Noble

The inspirational film Noble is very enlightening. It helped me realize that a kid's life in America can be so much easier than a kid's life in other countries. It also inspired me to help others that are not as fortunate as I am. The movie is very well acted, in terms of creating believable character. Noble is a film that touched me emotionally and mentally and definitely put a new perspective on life.

The film is about an Irish woman named Christina Noble. The movie shows three parts of Christina's life - her childhood played by Gloria Curtis, her teens and twenties played by Sarah Greene and her midlife years played by Deirdre O 'Kane. Christina has a revelation through a dream that makes her to decide to help the homeless children in Vietnam to prevent their childhood from turning into an unfortunate childhood. Christina creates very strong bonds and connections with the people in Vietnam while on her crazy adventure of helping children.

The main character, Christina Noble has a very protective, brave and emotionally strong personality. I enjoyed how the director Stephen Bradley separates the film into three parts to show Christina's difficult life as a young child and into teens and twenties. When she gets older, she starts helping kids. One of the interesting part of film is the editing which is not sorted chronologically. Instead, it is all mixed together. For example, there might be a scene showing her in her teens and twenties. Then, it's followed with one from her childhood. The next scene might show her in middle age. The acting is very believable. In fact, at one point, I found myself in tears and, at another point, smiling. The film is like an emotional roller coaster. The cinematography is also very good. It is very good. I was very impressed and inspired.

I rate this film five out of five stars and recommend it for children age 12 to 18 because of some adult content and some inappropriate language.

Reviewed by Hailee H., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic. For more reviews by youth, go to kidsfirst dot org.

Christina Noble is rebellious and loves to sing in the pubs. She had a tough upbringing in Ireland. Her mother died when she was young. Her father (Liam Cunningham) was a drunk. She was raised by abusive nuns. She leaves the orphanage and finds a friend in Joan (Ruth Negga). She gets raped and the nuns trick her out of the ensuing child. She marries an abusive husband and escapes with her children. She then has a vision of the ongoing Vietnam war. In 1989, she visits Ho Chi Minh City to fulfill her God given mission for the street kids. She battles pedophile, bureaucracy, and prejudice with the help of Madame Linh and businessman Gerry Shaw.

It's all very sincere and I dare not rate it any lower for the kids... For the Kids! Her life growing up in Ireland is rather interesting. There are intriguing actors. This is obviously a passion project for everybody. Despite some lesser elements, the movie holds together. The Vietnam story could use a bit more drama. It would have been helpful to have more professional help in the writing and directing.

What no one's writing about so far is the artistry. This film is beautifully shot, directed, edited. That dreaded, grey, Irish bleak is made beautiful. Truly.

The writing is heartbreaking and the excellence of the timing makes even abuse bearable. This film entertains, is easy to watch, draws you in - all righteousness and do goodery aside. Don't be put off by the saintliness of the topic. The film is GOOD . . .

. . . til about the very last fifteen minutes and then it does drag just a little and get a tad do-goody just before the end.

But it's well worth it over-all.

If you're hesitating because: do you REALLY want to put yourself through all that (as was I), I'm writing this BECAUSE I was, and then I thought, oh, just take a look. And I did. And I was instantly surprised.

It's GOOD!

Greetings again from the darkness. Here's what happens when you don't read carefully. I picked this from the Dallas International Film Festival schedule because I assumed it was a documentary. I was a bit shocked to discover that it's a biopic from director Stephen Bradley, starring his wife Deirdre O'Kane as Christina Noble. Fortunately, Ms. O'Kane and Ms. Noble are friends and the passion and respect shown in the performance allows the film to deliver the message and pay tribute to such an amazing woman.

If you are unaware of the Christina Noble Children's Foundation, it's worth researching her inspirational story. The film picks up her childhood in Ireland (with fabulous Gloria Cramer Curtis as young Christina). We see the gradual destruction of her family due to her mother's death and her father's (Liam Cunningham) alcoholism. The six children are split up and Christina is raised by nuns in similar fashion to what you might have seen in Philomena or Magdalene Sisters.

This (and some visionary nightmares) turns out to be her motivation to head to Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City in 1989 as a middle-aged single woman to try and make a difference for the ignored and abused street kids. Her tenacity and bulldogedness not only help raise funds, but also turn the tide for the local police and citizenry.

Christina Noble's network of homes have helped thousands of children in Vietnam and Mongolia. She is still working tirelessly today and everyday to make a difference. If you are looking for inspiration or proof that one person can make a difference ... look to Christina Noble.

I had the pleasure of seeing a screening of Noble in London a few days ago and this film really blew me away. I had read Christina's book 'A Bridge Across my Sorrows' and I was excited to see how the book translated to film. Christina is played by three wonderful actresses at different stages in her life. Gloria Cramer Curtis who plays the younger Christina was a delight to watch. Sarah Greene who plays teenage Christina was incredible, and she really pulls you in with her terrific performance. Lastly, Deirdre O'Kane who plays the grown up Christina gives an outstanding performance that will make you laugh and cry. Supporting actors are also impressive including Ruth Negga, who provided many laughs from the audience, and the Vietnamese children were surprisingly good, especially the boy playing Lam.

I liked the pacing of the film, although I feel the film could have benefited with a few more scenes of Christina's childhood. If you have read Christina's book, you will notice a lot of things are not shown in the film. I can understand why the filmmakers did this, as the flashbacks needed to relate to Christina's strength and key events in her childhood.

The cinematography by Trevor Forrest was beautiful, and shot incredibly well. Another great thing about Noble is the score by Ben Foster and Giles Martin which is one of the best scores I have heard in a long time.

I am thankful for director Stephen Bradley, his wife Deirdre O'Kane and the producers for getting this film made. It's an incredible story and a film people need to see.