The Christmas Candle (2013)

This film was beautifully written and well acted. I normally don't leave reviews but I saw that Lesley Manville complained about Susan Boyle being chosen for a role as she felt she could only sing and not act, so I felt compelled to put in my own opinion.First of all, Ms. Boyle has a truly angelic voice. But she thoroughly surprised me by being a very good actress who is a pure natural in this film. She speaks and acts as if this is a real life situation and pulls the viewer into the film. She is not trying to gain accolades or steal the screen from anyone...she is simply doing her job. And what a wonderful job she did, especially for it being her very first time! What a very humble woman she is, indeed. Perhaps Lesley Manville could use a lesson or two in manners and humility?Having said that, all in all, this film is a breath of fresh air compared to all of the rubbish being shown these days. Your children could watch this and not leave you worrying about nudity, violence or foul language. It opens up all sorts of possibilities for children to ask genuine questions about their own beliefs and for adults to ponder things such as faith, hope and...dare we even think it?...Miracles! I give it 10 stars b/c ALL the actors did a wonderful job at pulling the viewer into the story and holding our attention in a very comfortable way. The world needs more films like this that are clean and refreshing. Well done everyone! And thank you!

I anxiously await seeing this movie when it becomes available at a theater near me. The positive reviews have been most helpful. Max Lucado is an outstanding storyteller with a keen ability to present a clear understanding through his messages of God's Love and Grace. The power of God to perform miracles didn't cease with the passing of the Apostles laying on of hands. He continues to reach out to us today. There are no coincidences.I'm very disappointed that IMDb has allowed posting of some reviews that are spiteful and are clearly outright lies, submitted by those who continue the work of their father going to and fro spreading false messages. I thought IMDb guidelines prohibited this sort of activity.

Great acting. Great script. Great story line. Highly realistic. Overall, a wonderful film. A former pastor, once considered the miracle man, has lost his faith in God's ability to act unchained in the affairs of man, when he is recruited by a woman from the small town of Gladbury to come and teach the people. Times are changing in the world, and technology has begun to outshine the Light of God. However, the townspeople are not ready to accept that God is not no longer able to work miracles. Both the pastor's message, that we should "be the miracle," and that of the townspeople, that we must trust in God and believe He has all power and authority, are prominent throughout the film, and the two themes come together perfectly as the people and their pastor learn from each other and the events of the weeks leading up to Christmas that God truly is the One Who will provide and His is the gift of the Light of Christmas. It was never about the Candle but the blessing of God and the belief that He would do as He promised. "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14 Merry Christmas.

"Religion is what keeps the poor from murdering the rich." - Napoleon "The Christmas Candle" is a ridiculous film produced by the equally ridiculous Rick Santorum. A Republican politician, ultra right-wing Christian and unashamed free-market fundamentalist, Santorum's the kind of guy who, a couple hundred years ago, would have been busy at work killing humanity's greatest minds, all in the name of Yaweh.Designed for middle class Christians who think Jesus' mother was Ayn Rand, "The Christmas Candle" stars Hans Matheson as a preacher who's undergoing a severe religious crisis. With his wife dead, Matheson finds his faith wavering. Worse still, he finds himself sceptical of miracles, especially those involving candles and angels. The film climaxes with Matheson's belief in Christ restored, an angelic candle re-igniting his faith. This message, of course, goes against most Christian sects, which explicitly state that salvation requires only faith in God, not works, actions or the witnessing of miracles. The modern concept of Christian faith itself evolved precisely because of Nature's utter indifference. This indifference is the unacknowledged bedrock of Christian faith; resorting to miraculous proof negates the need for such faith entirely."Candle" contains an odd subplot about electricity. Here our hero, a man of science, electric bulbs and copper wire, learns to appreciate the holy flicker of the lowly candle. Some have read this as a jab at science and technology, but such a reading doesn't seem intended, despite religion's notorious hatred of all things science. Indeed, religions persecuted many of the scientists responsible for breakthroughs in the study of electricity. As late as the 1950s, scientists were being persecuted and even chemically castrated (Alan Turing). To the chagrin of the world's Santorums, even folk like Thomas Edison, a light bulb pioneer who declared "all religion" to be "thoroughly bunk", was an anti-capitalist who wrote that "all interest" is akin to an "invention of Satan". Whilst promoting "Candle", Santorum - a warmonger who believes that "America has no classes" and that "class rhetoric is a Marxist conspiracy" - ranted about Hollywood being a "devil's playground". He then condemned Hollywood for being "infected by liberals" who want to "corrupt our families and children". To counter this "infestation" Santorum has apparently taken up film producing. Ironically, most major film studios have ties with or are subsidiaries of major weapons and arms manufacturers. Indeed, even the Church of England has millions invested in weapons manufacturers (General Atomics, BAE, Ainetiq, GE etc), some of which are currently responsible for Predator and Reaper drones. The kind of nonsensical "conspiracy" that Santorum believes in stretches all the way back to 1932, when Pope Pius XI advised Europe and the United States to work with Hitler and Mussolini in a coalition to stop "cultural Marxism" ("Kulturbolschewismus") because "liberals" and "communist Jews" were challenging power and monarchs. Christian values - beautiful and even vital - have never been with the world's Popes or Santorums. Historically, they tend to be with those squashed under their boots.4/10 - Worth no viewing.