www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Bella the movie

Has anyone seen this movie yet? It opened yesterday.

Sadly, no.

The kids had planned on going to see it this weekend, but since there have been some emergencies, it is on hold.

I pray it does great at the box office.

The critics are already panning it, but what did we expect from the secularist press?

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bella/

Alexandr

I never listen to Richard Nilsen of yjr Arizona Republic. He's entirely too jaded. Roger Ebert gave it a "Thumbs Up" review, and I generally agree with and trust his judgment.

..Make sure that you don't miss the name of the production company in the last sentence!

27-October-2007 -- ZENIT.org News Agency

Cardinal Urges Faithful to See "Bella," Lead Actor Considered Catholic Role Model
HOLLYWOOD, California, OCT. 26, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The film "Bella" is destined to have an extraordinary impact on people's lives, said the chairman of the U.S bishops' conference committee on pro-life activities.

Cardinal Justin Rigali, archbishop of Philadelphia, said the film, released today in the United States, "has a message that is so connected to life: to the problems of life, the challenges of life, the value of life." The cardinal wrote to his fellow bishops encouraging them to host advanced screenings of "Bella" with the hope of spreading the film's message.

The film won the 2006 People's Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival.

"Bella" is a story about a young pregnant woman who loses her job, and a man who is unable to recover from a tragic accident in his past. Their friendship changes their lives and brings new hope to both.

The film features actors Eduardo Ver�stegui, Tammy Blanchard, Manual P�rez and Ali Landry.

Ver�stegui, a teen heartthrob during his years as a professional musician and actor, is now known as a Catholic role model. After a spiritual conversion that brought him back to Catholicism, he is now an outspoken defender of the right to life, chastity and his faith.

In a Spanish-language interview with the Eternal Word Television Network in July, Ver�stegui noted that he has clear "the purpose of my life, of our lives -- I was not called or born to be an actor, nor created to be famous, nor rich, nor an engineer, a doctor, a success. I was called to be a saint."

Alejandro Monteverde directed and co-wrote "Bella," produced by Metanoia Films. Steve McEveety, producer of "Braveheart" and "The Passion of the Christ," was the executive producer.

www.ewtn.com [ewtn.com]

Ver�stegui had been an actor on soap operas. Then after his conversion said he could no longer perform in that type of work. So he went four years turning down work. There was nothing for him to do, then by 'God-incidence' the opportunity for the creation of this movie came about. GOD IS GOOD!

My wife and I really enjoyed it. It's a simple little story but very very touching and is a powerful witness for the love of God in families and how God's love can conquer terrible hurts.

CDL

I just heard Variastegui's interview (in Spanish)on EWTN and it was simply powerful. Once he realized how he was offending God he cried tears of contrition for days. Wow.

Alice,I tried the above link and couldn't find the interview, but this link was a bit easier for me to access.


Bella is on my to do immediately list.

I am too rural to have the movie come to my small town but will definitly look to see it out on DVD.

Byzantina,

You are not alone. I live within view of NYC (from a hill, that is) and the movie is not playing in any of the theaters nearby. I also saw the EWTN interviews, the trailers, etc., and I looked up where it would open on the movie's website.

I wouldn't be surprised if the distributors targeted highly "Hispanic-American" communities, as if nobody else could possibly be interested!

This used to be a country with a certain "community" aspect to it; now it seems to be a collection of "ghettos".

Michael

Hi,

The movie had a limited release last weeked. If it goes well, it will expand significantly by Nov. 9th.

This is typical film industry behavior for a movie with low budget.

Shalom,
Memo

Hi Memo,

Well, I hope it shows up here! (BTW, there are Hispanics here, I just gave "trick-or-treats" to 2 fine young brothers, one dressed like Zorro, and the other like Derek Jeeter -- or so he said).

Michael

Through the hard work of a very sick and bedridden young woman in northern Jersey, we have gotten Bella into several theaters here in Jersey. Currently it is playing at:

Clearview Claridge in Montclair (Essex County)
Clearview Mansfield Cinema 15 in Hackettstown (Warren County)
Pascack 6 in Westwood (Bergen County)

It starts tomorrow through Tuesday at the

Clearview Middlebrook Cinema 10 in Ocean Township (Monmouth County)

Now that it is in these theaters, it needs everybody's support to keep it there with the Thanksgiving premieres starting Wednesday. Please help spread the word on this heartwarming pro-family movie.

God bless,
Rosanna (who is not connected to the movie in any way except in knowing its devout supporter in North Jersey who is too sick to leave her bed to go see it)