Mary Wilkerson (Friendswood, Texas USA)
What can I say? It was a visually beautiful movie, full of characters
you either loved or hated and a story that tugged at the heart.
The character played by Derek de Lint was actually much more conflicted
and sympathetic than he was portrayed in the novel the movie was
based on, but that worked for me. And of course, the leading lady
of the story was beautiful and intelligent and strong, everything
I like to see in fictional charcters (like to see that in real people
too). All in all, very worth the money I paid to get a directors
copy.
Cheryl R. Fox (Glendale, California USA)
I "happened" upon this movie in 1990..Long before "The
Legacy"...In the video store, asked for a romantic movie, with
intelligence..This beautiful movie gave me all that and more! The
story is timeless, simple and tragic..Derek's "Abelard"
is warm, brilliant and very human...I liked that..His love for Heloise,
though sensual..Was also laced with genuine friendship. "Heloise"
was portrayed with just the right amount of vivacity, intelligence,
youth and fire!..I felt the actress "become" the role..The
story was credible and the attention to detail overall exceptional!..For
history buffs..The movie is a peek into medieval Europe..Particulary
the Church and academic world..For romantics it is a "must
see"..Quite simply..I loved this movie!
Nan Wellins
The movie began perfectly - Gregorian chant, setting right, everything
in place. I was impressed. But the film score - an insignificant
little tinkling meandering thing, played on a cheap synthesizer
- absolutely wrecked my enjoyment of this film. Never had I realized
the critical importance of a film score so vividly as in watching
this otherwise quite impressive film of the story of Abelard and
Heloise. Both leads were very attractive, and the supporting cast
of luminaries such as Denholm Elliott (the late lamented) and Rachel
Kempton (Vanessa Redgrave's mom) left nothing to be desired. Ah
for a good medieval score to back it up! Next time I'll watch it
as a silent.
LM (Babylon, New York USA)
Review of Stealing Heaven, a philisophical masterpiece. Acting done
by all was unsurpassed, Derek DeLint and Kim Thomson are perectly
casted and extremely talented. All the actors were exceptionally
casted. Direction of the film was brilliant by Clive Donnor.Music
by Nick Bicat was enchanting and assisted in setting the emotional
appeal. an acurate account of history, a story for the intellectually
stimulated who haven't forgot about real love.
Patty (Montrose, Michigan USA)
I happened to find this movie in a rental store when we were stationed
in Germany.Wow what a movie I bring it out about once or twice a
year the story still make's me cry.
Mike Porter (Deering, New Hampshire USA)
What a beautiful movie. Now my number one favorite. A brilliantly
rendered love story between Europe's two intellectual giants. The
screenwriter's and director's use of the feather was inspired. The
feather was used to show the character's involved in arguing the
greatest philosophical questions: What is the meaning and purpose
of life? What is the proper goal of a person's life? The film answered
them brilliantly when Heloise said "I understand!"
Erica
I was introduced to this experience by two very open-minded Humanities
teachers in high school - after watching the first half-hour, I
pestered them to let me take it home and swear not to tell a soul....at
17, a risk for these two heroes. I sat in my room, alone, viewing
this film and actually became part of it. True torture is represented
here by Peter's battle with himself -- and God. There are no words
that sufficiently describe the moving, breathtaking circumstances
shown here in a casting masterpiece. My hope is that anyone viewing
this film will be forced to THINK...forever.
POLINA (BRONX, NEW YORK USA)
ABOUT A MONTH AGO, I WAS IN BLOCKBUSTER SEARCHING ENDLESSLY FOR
SOMETHING TO RENT, WHEN A CERTAIN MOVIE CAUGHT MY EYE, IT WAS "STEALING
HEAVEN", I READ THE BACK OF THE VIDEOTAPE, AND DECIDED TO CHECK
IT OUT. FROM THE VERY FIRST TIME OF ME SEEING THE MOVIE, I KNEW
IT BECAME MY FAVORITE. MY HEART WAS TOUCHED, AND MY SOUL INSPIRED
BY THIS TRULLY INCREDIBLE, AND AMAZING LOVE STORY. EVERYBODY TALKS
ABOUT ROMEO AND JULIET, WELL I THINK PEOPLE OUGHT TO LEARN ABOUT
HELOISE AND ABELARD. THEY DIDN'T TAKE THE EASY WAY OUT, EVEN THOUGH
THEY HAD MUCH MORE OBSTACLES IN THEIR WAY, AND THEIR STORY IS THE
GREATEST LOVE STORY EVER TOLD. A MUST SEE MOVIE FOR ANYONE WITH
A HEART.
