Product Details

• Actors: Lindsay Younce
• Format: Widescreen, Color, Dolby, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: English
• Subtitles: French, Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Xenon
• DVD Release Date: February 14, 2006
• Run Time: 96 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (74 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000BDGVT0
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #15,077 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Therese" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

THÉRÈSE tells the story of a young girl who fell in love with Jesus Christ and demonstrated a path of spirituality through the actions of unconditional love, human compassion, and her "Little Way" to the modern world. This inspiring true story is told through simple narrative which invites the audience to contemplate and apply such spirituality in their own modern lives, regardless of one's own faith or religious background.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

73 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Hallmark spirituality, April 20, 2006

By 

L. S. Jaszczak "servant of the secret fire" - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Therese (DVD)

I was very excited to see this film in the video store, but on the whole was quite disappointed with it. Comparing it to the actual life and writings of St. Therese is like comparing one of the saccharine pictures of her to an actual photograph. Nice - maybe inspiring, but superficial and insipid when placed next to the real thing.

One of the big mistakes I think the makers of the film made, unless their goal was an introductory hagiography, was to attempt to portray Therese's entire life, at least beginning shortly before her mother's death. Even a relatively uneventful 15-20 years cannot be covered in any depth in an hour and a half. Also, even though she has a few crying spells, she is still shown as an almost perfect human being right from the beginning, so I didn't really get a sense of her spiritual struggle and growth. In addition, the passivity with with she is portrayed almost completely dilutes the power of her "little way." I believe that the French film mentioned by one of the other reviewers concentrated on the period of her illness and death, and was able to show her life and personality in much more depth.

A couple of things that could have been brought out or portrayed even in this version: the fact that Therese was made Mistress of Novices, entrusted with the spiritual direction of women who were sometimes older than herself; her relationship with the saintly old Mother Superior who died during her time at Carmel; and more than a glancing reference to the writing of the manuscripts that were published as _The Story of a Soul_.

However, if this movie inspires people to go out and read Therese's writing (I also recommend the biography _The Story of a Life_ by Msgr. Guy Gaucher, which is where I first encountered her), I suppose it will have fulfilled its purpose.

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The Anti-Therese, September 27, 2007

By 

Sappia (New York, New York United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Therese (DVD)

For anyone who has read The Story of a Soul, Therese's letters, or any of the well-done biographies about her and her family members--this movie is going to be a massive disappointment. Biographically, it is grossly inaccurate which in turn distorts beyond recognition the spirituality of Therese's "Little Way." For example, in the movie the adult actress plays scenes that ought to have been done by a child actress. Therese was overly scrupulous as a little girl (until age 13 or so). To have an adult Therese whimpering about having eaten too much cake (and worrying if she's therefore a glutton) makes her seem absurd. Another scene, once she's a nun, in the washroom where another nun repeatedly splashes water in Therese's face is the opposite of what happened in reality. In the movie, Therese grits her teeth, tries to overcome her irritation, and ends by giggling sheepishly and splashing the other nun back. Gag.

What the real Therese tried to do was offer up lovingly and cheerfully the minor irritations (and at times major suffering) caused by her fellow nuns. In her autobiography, she describes how difficult it was for her to put up with being splashed inadvertently by a zealous nun who washed the laundry next to her. Therese did not splash her back. She did not draw attention to the incident. She silently battled her irritation, ignored the splashing, and did not in any exterior way let the other nun know she was bothered. At the same time, interiorly, she did her best to focus on loving God and her fellow nun. She tried to keep herself from getting absorbed by her feelings of irritation. One of the hallmarks of Therese's "Little Way" is that she sought to deal with the little, petty incidents of daily life with charity, humility, and cheerfulness, regardless of her feelings and personal preferences. As others have mentioned, this movie is indeed poorly shot and poorly acted but those are minor faults considering the biographical and spiritual substance of this movie depicts what is essentially an Anti-Therese.

63 of 74 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fluffy, yet Inspiring, January 10, 2006

By 

Brittany Harrison (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Therese (DVD)

I saw this movie when it was at the theater. Being well acquainted with the life of St Therese made me realize the liberties which the film makers took in the film and how fluffy they made her seem, yet when the movie was over, I was glad that I had seen it. It is an uplifting movie, a movie that makes you question what you hold as valuable. There are funny scenes and sad scenes, but the theme that runs throughout is joy. The movie was not as deep as I expected, and if you have more than an introductory knowledge of her life you will be disappointed, but as a summary of her life it works. I would recommend it to those who desire to have a glimpse of her personality, freed of all of the false Jansenistic overtones some movies give her, but do not take it as a completely accurate interpretation of the woman.