Heavenly Pursuits (1986)

Just perfect...

The first must-see film of the year.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Vic Mathews (Tom Conti) teaches a remedial class at the Blessed Edith Semple School in Scotland. Some at the school are trying to discover the two more miracles that would promote the late Edith Semple to sainthood.This comedy had positive reviews. I suppose I, too, would have to rate it positively. But I was saddened to see it dealt more with this teacher and his students than the idea of faith. The teacher is not a very strong believer, and it would have been good to have more conflict there, and maybe even a little thoughtful debate (without making it heavy and therefore no more a comedy).For what it is worth, the title "Heavenly Pursuits" is the better title. Now it seems to be going by "Gospel According to Vic", but that is not nearly as clever and should be removed.

My TV guide described this as a movie about a man who acquires miraculous powers and losing a brain tumor after a fall from a roof. Well, that's enough to make the heart of any normal human being sink. I could see it now -- the uplifted eyes, the heavenly choirs, the tears of despair and gratitude, the uplifting message -- "For those who believe, no proof is necessary," and so forth.Actually -- almost miraculously -- it wasn't like that at all. It's a mostly light-hearted treatment of some unexplainable stuff that happens in the life of a schlubby, calf-eyed teacher in a school for special children in Glasgow.Richard Conti is the teacher, a nice-enough guy who is modest and goes along with the flow. He's not religious, although the school is run by Catholics. He's attracted to the school's music teacher, Helen Mirren. They're an interestingly mismatched couple. He's of no more than medium height, dark, droopy of features, and appears constantly slouched and moderate in every respect. She's blonde, vivacious, thymotic, moves from place to place quickly, has a long face with a soft nose and keen, perceptive eyes.The TV guide was more or less right. He does fall from a roof, he loses a brain tumor, and strange things happen around him. But the description has the order wrong. First, some minor strange things happen. Instance: a record player that continues to run after she shuts the power off. Next, he's waiting at a bus stop, rolls his eyes without warning, and drops to the pavement. The hospital discovers a lethal brain tumor but tell him nothing since it's too late.Next, he does fall from a roof while trying to rescue a frightened student, and falls more than 40 feet to the ground. A tree breaks his fall and he winds up with no more than a slight tear in his shirt and minor bruises. He's brought to the hospital again and X-rayed. The docs discover that the tumor has disappeared. "Tumors do remit," says the doc. Then Conti discovers that he can race through the city and all the red lights change to green just as he enters the intersections. One of his students, who could not walk, can now walk. The performance of others improve dramatically. Now, here's the kind of thing I appreciate, that prompts me to believe the movie has an adult audience in mind. The kid that finds herself able to walk does it off screen. We are spared the sight of poor little Alice MacKenzie standing up, dropping her crutches, and wobbling a few feet towards some guy who is calling out, "WALK, Alice, you can DO it!" I sobbed with relief. I groveled in gratitude.The second half of the movie drags a bit, I thought, as the newspapers get hold of events and begins giving Conti and the other staff members the tabloid treatment. There were time when I wished the story could have been given the old Ealing Studios treatment, which would have pepped things up with its iconoclasticism. Miracles? Bloody hell.The film was shot in Glasgow, which looks a lot more civilized than when I was there. I noticed a couple of Maxwells in the cast and crew and wonder if any are distant relatives, my Grand Daddy having been a bobby on the police force there. But I haven't been in Scotland in years. I wonder if Edinburgh still has that old stony castle on top of the hill, and if Ullapool has changed its name to something more dignified.Anyway, if your TV guide makes this sound like an Afterschool Special, ignore it and watch the movie anyway. It's pretty good.

A sweet, small-scale movie, rarely shown and only available in a deleted full screen PAL VHS edition at present, this film was screened on Scottish TV on 19 April 2009 in widescreen. It's quite grainy and the sound isn't exactly DTS quality but the story's good and the performances are universally good. It's Conti's film and his acting is almost invisible - I hope that's a compliment - whilst Mirren is an excellent foil to him; their relationship is not uncomplicated and consequently very real. Glasgow is shown in its all its pre "...Miles Better" glory with tower blocks and grime to the fore with a 14 year old Ewen Bremner in a key role as underachiever Stevie Deans. A sad sign of our times is that the innocent and friendly physical contact between teacher and pupil seen in 1986 would no longer be tolerated in 2009. Has Blessed Edith Semple School been granted its longed-for miracles or is Vic simply a great teacher triumphing in difficult circumstances? You decide.

I'm going to begin by saying, this review might be a little biased, since I knew Mr. Gormley, who was gracious enough to offer his time and expertise to young screenwriters, whenever he recognized talent. When I met him (in 2003), I knew I'd heard his name before, but couldn't place how or when. It was only after that first meeting (at a local screen writing group) that I looked up his name on IMDb and realized he'd written one of my favorite movies of the 1980's."The Gospel According to Vic" is how I know this film; though, as you can see from the top of the info page, it's mainly known as "Heavenly Prusuits." It's not a big budget, blockbuster film, but it does contain a lot of heart, honesty, and decency. It's a story of miracles and belief -- what constitutes a miracle? What distinguishes a miracle from a happy accident or coincidence? Can you be a man of science and a true believer at the same time? Can miracles happen to non-believers? And just how comfortable are people with the idea of real miracles happening all around them?I can't really pin down why I like this film so much, beyond the fact that it contains realistically drawn characters who deal with some basic philosophical questions. It's not a big film... not an action film or a broad comedy. It's the kind of movie you could share with your family and have a discussion about it afterward.Conti and Mirren are brilliant, and even the minor players (like the Doctor and the Priest) are well-acted and fleshed out. Sometimes it's hard to understand the students' dialogue, if you see the film in its original release version (Mr. Gormley told me they'd actually dubbed the film later for the international version, using actors whose accents weren't as thick).Well worth the effort, if you can track down a copy...