Stealing Heaven (1989)

What a waste of my time!!!

Please don't spend money on this.

Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

I loved the movie, the story was great, the set designs were wonderful and very well done (I'm a history buff and want to say someone really did their research on the set designs, the way the actors were dressed and the use of language in the film (they didn't use any 20th century words). I felt I was back in the middle ages while watching the film. I thought the actors did a great job, the film could not have been improved on at all, this is a keeper, I plan to watch it over and over again. Anyone who loves history like I do will enjoy it. I really enjoy historical films and this is one of the best I've seen in a long time. If you are looking for a great historical film, this is it.

Rarely does a period piece follow so faithfully it's sources. This film brings Marion Meade's novel to life with amazing precision. Based heavily on the letters of Heloise to Abelard after they both took holy orders, the story encapsulates the warring philosophies of the era against the backdrop of the religious fervor of the middle ages.If you have read the "Letters" of Heloise, you will be drawn into this faithful characterization. If you haven't read them - you'll want to! Beware though - her letters are hot and "smutty". Lanwench's description of this movie as a "bodice ripper" just reveals that s/he's never read the historical sources.The drawback to this film is that the character of Abelard is drawn mostly from Heloise's point of view without the tempering of his own letters. He comes off quite more romantic than his letters reveal.The sets and costuming are in period with so few anachronisms that even a medieval scholar can sit back and enjoy the film.One of my all-time favorites

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.

Guiltily enjoyable, in a quasi-historical, smutty kind of way. The soundtrack was pretty heavy-handed, and the dialogue didn't inspire, but it's a steamy, pretty piece of fluff. [A waste of Denholm Elliot's talent, though.] It has a "made for late-night premium cable" feel.