I Heard the Bells

Such a wonderful film and heartfelt story. There are some scenes that might bring tears as well as a smile. Perfect timing for Christmas.

While, I was familiar with much of Henry Longfellow's majestic poetry, I didn't know much about his personal life. Beautifully filmed and acted with sets and costumes that made it feel like the 1860s. Glad that the production depicted the influence of Christianity and faith which had a profound impact upon his life and his family. Highly recommended for family viewing.

My wife and I enjoyed the movie thoroughly. I hope to see this in future Christmas seasons. I look forward to the movie becoming available for DVD and digital purchase and rent in the near future.

I think this movie was very touching and sweet!! A little long, but I also know they were very detailed in every shot! It is also very accurate based on the true story of Henry Longfellow! I think the cast is decent, it does have a little bit of Pureflix acting if you know what I mean, but most of the characters were decent overall! Please note that it starts off VERY slow so just prepare yourself! It starts to pick up around halfway and is a solid movie by the end!! Overall the Sight and Sound storyline was well written! Hope to see more of their movies in the future! (Definitely a Christmas movie!)

I came to the theater with no great expectations and was pleasantly surprised. The story was interesting and the acting was solid. I found myself interested and engaged throughout, plus I learned a lot about the life of Longfellow.

It's not a stellar blockbuster movie, but I would watch it again at Christmas time because it really does get you in the spirit. I liked how they included Longfellow's other poems throughout the film. And it was religious without being overly preachy or sappy.

A solid decent film. My mother also enjoyed it, as did the other audience members around me. I give it a happy 8 out of 10.

Merry Christmas!

I knew the story of Longfellow's life and his writing of the poem before seeing the movie, so I was apprehensive about how honestly and accurately they would tell the story. Also as someone who studies material culture of the mid-nineteenth century, I was afraid that obvious inaccuracies would be permitted. Fortunately neither of my fears or apprehensions were realized. The movie honestly shows the doubts and depression Longfellow had. The sets and costumes were more authentic than most big budget Hollywood films. Details like hats and hairstyles as well as the set were all correct. In one scene we noticed a picture had been hung over a modern light switch to make the room authentically 19th century. Kudos for the accuracy and the emotional authenticity.

I'll start this by saying that sappy, feel-good movies are not my personal taste. Keeping that in mind, this film was a delight. The acting, costuming and script were all meticulous and successful in transporting the viewer to the world of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. While this movie was certainly Christmas-themed, and had moments of sappy merryness, the approach tied in strongly with character development and plot. The strong character development led to multiple tearjerker moments interspersed with a few appropriate moments of lightheartedness. I definitely appreciated the attention to detail present in this film, especially since Christmassy and religious movies often get a pass from viewers because the movie is generally "wholesome" or "Christian". I Heard the Bells definitely benefits from the atmosphere of Christmas but doesn't use it or Jesus in general as a crutch like oh so many other religious movies do. Highly recommended, especially for Christmas movie lovers who despise the genre's predicability and poor character development.

Note for potential viewers: there is roughly 10 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage after the credits.