Hiver 54, l'abbé Pierre

one of rare films who are more than touching or good, beautiful or impeccable. it is a profound , convincing pledge for discover yourself . because it is a story of solidarity in a chilling winter. and precise portrait of a legendary figures of French Catholic Church. it is one of the most important roles of Lambert Wilson. and a great work from Claudia Cardinale. sure, it is a remarkable film. but, more important, it is the state after its end. because it is the film of a specific emotion. and this does it impressive , more than the artistic virtues. the feeling about the other. the image of the basic purpose of Emaus. the effort of Father Pierre not only for save the poor people but to remind a fundamental duty. an impressive film. and a clear message.

This priest ,looked upon by the French people as the contemporary Saint Vincent de Paul,for sure deserved better than this so-so film which does not do the great man justice.Whereas Maurice Cloche had brilliantly succeeded in 1947 in transferring Saint Vincent de Paul's life ("Monsieur Vincent" )to the screen,Denis Amar did not rise to the occasion.And however,the actor he chose was excellent:Lambert Wilson,one of the best contemporary French thespians .They put the weight on him and he carried it.Thanks to him ,the film is not boring.He confessed he would have played the part for free.Such is l'Abbé Pierre's popularity in France.

A very realistic movies when it comes to scenes showing in which situation a lot of people were living in. The rest is probably loosely based on famous french priest story, very well interpreted by actor Wilson.

its beauty is result of precise acting and inspired exploration of story. dramatic, touching, useful, it is not a story about fight of man but remember of basic values. and this is its secret - it is far to be perfect but it remains convincing at whole. a film about generosity, with impressive images and few extraordinary moments. a film about sacrifice, with American blockbusters spirit but different in its essence.a Christian movie but special in the image of God presentation. like many French historical movies , it has good and bad parts. but the basic purpose is clear - discover a man work and a splendid sacrifice. remind a big and not easy question of each period. and suggest a solution. that is all.

My sentiments about this film closely parallel those of the previous reviewer. The selfless efforts of l'Abbe Pierre to save many Frenchmen from certain death during the brutal winter of 1954, make for quite an inspiring story. Unfortunately, in this instance, it was poorly told. Neither the generally excellent cast nor the hauntingly beautiful cinematography fully overcome the distraction of a sometimes choppy script coupled with poor editing.

Even so there are more than enough great "moments" and superb performances in this film to make it well worth watching. With little previous support from the script, Lambert Wilson manages to bring the piety, dedication and charisma of l'Abbe Pierre to life, not just in words but with his whole being. He is particularly effective in the delivery of l'Abbe Pierre's radio speech. You don't need to know a word of French to be moved by this reading.

Other performances, especially those in the roles of l'Abbe's corp of homeless entrepreneurs and the tin-eared politicos are also excellent. The consistent visual style of the movie is amazing considering that the virtual street life of l'Abbe and his cohorts continually stands in stark juxtaposition to the elegant, well-fed existence of those with the money and power to resolve a life threatening situation.

I would love to see this movie re-cut and issued on DVD with extras that provide audiences outside France with its historical context and an overview of the life and admiration accorded l'Abbe Pierre. Until then, scare up a SECAM video, even without subtitles, and enjoy a beautiful movie about the kind of people our whole world needs now!