Stealing Heaven

This movie is a must see for romance fans. It has glorious love scenes, fantastic plot, and characters that are very well developed.

Long and silly would-be masterpiece that focuses on the forbidden 12th-Century romance of French historical figures Abelard (Derek de Lint) and Heloise (Kim Thomson). The first is a noted tutor/philosopher who teaches young men via Catholic doctrines while the latter is a seductive and youthful lady who comes to Paris to live with her uncle (Denholm Elliott of the "Indiana Jones" trilogy fame). Naturally the two have a teacher/student relationship at first, but we all know that their carnal lusts will soon take over with tragic results. Based entirely on fact, the movie plays more like a Shakespearean-styled soap opera of dull situations and duller results. The movie drags at a snail's pace and finally overcomes the novel's meanderings late, but by that time it was too late. Even the art direction and costume design look somewhat cheap and mediocre. 2 stars out of 5.

This romance is based on the real story of two lovers separated by the Catholic Church but bound by their hearts.

Set in Paris during the building of Notre Dame, young Heloise is brought from a convent to live with her uncle, a solicitor for the cathedral building fund. Heloise is well-educated and spirited, a dangerous combination for a woman in this time. She meets Master Abelard, a teacher at the cathedral and they fall in love despite his vow of celibacy.

The scandal of their love explodes when Heloise becomes pregnant.

The sets and costume are quite convincing--if only the actors sounded more French than English.

This is one of my favorite films despite the fact I have a book of some of Abelard's writings in which he displays a near-contempt for Heloise and those around him. A far cry from Derek de Lint's character.

An historically-based film focusing on the romance between Abelard and Heloise which highlights two philosophical outlooks on life.

Abelard, though a first-class thinker, accepted the premise of the Church--that one's life belongs to God, that sex is evil, that happiness on earth isn't possible. But yet he acted against that premise--he fell in love with a woman of reason: Heloise. Abelard's implicit premise, the one he subconsciously held, was in fact pro-life and pro-earth. He loved Heloise because she reflected the things he valued most deeply: Intelligence, beauty, and happiness. But since those things are not valued but are in fact derided by the Church, Abelard believed that his feelings for Heloise were wrong, were worthy of guilt.

Heloise, on the other hand, never accepted the anti-life, anti-pleasure, anti-earth philosophy of the Church. She scoffed at religion, challenged its teachers, and refused to accept things on faith. She held reason, beauty and happiness in high esteem. She saw in Abelard a reflection of her highest values, and, consequently, she acted to gain those values. She never felt guilty about her love for Abelard. She never apologized. She never wavered.

The movie is wonderful because it demonstrates two contrasting philosophical views on life. But since the predominant view in Abelard's and Heloise's time was based on faith, mysticism and obedience to authority, unfortunately life, happiness and love were casualties. Watch this film with your lover and say a word of thanks to REASON, FREEDOM, and SCIENCE that you two don't live in the atmosphere that those two did.

Good enough movie, great story. Abelard and Heloise share one of the great love stories of history. Throw in the religious environment of the middle ages, the clergy's sacred vow of chastity, and a life long enforced penitence, not to mention the unmentionable punishment for any male, and you have a worthwhile film if at all well-made, which this one is. It's a shame that more meaningful movies like this one can't be made available to the American public. The U.S. version has been cut of some sexual content to avoid an R rating, but the love scenes are still erotic and moving. Period costuming also add to the color and enjoyment of 'Stealing Heaven'. As an added bonus, you get philosophical and theological argument and debate. A really worthwhile film overall.