Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Story Of A Spirited Woman Who Refuses To Give Up On Life, March 4, 2001
This review is from: A Woman's Tale (Amazon.com Exclusive) [VHS] (VHS Tape)
A touching, sensitive, Australian film about an elderly woman dying of cancer (played by 78 year old actress Sheila Florance who knew she was dying of cancer when the film was being made) who has lost none of her joie de vivre and continues to live life to the fullest without the smallest hint of self-pity for her future death, which she knows is imminent. The marvelous thing about this film is watching Florance's cheerful disposition, while those around her wear long faces. Through flashbacks, we see the tragedy of her past life; and in the present, the resignation of the other old people living in her apartment building who once led formerly productive, vigorous lives, but have now given up. She never gives up and this strength inspires much younger people------who only grudgingly tolerate her-----to admire her strength and see older people in a different way. This used to be referred to as a "small film" but with great feeling behind it.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A poignant look at death and friendship, March 28, 2002
This review is from: A Woman's Tale (Amazon.com Exclusive) [VHS] (VHS Tape)
This movie is incredibly touching. There are really two stories here. The first is a portrayal of a woman facing imminent death with dignity and grace, and who continues to live life as fully as possible. The second story is one of friendship. Martha, the elderly woman, makes her home available to her visiting nurse so that the younger woman can carry on an affair with a married man. Martha laments that her son "married the wrong woman...most of them do" and this leads her to sympathize with the young lovers. In return, the nurse is the only one who understands and defends Martha's need for independence and control over her declining health. The story of the friendship between the two women, who have come to deeply love each other, is beautiful to watch.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A dying woman reviews her eventful life, December 26, 1998
By A Customer
A Holocaust survivor living in Melbourne reviews her eventful life, has a few regrets, enjoys her relationships with her grown son, the gay couple in the apartment below, and especially with her visiting nurse, herself an emigrant from Eastern Europe. The loving bond between the woman and her nurse, and the help of her compassionate physician, enable a peaceful and painless end to the woman's death by cancer. A mature and life-celebratory exploration of the varieties of love.
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