Cheryl Rychkova (Appomattox, Virginia USA)
Magical. I first saw this film in 1991 and it's one of those movies
you can't quite forget...it's always with you. The mingling of intellects
and sensuality is -- to me -- the sexiest kind of movie. Of course,
to have a strong, intelligent heroine and an utterly devoted hero
who worships the ground she walks on makes it ever more memorable.
The irony, bittersweetness and tragedy only enhance the story. ~~Sigh~~
I love this movie!!
Kristen (Reno, Nevada USA)
I learned about this movie through my husband. He saw it during
a lecture about Peter and Heloise. His professor showed the class
parts of the NR version, the ones that were cut. He thought that
most of the movie was porn, so he checked it out from Major Video.
To his disappointment and my surprise, it wasn't porn! I related
so well to the characters in the story. I knew what they were going
through. Their story made me cry so much. This is a great movie
and I highly recommend it, especially for the Romantics at heart.
sylvia (kilkenny rep or eirs)
first heard the story of heloise and abelard when I was 14, and
ever since have been entranced. I saw the film about 9 years ago
and now have my own copy together with endless books and biographies
on these the two greatest lovers in history. The film was brilliant
and Derek de Lint was totally Abelard and I really feel thats what
he would have looked like as did Kim Thompson make a very convincing
Heloise, love this film and still cry every time I see it.
Gail Laviolette (Montreal, Quebec Canada)
As a young child growing up in a family who has deep roots in France,
I heard this story from my paternal grandmother. Even as a child
I thought that there was something magical about Abelard and Heloise.
I discovered their story all over again when the book of Stealing
Heaven came out, and couldn't wait to view the movie. Having read
so much about them the movie made their characters come to life,
you actually get caught up in their emotions be it happy or sad.
I had the chance to visit their grave in the Paris and leave flowers
for them this was a dream come true for me. I highly recommend that
anyone who has the chance to visit Paris visit their grave it's
a beautiful tribute to two people who were deeply in love. I still
cry ever time I see the movie. Now, I try to educate anyone who
doesn't know about them. The only thing I didn't like about the
movie is that it was too short, it left you wanting to see more!
As for the lead actors Derek De Lint was the perfect choice for
Abelard and as for Kim Thomson, I've seen her in a few roles but
this was her best by far. This is my favorite movie, and if I had
to take one movie and one book to a desert island guess which ones
it would be!!!
Joseph Madriaga
Stealing heaven is transcendent movie that I had seen. It is an intellectual and sensual but affectionate real story that surpasses our love stories nowadays. It contains exhausted and unbearable ideas that twist our minds to the combination of philosophy and love in a lovers’ life. Peter Abelard and Heloise were unusual in their way as lovers because of their context and ideologies in life. We need to put in our mind that Stealing heaven the movie is based on the novel of Marion Meade. Since it is a novel, it is not absolutely factual story.
The church on those time is very powerful, thus, justice did not reign until now. The contribution of St. Augustine in philosophy and theology had deeply penetrated into the mind of the people like, “Must of our belief rest upon trust and authority of the church because of the divine illumination of God. God is more closed to the clerics thus: whosever clerics are really holding the intelligible truths as God plays a very active role in their mind because they are the illuminated men. Even, Peter Abelard knew that Fulbert was the mastermind of his castration: he still speculated that God punished him through Fulbert, a cleric as an illuminated one. Nowadays, it is immoral according to our Christian morality. However those times, the ideas of Augustine were very known especially the divine illumination so people are a servant of the priests and not by God in worldly perspective. Despite Abelard’s castration and physical abused of Fulbert to Heloise, the lovers still loyal to the Church and even at the end of their life, they were still ordained ministers of Christ besides their denial of their marriage.
I was struck by the argument of Heloise during her refutation to the marriage proposal of Peter Abelard to her. She argued intelligently that “Destiny had made him belong to the world and it would be a great loss were he who was created for the benefit of all to devout himself to one woman only: that the cries of children and the cares of a family were utterly incompatible with the tranquility and the application with a life of study required”. In fact, they were married but they concealed it and Heloise persuaded him to deny the marriage so that he might not kick out from the list of the scholars of their times. If we reflect from the words of love of Heloise, she is not selfish woman because she still insisted to push Peter to achieve his career in life. However, we should not also conclude that she is absolutely true to her conviction but we could not give critique to her using our own context unless we study utterly their context. From her ideologies, we can say that love is not selfish: the lover should support what ever he needs to achieve his goal in life. If we discern the movie, responsibility is there. I am thinking if Heloise is responsible woman because she did not took care of her child Astrolobe.
