Customer Reviews

Mother Teresa

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Surely most everyone has at least some sketchy knowledge of the legacy of Mother Teresa. There is great power in grace, in kindness, in doing good unto others with little or no regard for oneself. But I've long been curious to know more: who is this selfless woman? is it really possible to be completely altruistic? or, is doing good for the pleasure it brings us to be good, or for our reward in the afterlife, motive that negates true altruism? and, what kind of background gave birth to such a modern-day saint?

The movie, "Mother Teresa," directed by Fabrizio Costa and with Olivia Hussey in the lead role, did little to answer any of these questions for me. Indeed, that it begins with Mother Teresa already in Calcutta as a nun, quite disappointed me. I gained no knowledge of what kind of background had formed this remarkable woman. Nevertheless, I was enthralled. Hussey's careful and completely believable portrayal (the viewer forgets it is an actress on the screen and not indeed Mother Teresa herself, which is surely the goal of any actor) matched any actual history I had glimpsed in media during the latter years of her life.

From what was shown in this portrayal did entice to find out more. This woman is surely as awe-inspiring as I had expected. I found myself thinking back to this movie, to her life and her deep faith, days, even weeks, after watching it. In an age of violence and self-indulgence, of pleasure seeking and materialism, to view this life and all the lives affected by hers lifts one out of the mire for a moment and gives great pause. We can do better.

Mother Teresa teaches us not with words but with actions. How she lived her life, devoted to helping those who were too weak or poor to help themselves, in a manner of strength and simplicity, unfalteringly trusting that God will provide, inspires all, and of whatever belief system.

Highly recommended.

Movies with spiritual themes often fall short, but this outstanding portrayal of Mother Teresa succeeds brilliantly in capturing the simplicity and unwavering faith of one of the most remarkable personages of the 20th century. The cinematography and production values of this movie are excellent, but what really makes this a great viewing experience is Olivia Hussey's acting. Her performance is deserving of high praise and recognition. Just as Ben Kingsley succeeded in doing in the movie "Gandhi," I always felt I was actually watching Mother Teresa. Talk about a suspension of disbelief! To watch such a convincing portrayal of such a pure and devoted soul is a very humbling experience. It can make a person question the values they hold and whether what they are doing with their life is really all that worthwhile and important. Mother Teresa was not about proselytizing or trying to convert anyone to Catholicism. As the movie shows, she was simply moved to help the forgotten and the hopelessly infirmed of Calcutta. Her faith in God and her determination to really help those in need overcame many obstacles in her path. Also, the generosity of thousands of individuals who resonated with her "cause" helped enable Mother Teresa to accomplish all that she did. A person like Mother Teresa can bring out the best and most noble instincts in others, even if sometimes begrudgingly. There are many poignant moments in this movie, and the movie as a whole is an important reminder that despite all the problems and misery in the world today, what is most pressing for each of us is to find our own way of serving the greater good. Mother Teresa's life was not an easy one, nor, I'm quite sure, was this an easy movie to make. It cannot be easy to decide what to include and exclude in a movie about someone like Mother Teresa. The bottom line for Mother Teresa was simple. She saw Christ in the suffering and misery of the poor in Calcutta. It would not have been possible for her to somehow turn away. Pay close attention, for example, to the opening scene where Mother Teresa happens upon an Indian woman and her child. With the animals in the background, the scene is designed to be reminiscent of the familiar manger scene of baby Jesus. This scene captures the essence of Mother Teresa's spirit. She saw the Christ Child and the Holy Mother in the individual children and mothers she felt called upon to help. Above all else, Mother Teresa recognized that it was not enough to simply feed the hungry and tend to the sick. There was another hunger, another need among people. And that was the need for love. What a remarkable soul! What a remarkable movie!

Wow, what a nice movie! It exceeded my expectations. Most "religious" films don't have the funding for first-class production values, but this one must have because it looks great.

That beautiful photography throughout the 115 minutes was one of the two biggest reasons I enjoyed watching this. The other was the number of profound truths said by Mother Teresa (Olivia Hussey). This was an inspiring film with some great statements. By the way, those production values included decent acting, too, at least by all of the adults. Some of the kids were so-so, but they didn't have many lines anyway.

What I appreciated what that the filmmakers did not water down the Christian aspect of Mother Teresa's life. Everything she said and did was for God's glory, as she states several times, only trying to please Jesus. Obviously, she succeeded like few others have with an amazing compassion and selfless attitude. There is no ego here, no pride, only what she can do for the sick and poverty-stricken.

This movie can be enjoyed by all. You don't have be a Catholic. I'm not, and I have total respect for Mother Teresa and cannot find fault with anything she said or did. For Believers, this should inspire them to act a little more Christ-like. For non-believers, this story is a great example for anyone who simply needs a nudge to go help someone less fortunate. There is no heavy-handing "preaching," either, for those concerned about that matter.

This is simply a quality film about an extremely quality person whose life should inspire all of us to become better people. This film did a great job in that respect.

Tagline: "HER HEART FOUND THE FORGOTTEN, HER FAITH FOUND A WAY."

On September 5, 1997, when Mother Teresa died, I did something that I rarely do when a person dies: I cried. I didn't cry out of mourning for Mother Teresa; I knew that she was now getting a well-deserved rest and reward. When a person leaves their physical instrument, they are flying closer to God, so I had no reason to be sad for Mother Teresa. I cried for the world because this sorry old, dilapidated and spiritually poor globe had just lost one of its most prayerful, enlightened, and positively influential examples of Christ's Love for His brothers and sisters!

