movie review of i heard the bells

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DVD & Streaming

I Heard the Bells

Biography/History , Christian , Drama

Content Caution

In the wake of tragedy, poet Henry Wadsworth looks pensively to the sky.

In Theaters

December 1, 2022
Stephen Atherholt as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; Jonathan Blair as Charley Longfellow; Rachel Day Hughes as Fanny Longfellow

Home Release Date

November 14, 2023
Joshua Enck

Distributor

Sight & Sound Films

Movie Review

It was an innocent suggestion, made in the most innocent of days. The Longfellow family was enjoying the earliest hours of Christmas morning in 1860, their Massachusetts house ringing with children’s laughter as, outside, the church bells rang in the holiday.

Frances Longfellow turned to her husband and told him that he should write a poem about Christmas.

“Christmas is already a poem, Fanny,” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow told her. “It doesn’t need my help.”

Most of America would’ve sided with Fanny, though.

Henry, who penned “Paul Revere’s Ride” And Evangeline , was the rare poet who mattered. His works were known not just by Ivy League literature professors, but by the guy who cleaned the professor’s chimneys. Back in the day, some said that Longfellow wasn’t just the country’s most famous poet : He might be its most famous person .

That Christmas, it would indeed seem as though America’s poet and his family had everything that could be wished or hoped for. Henry’s income paid for necessities and luxuries alike. Henry and Fanny were still deeply in love. Their home echoed with laughter and song.

But it was the last Christmas they would know such joy.

If you listened carefully underneath those peeling bells, you could hear the thunder of war drums. Abraham Lincoln had been elected President just the month before—a leader that the slave-owning South would not tolerate. The Civil War was only months away. Charley Longfellow, Henry’s oldest son, would love to join the Union army, if only his father would let him. But Henry once lost a daughter. He’s not about to lose a son, too.

And while Henry couldn’t know it then, another sort of devastation would visit him in the year to come—one that would scar him physically and emotionally, one that would leave him in a state of despair.

Christmas is already a poem , Henry said. But the Christmas of 1861 would be a very different day. Christmas that year needed all the help it could get.

And Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was in no shape to give it.

Editor’s Note: While the events documented in this movie took place more than 150 years ago, they’re not necessarily that familiar to most folks. And some are critical to the content sections that follow. There will be spoilers ahead.

Positive Elements

Longfellow, of course, was a real poet—though today, few of us know much more about him than his name. I Heard the Bells gives this semi-forgotten literary lion new life, telling us something about his triumphant, sometimes tragic, story.

We learn, for instance, that he was one of the era’s best-known abolitionists, writing poems that pleaded for the cause of the South’s enslaved population. (One of his poems is dramatically read by a former slave during a dinner party.) He instilled that zeal into his son, Charley, who wanted to fight for the Union cause. Henry never wanted his son to fight in the war, and I think we can laud both Charley’s willingness to serve and Henry’s desire to protect his son.

But Fanny just might be the film’s best hero. I Heard the Bells stresses that she’s pretty talented in her own right (Henry credits her for editing his poems), and she’s perpetually encouraging Henry’s own work. “We need poets to change the world, Henry, not politicians,” she tells him.

Spiritual Elements

Fanny is also deeply religious. Entries that Henry finds in her journal prove as much. He reads that, for her, taking her first communion (and thus entering the community of Christ) was a life-changing moment. “I seemed already a new creature,” she writes.

Given her deep faith and character, Fanny’s death rocks Henry’s own faith mightily.

Even before Fanny’s passing, Henry doesn’t seem as though he’s a big fan of church. He thinks the pastor is “creepy” and seems thrilled when the Christmas Eve service is over, preferring to frolic outside in the snow with his youngest daughter. But when Fanny died, Henry later admits to the pastor, his faith seemed dead as well. (The pastor insists that she, and God, are very much alive, and Henry can spend time with both through their writings.) Though Henry still clings to vestiges of faith, he’s clearly not sure of much of anything in Fanny’s aftermath. “If God gave me the voice of a poet, then why did he take away my poetry from me?” He thunders at one point. “I will never write again.”

Still, he believes enough to be horrified when he clashes with Charley over his secret enlistment into the army. “This is not God’s will for you!” Henry tells him.

“You still believe in that?” Charley shoots back. “What do you think He was doing when [Fanny died]? Was He sleeping? … I will not put [hope] in a God who’s sleeping. Or a God who’s dead.”

