Therese
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Movie Reviews of Therese
Movie Review: Story of a beautiful soul
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a beautiful retelling of the life of St. Therese. Even so, there is no way any movie could capture the depth of her spirituality. I highly recommend this movie, but be sure to read her autobiographic "Story of a Soul" as well.Movie Review: Touching Film Too Short to Really Tap Into the Heart and Soul
Summary: 3 Stars
I was very eager to watch this film, as I find most films about saints to be extremely inspiring and compelling.
This is a simple film about a simple woman, Therese, who is a young French woman who finds an immediate connection with nature and people. She uses her "Little Way" to perform small acts of compassion and kindness, even for those who are not grateful for the help she bestows.
The film is great in its simplicity, and it would have worked perfectly, it didn't come up a bit short. At an hour and a half, the film is not nearly long enough for the viewer to truly grasp and appreciate the young Therese. Nearly half of the film is spent on her childhood. This isn't bad or wrong, but at an hour and a half, it doesn't leave enough time to really get into depth of her life, especially while she is at the monastery.
The film is made in the tradition of "Song of Bernadette," which is still the best film made about a saint to this day, in my opinion. The "Song of Bernadette" is also about two and a half hours long, giving the film-makers and the audience more than sufficient time to really fall in love with Bernadette. This is what I was waiting for with this film, but it didn't happen. At 25, Jennifer Jones was able to really bring out the simple, child-like qualities of Bernadette.
I'm also afraid that Lindsay Younce, while a good actress, just isn't able to wholly grasp the character of Therese. I don't think it's necessarily her fault. It's quite a task to act as a famous saint. I still remember Ben Kingsley's statement when first offered the part of Gandhi "I can't play Gandhi. NO ONE can play him. He's larger than life!" And yet, he was able to tap into the essence of Gandhi.
There are some very sweet and tender moments in this film. I love the relationship between Therese and the senior nun who tries her best to make Therese's life miserable. When Therese smiles at her, the nun asks, "Why do you smile?" "Because I'm so happy to see you," replies Therese who quickly disarms the nun with these sweet words of love.
I really feel that if Leonardo had stretched out his film for at least another hour, and really dug a little deeper, he would have had a masterpiece, without question. It's beautifully photographed, and the relationships he shows between Therese and her father as well as with her sisters is wonderful to see.
Don't get me wrong, this is not a bad movie by any means. It simply isn't enough. I feel that Leonardo's attempt to make a simple film was admirable, but even simple films can run longer than an hour and a half!
Movie Review: Disappointing
Summary: 3 Stars
I gave this movie three stars because it was about Saint Therese, not because of the quality of filmmaking. I was very dissapointed in this film. The quality of acting was poor and sometimes the dialoge didn't makes sense. Also, and to me personally the most annoying aspect of this film, were the inaccuracies regarding monastic life. I mean, if someone is going to make a film where the main character spends the last eight years of her life in a monastery, you'd think they would become at least marginally familiar with monastic culture and customs. Also, the actress who played Saint Therese, and the actresses who played her sisters did not resemble the actual people. I couldn't understand why the director chose the same actress to play Saint Therese as a child and as an adult. The acting of Leonardo diFIllipis was so odd it detracted from the viewing experience. I think perhaps his style of acting is more appropriate for theater. In this film it is just comical. The historical innaccurices abound in this movie, and anyone who is familiar with the life of Saint Therese of Lisieux will notice them. Carmelite life is rigorous, and was even more so at the time when Therese was living.Where is the manual labor and silences? Where is the affectionate, warm and pious family atmosphere of her childhood? Why was the portrayal of her last illness and death so romanticized? This woman suffered from a terrible illness, tuberculosis, and died horribly. Where were ANY of the beautiful last conversations? Where were the community politics? To give credit where credit is due, I think that the filmmakers were trying to make a film that captured the spirit or spirituality of Saint THerese, rather than a strictly historical drama. However, they failed miserably. If they had succeeded they would have made a masterpiece. I think the best thing about this movie was the costume design and set design, which was pretty good. I'm still waiting for a great movie about Saint Therese, and I hope that it will be made some day; this not that movie. This movie is recommended, but only for those who already know the historical details of her life and will not be put off by poor filmmaking.Movie Review: Innocuous, At Best
Summary: 3 Stars
I don't want to be too hard on those involved in the making of "Therese". While I recognize that the Church has no shortage of internal enemies, since and as a result of Vatican II, I disagree with those who theorize that the film was produced by wolves in sheep's clothing. I believe, rather, that the people involved had their hearts in the right place. And, indeed, the film is anything but execrable. It is, however, superficial, inept, and misses the mark completely. Therese of Lisieux is an extraordinary saint, as well as a Doctor of the Church. Both she and the faithful deserve considerably more than this movie offers.
In addition to the film just not capturing the essence and importance of St. Therese, the acting left a great deal to be desired. The young actresses (Lindsay Younce in particular) have charm and are appropriately, if somewhat awkwardly, earnest. Still, the amateurishness is palpable; I had the impression that I was watching a high school production put on by reasonably talented seniors.
There was one scene that I found jarring. When the young nuns put on a play, they shed their habits for costumes. Fair enough. But they all have long hair. It should have been made clear that they were wearing wigs; a young lady's hair is cut short once she enters a religious order. This was true in St. Therese's time. It remains true in our own, assuming that we're referencing a traditional community, such as the Carmelites of Colorado Springs, and not a post-conciliar one (dying out, thank God) where the women dress like 1950s prison matrons.
Still, the movie is wholesome, and I reservedly recommend it.
FYI: According to the traditional calendar (I pay no attention to the "reformed" one), St. Therese's feast day is October 3. She's always well worth praying to, but especially on that day.
Movie Review: Hallmark spirituality
Summary: 3 Stars
I was very excited to see this film in the video store, but on the whole was quite disappointed with it. Comparing it to the actual life and writings of St. Therese is like comparing one of the saccharine pictures of her to an actual photograph. Nice - maybe inspiring, but superficial and insipid when placed next to the real thing.
One of the big mistakes I think the makers of the film made, unless their goal was an introductory hagiography, was to attempt to portray Therese's entire life, at least beginning shortly before her mother's death. Even a relatively uneventful 15-20 years cannot be covered in any depth in an hour and a half. Also, even though she has a few crying spells, she is still shown as an almost perfect human being right from the beginning, so I didn't really get a sense of her spiritual struggle and growth. In addition, the passivity with with she is portrayed almost completely dilutes the power of her "little way." I believe that the French film mentioned by one of the other reviewers concentrated on the period of her illness and death, and was able to show her life and personality in much more depth.
A couple of things that could have been brought out or portrayed even in this version: the fact that Therese was made Mistress of Novices, entrusted with the spiritual direction of women who were sometimes older than herself; her relationship with the saintly old Mother Superior who died during her time at Carmel; and more than a glancing reference to the writing of the manuscripts that were published as _The Story of a Soul_.
However, if this movie inspires people to go out and read Therese's writing (I also recommend the biography _The Story of a Life_ by Msgr. Guy Gaucher, which is where I first encountered her), I suppose it will have fulfilled its purpose.