Product description

Stigmata [2000]

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Average customer rating: 4.0

Binding : DVD
EAN : 5050070002843
Label : MGM Entertainment
Manufacturer : MGM Entertainment
Publisher : MGM Entertainment
Release date : 2000-07-10
Title : Stigmata [2000]
Actor : Array
Audience rating : Suitable for 18 years and over
Format : Array
Languages : Array
Number of items : 1
Original release date : 2000-01-21
Region code : 2
Running time : 109
Studio : MGM Entertainment
Theatrical releaseDate : 1999-09-10
Number of discs : 1

Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Gabriel Byrne plays Father Kiernan, a young Jesuit priest whose degree in chemistry makes him a sort of priest/detective as he investigates weeping Marys and the like around the world. Meanwhile, Frankie (Patricia Arquette), a rave-generation Pittsburgher, is afflicted with the stigmata--holes that appear in her wrists, resembling the wounds of Christ. The young woman's symptoms filter back to the Vatican and Father Kiernan is assigned to the case. The priest is puzzled by Frankie's atheism; usually the stigmata only appear on the devout (hence the age-old controversy of miracles vs. hysteria). Other manifestations appear on Frankie, and the priest's cardinal (Jonathan Pryce) is brought in, leading to political manoeuvring within the Church hierarchy. The film owes a large and obvious debt to The Exorcist (at one point, Frankie's bed scoots across the room and she levitates into a crucifix position) but to term it an Exorcist rip-off would be to short-change Stigmata. The premise and screenplay are more cerebral than in the l973 film, and the source of the phenomenon is coming from a completely different place.

Unfortunately, amid Stigmata's high-octane editing and slick technique, the chills of The Exorcist aren't there, giving the movie a sort of identity crisis: horror movie or intellectual thriller? Several elements of the film challenge basic tenets of the Catholic faith, hence the brief furore that erupted at the time of the film's release; if nothing else, the internal workings of the Church are shown in a very unflattering light indeed. Byrne excels as the sceptical priest, as does Arquette as the tortured young woman. All told, Stigmata is a rather uneven effort but one with a thought-provoking combination of theology and thrills served up in a thoroughly modern, stylish package. Fans of TV's Ally McBeal will recognise Portia De Rossi in a supporting role. --Jerry Renshaw

Customer reviews

review by: moviebuff05 date: 2008-06-11 rating:

shocked me
this is one film that i have wanted to see for a while now, so i'm very glad that i finally own it on dvd. A shock a minute, this film gripped me from start to finish, i grimaced, i smiled, i jumped in shock, in fact i went through many emotions because this is the type of film which will really move you. recommended.

review by: date: 2007-10-05 rating:

Title says it all
This movie is well shot. Plenty of foreshadowing helps make this a very enjoyable film to watch. Stigmata is a supernatural suspense story about good, evil, and faith. Frankie Paige played by Patricia Arquette is a hair stylist who has no strong religious convictions until odd things start happening to her after she's given a rosary by her mother: she begins speaking with another person's voice; unknown and unseen forces start to attack her; and she develops stigmata. Some people believe that a holy miracle has been visited on Frankie, though no one can say why. A Cardinal from the Vatican played by Jonathan Pryce sends a priest, Father Andrew Kiernan enjoyably portrayed by Gabriel Byrne, to investigate Frankie and her condition; after getting a first-hand look, Father Andrew finds himself less concerned with whether Frankie's wounds are a legitimate miracle and more concerned with saving her life.

review by: Vicky date: 2007-07-04 rating:

A Film for All Religions...
For me, this film did what Passion of the Christ couldn't manage. It manages to be factually accurate to the horrors that the historic Christ (and anyone else ever crucified by teh Romans) suffered, and still had a spiritual message to deliver that is relevent to today's society. It explains all religious details in a manner any layperson will easily understand, and an interesting cinematography and editing technique that the MTV generation will like.

There's been a review saying that this film is anti-Catholic, but the doctrine quoted applies to all organised religion, not just Catholicism. I think the Catholics were just used as an easily recognisable right-wing religious sect.

It's not often you get a 'horror' movie that really has something intelligent to say. Watch this one, and make the most of it!

review by: ba_x date: 2007-03-23 rating:

Learn to swim...
I love this movie for the simple reason that it must've shoved its way up the noses of all tightheaded catholic fanatics the world over... god is within us all, if we choose to acknowledge it, and you really don't need to go to a designated building and kneel down, holding your hands, for spirituality to be present in your life. Stylistically this movie is spot-on, perhaps a bit too trendy in it's editing and set design to appeal to the old-at-heart, but it reaches the right audience, and poses the right questions to them. It's not really scary, more atmospheric and tense, but the movie doesn't suffer for it. Now, about the Da Vinci Code...

review by: date: 2005-09-05 rating:

Absorbing religious thriller
"Stigmata" is an interesting film exploring the phenomenon of people afflicted by the bleeding wounds of Christ. Over the centuries there have been many stigmatics such as St Francis of Assissi and more recently Padre Pio of Italy. This film explores the events surrounding a young atheist hairdresser (Arquette) who suddenly begins to suffer these afflictions and starts channeling messages. A Vatican priest (Byrne) is sent to investigate and as the mystery unravels secrets that could threaten the Roman Catholic Church are revealed. "Stigmata" is an intelligent ,well-acted and visually impressive film. Try to imagine a combination of "The Thorn Birds", "Constantine", "The Exorcist" and "The Godfather Part 3" and you'll get a feel for the atmosphere and plot of "Stigmata".

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