This post is written by Stephen Simon and was originally published on The Old Hollywood.
I have a Winter’s Tale to share with you.
When my wife and I read a couple of blisteringly bad reviews of Winter’s Tale, we knew we had to see it…and that we would love it. Which we did.
What a wondrous, romantic, hopeful, deeply–and I mean DEEPLY- spiritual film.
The film is also truly miraculous..first because it’s about miracles….and second, because it got made in the modern-day cynical world of The New Hollywood. (More on that in a minute.)
The film centers on a thief in 1915 New York who falls in love with a woman who needs a miracle to survive consumption, a disease which was then fatal. Along the way, they and we encounter angels, demons, spirit guides and a dazzling vision of who we might be as souls…both in this life…and after.
The end result is a deeply passionate love story that illuminates who we might be when we catch glimpses of our humanity…and our immortality.
As I watched the film, I kept wondering “How in the world did they get this through the Hollywood system?” Yes, Colin Farrell, Russell Crowe, Will Smith, and Jennifer Connelly are excellent actors and “names” but still….this is such an overtly spiritual film. How did they get it financed? When I saw the end credits, I had my answer.
The film is written and directed by Akiva Goldsman, the Oscar-winning writer of A Beautiful Mind, and other major films like The DaVinci Code and Cinderella Man. Mr. Goldman obviously called in every favor at his disposal and put himself on the line to get this film made….for which I say:
“Mr. Goldman, you won your Oscar for A Beautiful Mind…and I thank you for Winter’s Tale, which obviously came from a beautiful heart.”
As I mentioned earlier, the film has been generally decimated by critics. As someone who has had experience with spiritual love stories and their rejection by critics, I have enormous respect, empathy, and affection for this film.
If you’re spiritual and a romantic who encounters the world through your heart, please find your way to a theater as soon as possible and support A Winter’s Tale…a surprising, wonderful, and timeless movie.