Customer Reviews

St. Patrick: The Irish Legend

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This made for television movie is entertaining, inspiring, and educational. St. Patrick is one of the most well know, yet least "known about" significant personalities in world history. God used Patrick to transform Ireland and Ireland's influence helped shape the world. The story starts with Patrick as a reckless youth, captured by slave traders. In slavery to a Irish Warlord he has a Divine encounter that grows into a holy passion for God. He is miraculously delivered from Ireland and returns to his family. Back in his British homeland He hears the call of God to return as a missionary to Israel. Despite numerous obstacles, he refuses to let go of the heavenly vision and soon returns to Irish soil as the Bishop of Ireland. Through power encounters with the druid priests and a servants heart of love for the Irish people, Patrick becomes the catalyst for a spiritual awakening. Patrick Bergen's portrayal of St. Patrick is convincing and compelling. Malcolm McDowell ideally personifies the religious hierarchical antagonists who oppose Patrick. The special effects leave something to be desired but they do not take away from the powerful and moving story of St. Patrick. I highly recommend this movie to all those looking for inspiring family entertainment.

All my life I celebrated St. Patrick's day with little knowledge of what I was celebrating. Saint Patrick: The Irish Legend is the first cinematic representation of this great Saint's life. I was so impressed with the life of this Saint, and this video, that I highly recommend it to anyone who loves Saint Patrick and his Church.

From his abduction as a teenager and enslavement by Irish marauders to his conversion on the solitary windswept hills Ireland while tending his master's sheep, Saint Patrick is a shining example of what God can do in the life of a single soul. Through his intense and mystical prayer life, Saint Patrick is instructed on how to escape his captors to return home to England. Upon his return to England, Saint Patrick perceives in a vision the "Voice of the Irish" and is instructed to return to preach the Gospel to those who once held him captive. It is many more years before the Saint is able to return to Ireland, but in a serious of miraculous events he is called back to Ireland to shepherd a pagan people to God.

Although, no doubt, there is some fancy to the legends portrayed, I do believe that there may be more than a little truth in them. Saint Patrick: The Irish Legend is a powerful and moving story that is well worth viewing.

The story of Patrick is wonderful, but the film would have been better if it was based entirely on Patrick's two letters rather than later legends. Patrick didn't drive the snakes out of Ireland--there were never any there. What Patrick went through and accomplished are amazing. He doesn't need a movie with him turning into a deer or defeating the druids (whom he never even mentions). Watch this movie for some harmless fun, but read Patrick's letters and be really amazed.

This is a wonderful movie, and Patrick Bergen gives a wonderful performance as the Irish Saint. Besides beautiful scenery, you have the story, based on Saint Patrick's own writings. The message of Faith and God's Love and Protection is clear throughout. The special effects are not overdone and accentuate the impact of the message in the story. I highly recommend this movie, whether purchased in DVD or VHS format. (I purchased the DVD.) It is enjoyable for all, as its lesson is: Faith, and following the Voice of God, being open to His Will for your life.

I would give this film 4 stars for the story, acting, and entertainment value, but I have to deduct 1 star for the costumes and cinematography. As this was a television production, I can overlook that however. The movie retells the legends that surround the memory of Ireland's patron saint. From Patrick escaping slavery to his driving out the snakes in Ireland, converting the island to Christianity, and taking on the Church hierarchy, the film does a great job in telling these legends with flair and pacing that keeps the modern audience's attention. A special acting nod goes to Malcolm McDowell as a scheming Church official that plots to bring about Patrick's downfall. If you've celebrated St. Patrick's Day and never knew who the man was, pick up this movie. It's a very entertaining education.

This was one of the better movies showing early religion as it no doubt was along with magic and human suffering. Thanks to Patrick Bergen for continuing to make the movies I love to watch.

The scenery is plentiful & beautiful, the acting is done well, the story is a good portrayal of St. Patrick (a Catholic Bishop) who had a major role in converting a paganistic Ireland to Christianity. The movie is not 100% accurate but it doesn't take away the essential devotion and conversion of the Saint. See this movie and learn about the great Saint.

This film gives the basics of Patrick's life in an entertaining fashion. I think children will probably like it. Older people have been influenced enough by Hollywood magic to consider its limited effects rather old fashioned. Its style reminds me of Cecil B. DeMille's "10 Commandments".

If you want an intertaining film on the life of Patrick, this is it. If you want a study with a little more depth and little less legend I'd pick the docu-drama PATRICK. Liam Neeson narrates and Gabriel Byrne provides the voice of Patrick.

I had seen this film before, and I enjoyed it. The title character is portrayed by Patrick Bergin, and very well too. Wilfrid, the Archbishop of York, I believe, was the crusader against the Celtic church, as you probably know, and had taken the connection to Rome so far that he had reportedly used stone from Hadrian's Wall in building the cathedral. He is played by Malcolm McDowell.

The conflict there is pretty dramatic, at least it appears more dramatic than it might otherwise appear to those who know the argument is largely about the date for Easter, and how the clergy cuts their hair.

It has a nice denoument, with the bishop who had once heard Patrick's confession and then revealed the embarrassing details to Wilfrid, who used it to accuse him of heresy, ends up being forgiven, and joining the little colony for Christ on the island, and the film ends with the little band continuing their mission.

Oh, in the beginning, Patrick puts his staff down in the sand, upon his arrival, and snakes crawl out of the earth and into the sea. This is fictional, there have been no snakes in Ireland since the ice age. Vikings, Normans, Scots under Edward Bruce, and Oliver Cromwell, but no snakes.

If you want a film that, as has been previously and repetitiously described, is a "feel-good movie" about the patron saint of Ireland, then look no further. The kids will love it. Younger ones will, at least. It's only 90 minutes long, so it may even keep their attention.

If you want real substance, however, do not waste your time or money on this film.

I realize that this movie was made for television, and that it was made for Fox Family, at that, but I sincerely wish that the producers had spent a little more time and effort on this film. St. Patrick's is a wonderful story that should be told with much more reverence and sincerity than this production offers.

The plot of the film is very rushed, the acting is very cheesy, with the exception (barely) of Patrick Bergin and Malcolm MacDowell, the costuming is questionable for 5th century Ireland, and the special effects are of little better qualtiy than those late 1950s/early '60s Hercules and Jason and the Argonauts movies. I think someone's middle-school son or daughter created the FX for a class project. There is absolutely no depth to this movie. I'm not sure if any real research went into the making of the film, since it is based almost entirely on the Patrick of myth than the Patrick of history. The movie is based more on what someone would learn in Catholic school as a young child than on what we learn from history.

Then, again, this may be the whole point, and I am ranting for nothing. I believe the target audience was the wee lads and lasses, rather than those of us who are older, and inspired more from the real St. Patrick than the fairy-tale Patrick, driving out nonexistent snakes and breaking up pagan virgin sacrifices which probably never happened, either.

Please pardon me if I am overly critical of the technical merits of the film, as I realize it was probably never intended to enter into the running for an Oscar. Perhaps I simply had higher expectations for the film, as an Irishman and a big fan of St. Patrick. This movie hurt my feelings.

If you are truly interested in being inspired by the story of St. Patrick, read Philip Freeman's "St. Patrick of Ireland: A Biography," at least as a start.