''The Staircase'' is a 1998 television film about the story of the spiral staircase, believed by some to be miraculously built, at the

Loretto Chapel The Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico, United States, is a former Roman Catholic church that is now used as a museum and a wedding chapel. It is known for its unusual helix-shaped spiral staircase (the "Miraculous Stair"). The Sisters of ...

in Santa Fe,

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...

. The film stars

Barbara Hershey Barbara Lynn Herzstein, better known as Barbara Hershey (born February 5, 1948), is an American actress. In a career spanning more than 50 years, she has played a variety of roles on television and in cinema in several genres, including weste ...

as Mother Madalyn in charge of the chapel and

William Petersen William Louis Petersen (born February 21, 1953) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his role as Gil Grissom in the CBS drama series ''CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'' (2000–2015), for which he won a Screen Actors Guild Aw ...

as Joad, the traveling carpenter with spiritual talent as well as woodworking skill.The Staircase (IMDB)
/ref> It is based on the novel of the same name by

Ann Rinaldi Ann Rinaldi (August 27, 1934 – July 1, 2021)
- Shannon Maughan. July ...

Plot

The sisters of the legendary

in Santa Fe, New Mexico, are nearing completion of a chapel, but architect, contractor, and laborers have all omitted stairs to the choir loft. This becomes a source of disagreement and contention between all parties until one day a mysterious drifter, Joad, arrives in town and is hired by the Reverend Mother Madalyn to design and build the staircase.

Cast

as Mother Madalyn *

as Joad * Diane Ladd as Sister Margaret *

Louis Ferreira Louis Ferreira (born Luís Ferreira; born 20 February 1966) is a Canadian actor. Ferreira is known for his roles in ''Stargate Universe'' as Colonel Everett Young, serial killer Ray Prager in the first season of '' Durham County'', FBI Assistant ...

as Mr. Mouly (as Justin Louis) *

David Clennon David Clennon (born May 10, 1943) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Miles Drentell in the ABC series ''thirtysomething'' and '' Once and Again'', as well as his role as Palmer in the John Carpenter film '' The Thing''. He ...

as Simon Filger * Paul Robert Langdon as Paco * Anthony Ritter as Hernando * Mark Sivertsen as Mr. Prewitt *

Rodney A. Grant Rodney Arnold Grant (born March 9, 1959) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as "Wind In His Hair" (Lakota: ''Pahíŋ Otȟáte'') in the 1990 film ''Dances with Wolves''. Grant, a Native American, was raised on the Omaha Reservat ...

as Geronimo (as Rodney Grant) *

Jane E. Goold Jane may refer to: * Jane (given name), a feminine given name * Jane (surname), related to the given name Film and television * ''Jane'' (1915 film), a silent comedy film directed by Frank Lloyd * ''Jane'' (2016 film), a South Korean drama fil ...

as Sister Florian (as Jane Goold) * Boots Southerland as Deputy Carlson * Paul Geoffrey as Samuels

References

External links

* * * 1998 television films 1998 films American television films 1998 drama films Films about Catholic nuns Films about Catholicism Films directed by Karen Arthur Films scored by David Michael Frank Films based on American novels Films shot in New Mexico Films set in New Mexico {{US-tv-drama-film-stub