''Stealing Heaven'' is a 1988 film directed by Clive Donner and starring Derek de Lint, Kim Thomson and Denholm Elliott. It is a

costume drama Costume is the distinctive style of clothing, dress and/or cosmetics, makeup of an individual or group that reflects class, gender, occupation, ethnicity, nationality, activity or epoch—in short, culture. The term also was traditionally used ...

based on the French 12th-century medieval romance (a true story) of

Peter Abelard Peter Abelard (12 February 1079 – 21 April 1142) was a medieval French scholastic philosopher, leading logician, theologian, teacher, musician, composer, and poet. This source has a detailed description of his philosophical work. In philos ...

and Héloïse and on a

historical novel Historical fiction is a literary genre in which a fictional plot takes place in the setting of particular real historical events. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to oth ...

by Marion Meade. This was Donner's final theatrical film, before his death in 2010.

Plot

is a famous teacher of philosophy at the cathedral school of Notre Dame, and a champion of reason. At a time when academics are required to observe

chastity Chastity, also known as purity, is a virtue related to temperance. Someone who is ''chaste'' refrains from sexual activity that is considered immoral or from any sexual activity, according to their state of life. In some contexts, for exampl ...

, he falls in love with one of his students, Héloïse d'Argenteuil, a sixteen-year-old

gentlewoman A gentlewoman (from the Latin ''gentilis'', belonging to a ''gens'', and English 'woman') in the original and strict sense is a woman of good family, analogous to the Latin ''generosus'' and ''generosa''. The closely related English word "gentr ...

raised in a convent, who has both intellectual curiosity and a rebellious view of the low status of women in 12th-century Europe. When the relationship is suspected, Heloise's uncle Fulbert, who had other plans for her marriage, works with the

bishop of Paris The Archdiocese of Paris (; ) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. It is one of twenty-three archdioceses in France. The original diocese is traditionally thought to have been create ...

to put a stop to it. Nevertheless, Abelard and Heloise pursue their relationship; they make love in her bed and also within a barn (they are overheard by a peasant girl when they come) and eventually have a child and later are secretly married. Abelard struggles with himself for acting against the will of God by loving Heloise. Her uncle takes a terrible revenge on Abelard for ruining Heloise's chances of an advantageous match.''Stealing Heaven'', the Story
at derekdelintfansite.com

Cast

* Derek de Lint as

* Kim Thomson as Heloise d'Argenteuil * Denholm Elliott as Fulbert * Bernard Hepton as Bishop *

Kenneth Cranham Kenneth Cranham (born 12 December 1944) is a British film, television, radio and stage actor. His most notable screen roles were in '' Oliver!'' (1968), '' Up Pompeii'' (1971), '' Hellbound: Hellraiser II'' (1988), '' Chocolat'' (1988), '' Layer ...

as Suger * Rachel Kempson as Prioress * Mark Jax as Jourdain * Angela Pleasence as Sister Cecilia * Timothy Watson as François * Patsy Byrne as Agnes * Victoria Burgoyne as Prostitute * Philip Locke as Poussin * Cassie Stuart as Petronilla * Andrew McLean as Gerard * Thomas Lockyer as Thomas * Mark Audley as Luke * Kai Dominic as Paul * Miki Hewitt as Sister Claire *

Yvonne Bryceland Yvonne Bryceland (18 November 1925 – 13 January 1992) was a South African stage actress. Some of her best-known work was in the plays of Athol Fugard. Early life She was born Yvonne Heilbuth in Cape Town, South Africa, the daughter of Adolphus ...

as Baroness Lamarck * Vjenceslav Kapural as Baron Lamarck * Ivo Husnjak as Gaston Lamarck * Jeremy Hawk as Ancient Priest * Moniek Kramer as Jeanne * Drago Mitrovic as Priest * Zvonimir Ferencic as Bishop * Eugen Marcelic as Astrolabe * Lela Simecki as Sister Therese

Production

The picture was filmed on location in

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

. Denholm Elliott had worked with Clive Donner before, having starred in '' Nothing But the Best'' (1964).

Reception

Michael Wilmington of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' called the movie "fascinatingly retrograde", as it "suggests the ‘60s: decade of turbulence, idealism, sex and riot." He notes that the director, Clive Donner, had made his best known films in that decade, such as '' The Caretaker'' (1963) and '' What’s New, Pussycat?'' (1965). Wilmington is critical of the production and the characterizations and he objects to the omission of the couple’s important surviving love-letters, but he finds the actors easy to watch. " de Lint glows with dedication, Thomson tosses her great '' Cosmo'' cover-girl mane ravishingly. Elliott is a fine, squirrelly, sweating villain."Michael Wilmington, "Movie Reviews: ‘Stealing Heaven’ Updates Heloise and Abelard", ''

'', April 28, 1989 Caryn James reviewed the picture in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'':

References

External links