her life as a great lady in a wealthy family of British nobles to the legendary lady with the lamp who cleaned up military hospitals and changed the way that patients are cared for. I've seen the underrated 1936 film, "The White Angel", which starred Kay Francis, but yet have to find the 1951 British film, "The Lady with the Lamp" starring Anna Neagle. This lavish version stars Jaclyn Smith who will win your heart as the beautiful lady who realized that true beauty comes from within and is not fulfilled until one becomes completely unselfish.This really covers the ground of the struggles she went through in finding her way in the profession of nursing, showing the squalor of what it was before. The old hags who interview her for the position of hospital administrator are obviously jealous, and many of the doctors she encounters maliciously sexist. But the minute she's with the ailing soldiers, you can feel the peace she brings them. Then, there's her discovery of something rotting under the hospital which has made it into the water supply, and it really is just beyond disgusting. While at first glance, Smith isn't the perfectly ideal Florence, but she delivers the goods. Timothy Dalton plays her longtime suitor who loses her to her calling, and Claire Bloom and Jeremy Brett are her shocked parents, horrified by her desire to change her station, yet eventually proud. Carol Gillies is the vindictive nurse whose venom of jealousy spills out with hatred. Think of her as a combination of Gladys Cooper's envious nun in "The Song of Bernadette" and "Downton Abbey's" O'Brien. The narration throws the film off a bit, but the lavishness, detail and most of all, its big heart will completely win you over.

Florence Nightingale is stirring TV movie from Emmy Award-winning director Daryl Duke and writers Ivan Moffat and Rose Leiman Goldemberg.It stars Jaclyn Smith in the title role together with Claire Bloom, Timothy Dalton and Jeremy Brett.It is based on the life of Florence Nightingale, an aristocratic woman who defied Victorian society to reform hospital sanitation and to define the nursing profession as it is known today. After volunteering to travel to Scutari to care for the wounded soldiers of the Crimean War, she was scorned by her community and faced great opposition for her new way of thinking. However, through her selfless acts of caring, she quickly became known as "The Lady with the Lamp," the caring nurse whose shadow softened those wounded. Jaclyn Smith is a curious choice to play the title character in the made-for-TV biopic Florence Nightingale. This fact, however, never enters into the consciousness of the viewer, thanks to her excellent performance. The best scenes--and the most accurate--occur during the Crimean War sequences and during Nightingale's strenuous efforts to form the Red Cross.Though it was slow moving and it drags,this biopic about the 'mother of modern nursing' stays close enough to the facts to be worthwhile, and has production values rich enough to make the it come alive.

This is one of those films that you remember, as it makes a great impression on any viewer. The story of one of the greatest women in History, who left her mark on the world, this film stays with you. Jaclyn Smith shows that she's more than one of Charlie's Angels, she is one very talented actress. She makes the story of Florence Nightingale really work. This is a story of sacrifice, humanity, tenacious drive and humility. A great supporting cast: Claire Bloom as Fanny Nightingale and Jeremy Brett as William Nightingale, Timothy Dalton as Robert Milne, the love of her life, Brian Cox and Stephen Chase as doctors who become Florence's allies in battling the stubborn British military. We've all heard the name of Florence Nightingale, but few know just what a great woman she truly was. I love biopics simply because they make me hunger to know more about their subjects. This is a perfect example. I must give kudos to director Daryl Duke and writers Rose Goldemberg and Ivan Moffat for a brilliantly made TVM.

Jaclyn Smith gives an excellent portrayal of Florence Nightingale, the proper English lady who left her prim, aristocratic lifestyle to provide care and treatment of injured soldiers in the poorest conditions. Although this is a movie based on the life of The Lady of the Lamp, Ms. Smith brings to life the history of nursing and the birth of sterilization and sanitation. This is a most enlightening movie which is entertaining as well. I highly recommend the movie.