I thought the talks between her and the atheist and her and the priest added to my enjoyment of this film. Very interesting! I saw the modern version of this (with Julianne Moore) and I don't recall the emotions. I'll have to rent that version again. Anyone have any comments about the common nature of love and faith? The very definition of both love and faith is the fact that it is so hard to define and to know.
Velvet Voice
I liked in the remake when Julianne Moore kisses the boy with the facial discoloration and cures him. In the original it's the philosopher with the discoloration but we never see it clear.
The minor "miracle" in the remake further adds to the "love and faith" question.
I didn't see the '99 remake but did see the trailer which seemed to really spell out/dumb down the plot to perhaps make it less tedious and more relatable to modern audiences. Was this true of the actual remake?
shareI just watched this, I recorded it off of TCM. I'm a big Van Johnson fan, that was the draw for me, but it's a well done movie by all concerned. Pretty odd to see Peter Cushing not playing a homicidal maniac or somesuch too!
I'm an atheist, I enjoyed the back and forth about religion. Of course, given the time and place it was made, I knew without having seen this before or read Graham Greene's book that Sarah would turn to God, despite her protestations, so there was never any "drama" about that for me. They had a pretty sensitive portrayal of the atheist Smythe, but in the end he was bitter towards God because of his facial disfigurement, the old "If God exists, why did he do this to ME?" thing.
Faith is all about trusting and believing in something whose existence you accept even though it is intangible. It is something others can explain and share with you in theory but ultimately to be fully understood it has to be experienced on a personal level, for yourself.
Love is intangible. You cannot see it, touch it, hold it, or capture it but you know it; if and when it exists. It has to be felt and when it's there, you feel it; you know it. Love is faith and faith is love; they go hand in hand.
Whenever I hear people say, they need to hear the words, 'I love you' I wonder if they really know love. There's nothing wrong with saying the words, I would never discourage it but hearing the words is meaningless if it cannot be felt independent of the words. Someone can tell you they love you twenty times a day, they can go through the motions, but if you don't feel loved something is wrong; either it's not there or you don't have faith in it; you don't believe it (or both).
I equate this with what it must be like to be atheist. People say, give me proof and I will believe. I have faith BECAUSE I believe. I believe I am loved; I believe I am a worthwhile human being; I believe people are inherently good; I believe things will be okay; I believe I am capable, valuable; I believe I can get through the problems I face... I feel those things even when things aren't going as I would want them to go. Faith gives me the strength and the hope to keep going even when things look bleak; even when it seems all hope is lost. Faith keeps you sane.