I have never been Catholic, and I never will be, but Mother Teresa remains one of my favorite personal heroes. She would probably top my list of "Greatest Figures Of The Twentieth Century." I can think of no one from my lifetime who more exemplified the manner of life that I believe Jesus Christ calls us to live. I am nothing less than astonished and severely humbled when I think of her and the women who volunteered to work as she did. As I recently wrote in an E-mail to a new friend, "There was probably no stronger woman (or man) from her generation." The thought of her, and her Missionaries of Charity, really stirs my heart.

I gave a DVD copy of MOTHER TERESA, starring Olivia Hussey, to Good Friend Melanie for Christmas this year. (I gave her a couple of other good things, too, because that's just the kind of guy I am.) But she enjoyed the movie so much that I borrowed it from her one day and watched it that very night. And I enjoyed it just as much.

It begins with Teresa's "calling within a calling" when she observes how the abandoned sick are dying like dogs in the streets of Calcutta, and receives a sign from Jesus that she is to serve "the poorest of the poor." She subsequently embarks on an awe-inspiring journey to see the Face of her Lord in the poor, and to show them the Face of His Love in exchange. The film ends just two years before her death, when, in a revelatory moment, she realizes the folly of her association, and in essence, rediscovers her roots; "returns to the streets" in her "disorganized" Way - in a manner of speaking.

Throughout this lifelong journey, Mother Teresa must overcome myriad obstacles, some in the form of human beings who, from their materialistic world-view, can't possibly understand her mission or have faith in her intentions, and some in the form of natural hardships and the opposing work of God's unseen antagonist. The movie gives us a glimpse of some of the "miraculous" coincidences, where somehow Mother Teresa always seemed to get bailed out of an impossible situation by an equally invisible Friend. (In actuality, there were many more miracles related to Mother Teresa's life than are depicted here!)

Olivia Hussey, a real beauty in her youth but always a very serious actress, gives a very nice, understated performance. It's a bit uncanny how much she looks like the older Mother Teresa, and it's nearly preternatural how she mastered the aged nun's stooped but determined walk! There are good, suitably subtle performances across-the-board, but Emily Hamilton, in the small role of Anna, deserves special mention. She played every note EXACTLY RIGHT in the poignant scene where she learns of her unfortunate fate, and how she will be required to support Mother Teresa's work in the future. And the brief scene in which she later learns that Teresa was not offering her mere platitudes was one of my favorites in the picture! (It darn near made me "moisty." OK, it did... but just a little.)

My only negative observations have to do with the cinematography and musical score. I feel that the film should have imitated Mother Teresa's life in its approach, by adhering strictly to the most simplistic, or austere, style. Instead, on a few occasions, we get some creative flourishes: dissolving images, artificial angles and "artistic" lighting. And in a couple of places, the music becomes a shade too dramatic or intrusive. These aspects of the film should have all been kept to the most basic level possible in accordance with the unadorned life that Mother Teresa espoused. But this is only a minor complaint on my part, and these things will not significantly undermine your viewing experience.

Let's face it, it's really impossible to cover the scope and influence of the life of Mother Teresa in a single, two-hour movie, but I feel that MOTHER TERESA does about as fine a job as one could reasonably expect. If you want a good overview of her life, and you want a lesson in what a beneficial difference one faithful and hard-working person filled with the Love of Christ can make in this world, then by all means, make it a point to see this film. And be prepared to be put to shame, like I was.

"We are called upon not to be successful, but to be faithful." ~ Mother Teresa

Being a Catholic homeschooling mother of young children who normally do not watch TV, I am pretty picky about the movies I let our family watch. I would highly recommend "Mother Teresa" to any traditional Catholic, or anyone for that matter! I know a little bit about Mother Teresa from reading a biography, and I saw no fatal flaws in the movie as far as from a biographical standpoint, but that is not critical to me. What is critical is that the movie is clean and shows the Church and Saint in a truly Catholic light, and is edifying all around. This film holds to all those standards. It is a wonderful film for a family of children of any age, and is well written and acted to par. Olivia Hussey makes a perfect Mother Teresa, which I was a bit surprised to see since I have only seen her in Jesus of Nazareth and couldn't picture her as the Mother Teresa that I "knew"!

More than twenty-five years before, Olivia Hussey was just as lovely when she played the Virgin Mary in Franco Zeffirelli's "Jesus of Nazarus," and did so brilliantly. She reprised the beauty of that performance in "Mother Teresa," which is timeless too. Serving the poor in Calcutta for most of her life, this Saint brought hope to those who had none and taught Jesus' Love to those who had seldom if ever experienced love before.

She received a Nobel Prize, but no earthy honor was her reward. Her faith truly found a way when there appeared to be none at all.

Throughout time God has sent saintly people to live among us and show us the way to live. Mother Teresa was certainly one of the saints of our time. This movie does a great job in telling her life story, and her openness to God's call to serve others. The poverty and way of life for those who live in Calcutta is almost impossible for us in America to imagine, and this movie really showed what it is like. I can't imagine seeing people lying in the street dying, and walking by and completely ignoring them. The holiness and humbleness of this great woman who served the poorest of the poor will never be forgotten.

If you want to learn more about Mother Teresa, I recommend you read "Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light" by Brian Kolodiejchuk.

Great movie. Very inspiring. Great movie for family. We need more of Mother Theresa's work all over the world.

It was amazing to watch such a compassionate, dedicated woman and how she gave her life to do the will of God in loving and helping all those people. Mother Teresa was and still is someone who displays the true meaning of being a child of God.

Fantastic movie, could be viewed with the whole family. My husband cried and it made us think about the real meaning of love. Mother Teresa is in our daily life now, as an example of giving and unconditional love.