Stealing Heaven

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.

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.

I find myself in total agreement with BlackMonk. This is the ultimate philosophical love story. It attempts to answer the age-old question: What is the purpose of life? Is it to serve God, as Abelard thought, or to pursue happiness on Earth, as Heloise believed?

The film makers do a brilliant job of setting up the dramatic conflict between these two views of life. The writing, dialogue, direction, and acting are all first rate. This is one of the greatest movies ever made, and one of history's greatest love stories! Kim Thompson should have received an Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of Heloise. She was Heloise.

It amazes me that one little film gimmick, a feather, could be used so brilliantly to help answer one of life's eternal questions. Make sure you pay close attention to the opening scene, one of the greatest scenes in movie history.

Enthralling!

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.