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Donna Marie
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| Posted: Nov 29 2011 at 9:49am | IP Logged
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Has anyone seen Vision from the Life of Hildegard Von Bingen? 
I found this DVD in the library the other day and before I played it, I thought I would ask about it. I was wondering if it was suitable for me and/or the kids. I especially wanted to know if it handles the issue of authority well as I don't think this is a Catholic production.
Any input appreciated!
TIA!
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Donna Marie from NJ
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MichelleW
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| Posted: Nov 29 2011 at 11:00pm | IP Logged
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We watched it and enjoyed it very much. When the end credits rolled up, dh said, "Wow she was really heroic wasn't she?!" He loved the movie. I was a little disappointed because one of the things I love about St. Hildegaard is her oddness (for lack of a better word...) which they don't really mention. Also, all the hymns they sing in the movie are ones that she wrote, but they never come out and say that.
I wouldn't show it to kids. The penances are probably a bit much for kids, (especially during the ablution), so I would preview it. There is also a nun who becomes pregnant. I didn't show it to my kids. As far as I know the portrayal of penances was historically accurate. And the pregnancy helps us understand how hard St. Hildegaard had to fight to protect her nuns during that time.
I thought the whole movie was respectful, and I couldn't tell it wasn't a Catholic production.
It is in German with English subtitles. We thought it was worth the effort.
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Michelle
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St. Ann
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Donna Marie, as Michelle said , I did not show it to my children either. And as you suspected it is more interesting from an historical perspective (although I can't say exactly how accurate the personal portrayals are...). It is not a faith building film. I was suspicious about the way 95% of the male clerics are portrayed???? Feminist agenda?
I actually bought the dvd at St. Hildegard's Kloster near Bingen here in Germany. I had so little time to linger in the store and just grabbed it and a little book for children about St. Hildegard. The Nun at the counter looked at me as if she wanted to guide me in a different direction with my purchases, but I was so rushed. I now know why. The book was a waste. The DVD was ok for adults who are strong in their faith already, but not for anyone unsure. imnsho!
My main question is why this kind of stuff is sold at all in church stores!!!!
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Donna Marie
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| Posted: Nov 30 2011 at 12:04pm | IP Logged
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There looked to be a feminist agenda from the insert I found in the DVD case..."In the 1970's women involved in the women's movement were looking for historical role models. At that time there were few female role models. History was written by men and made by men. The history of women was not being told, and women were marginalized, as if they had never played any role....
Oh! Here it is online:
interview of Margarethe Von Traotta
Evidently, she is a feminist director. 
I don't know how that might effect the film. I plan on watching it myself with my elder kids. I think it might be fun to pull things apart with them. I just wish I could find some credible information about her...any ideas??
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Donna Marie from NJ
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JennGM
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Unfortunately, so much of the promotion of Hildegard is attached to some liberal and feminist agenda, or some mystical New Age meditation or thinking. She is used as a way to promote some of these ideas.
I haven't read a book dedicated about her life (although I do have a cookbook), but I have found some treatments of her
From this thread, I recommended this fabulous book:
JennGM wrote:
I wanted to share this great book I found a few weeks ago Women and the Religious Life in Premodern Europe by Patricia Ranft.
It's absolutely fascinating to read the history of women religious. The early religious had such respect and great influence on society. So many of the prominent male saints/religious also had an influential woman during their lifetimes. I didn't realize that Augustine had a sister! |
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Hildegard is treated in there, and quite well. I think it's better to read in context, because you can read about other double monasteries, that had both men and women, with a woman Prioress ruling both. There were also many monasteries that would have one Prioress, and sometimes she wasn't present (which did cause problems).
Women in the Days of the Cathedrals by Regine Pernoud is another excellent treatment, although only a few pages. Try to read one through ILL, as they are hard to find. Would be wonderful if Ignatius made her books into e-books.
I think both of these books are must reads especially for women. We have this idea that women were downtrod and not given respect and only did menial jobs, and these books offer many examples of how this was not true until after the French Enlightenment.
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MaryM
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Stef did the July Composer: St. Hildegard von B study on her. There are some resources there.
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MichelleW
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I am not a feminist by any stretch of the imagination, but I do think that it is important to remember that God has a very special place for women. There are so many female saints who did things that were not considered acceptable for women of their time, and yet they were clearly called of God to do them. Saint Teresa of Avila traveled during a time when it was illegal for women to travel. Saint Hildegaard lived in a time when it was difficult to be a woman, and yet she was advisor to important men in her time.
Saint Hildegaard is not a saint for the faint of heart. In fact, I would say that you have to be very open and willing to accept that God speaks in ways we cannot always understand in order to appreciate her. She was brilliant, she wrote music, painted pictures, received and explained her visions, she was an excellent administrator but most importantly she was a God-chaser. She loved Him and His people passionately.
The problem I had with this movie was not that it showed her or the church in a poor light--I don't think it did--but that it missed an opportunity to explore the amazing. It focused on the administrative and political portions of her life, and skipped over the fantastical --the music she wrote, the paintings she painted, the strange and amazing visions she had, and her passionate love for God.
The church is not ridiculed though it's pimples do show a bit in this movie, but that is almost universally true in lives of saints isn't it? So many had to confront problems from within the church. I think that is one of the things I love about our faith. We are not perfect nor do we claim to be, but look, we canonized St. Teresa, St. Bernadette and St. Hildegaard. They may have had their detractors from within the church, but in the end, God wins.
My dh is not Catholic, but this movie really affected him. We have had some interesting conversations as a result of it. However, I cannot recommend it universally. I can understand that many would have issues with it for various reasons (and an understanding of the time period is really really helpful). I do hope that you enjoy it. I would be interested to hear once you've seen it.
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Michelle
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JennGM
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| Posted: Dec 16 2011 at 12:00pm | IP Logged
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Speaking of Hildegard, Rome Reports says she is going to be officially canonized and made a doctor of the Church!  
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Betsy
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JennGM wrote:
Speaking of Hildegard, Rome Reports says she is going to be officially canonized and made a doctor of the Church! |
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That is just AWESOME!!!!!!!! 
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Topic: DVD Vision: Hildegard Von bingen?