But when Charley is injured in the war, he’s taken inside a ruined church, where he sees the church bell lying beside him. When he recalls that time later, he admits, “I was scared that I was right … about God being dead.” He says, though, that he had a near-miraculous revelation there as well. And as we listen to his story, we catch a glimpse of a stained-glass window that Charley saw in that church, the glass adorned with a depiction of Jesus.

Henry too has a spiritual turnaround. As he writes for the first time in a while (near what looks like a piece of wood that says “I will not forsake thee), he ultimately shouts, “My poetry lives! My God lives!” The poem that he writes, “Christmas Bells,” contains several Christian allusions and statements, especially in its triumphant closing stanza. And the movie itself ends with a quote from Longfellow’s “The Musician’s Tale; The Saga of King Olaf”:

The dawn is not distant, Nor is the night starless; Love is eternal! God is still God, and His faith shall not fail us; Christ is eternal!

Sexual Content

It’s obvious throughout this biographical story that Henry and Fanny love each other. They’re in a constant state of affection when they’re together, and they sometimes mildly flirt. Henry tells Fanny how beautiful she is.

We learn that Henry was married once before. His first wife died, and Henry tells a clergyman that he feels responsible for her death, because he put his career before her (and forced her to go across the Atlantic with him when she was in a delicate state).

Charley also has a love interest here, whose name is Mary.

Violent Content

I Heard the Bells documents a tragedy and a near-tragedy in the Longfellow family, both of which are rather violent.

First, Fanny’s death. History tells us that she burned to death when her dress caught on fire while Henry was taking a nap. The movie doesn’t show us the explicit details of Fanny’s demise, but it does show her dress ablaze as she screams for help. Henry tries to smother the flames, but he can’t before it’s too late to save her. When her funeral is held, Henry doesn’t attend: He’s laid up in his own bed, face disfigured and his hands bandaged from his own burns. (In real life, Longfellow was famous for his beard—a beard he grew to hide the burn scars on his face.)

Next, Charley. Though Henry tried to call in some favors to ensure his son’s safety, both Charley and a commanding general had a different idea. The general sends Charley off to scout an area around a church, but it proves to be an ambush. We don’t see the bullet that wounds Charley, but do see the young soldier with blood pooling around the middle of his torso. He was shot in the back, and we’re told he nearly died.

We hear an officer talk about how wagons will soon “be stacked with bloody heaps of men.” Charley recalls how the church where he was taken was riddled with a “million bullet holes.” In happier times, Henry pegs a pastor in the face with a snowball. A few men go duck hunting. We hear about how Charles Sumner, a politician and one of Henry’s best friends, was beaten with a cane in Congress for his abolitionist views.

Crude or Profane Language

Drug and alcohol content.

After Fanny dies, Henry turns to ether to cope with both his physical and mental pain. (In real life, we’re told that Longfellow’s post-Fanny drug of choice was an opioid called Laudanum .) Charley accuses his father of not leaving the house except to get more of it.

Wine is served with dinner.

Other Negative Elements

After Fanny’s death, Henry largely withdraws from his family. We see his son, Ernest, helping to take care of his three daughters. And when Henry tells Charley that he can’t leave, that the family needs him, Charley snaps back, “To replace their absent father and dead mother?”

Charley goes behind his father’s back to sign up for the Union army.

We hear Longfellow’s poem “There Was a Little Girl,” which makes a rather disparaging comment about said little girl. (“When she was good, she was very good indeed/But when she was bad she was horrid.”)

Sometimes we lose sight of the meaning of Christmas.

Oh, I think most anyone who might be reading this review has a good idea of why we celebrate Christmas: The birth of Jesus is certainly worth celebrating.

But as important as that event is, all the lights and food and, yes, bells that go along with it can distract us from the context of that celebration.

We celebrate Christmas on December 25, near the very darkest (and for many, the coldest) days of the year. For centuries, it was a bleak, difficult time. Christmas not only commemorated the birth of our Savior, but it reminded believers that with that birth came hope . The world wasn’t always going to be so cold and dark: A light had come into the world.

Today we lose sight of some of that historical darkness. Our streets are lit with Christmas decorations. We talk about the Christmas season , and we associate that with outrageously decorated trees and holiday parties and cookies and television specials and just oodles of anticipation. When we ask someone whether they’re feeling the Christmas spirit, we all know what that means.

Longfellow’s age had its own Christmas season and spirit—perhaps not as lavish or as commercialized as our own, but still there.

But in I Heard the Bells , Henry Wadsworth Longfellow finds darkness in the days before Christmas. Tragedy has covered the season in black. “How inexpressively sad are the holidays,” he tells us. “’Merry Christmas’ say the children. But that is no more for me.”

But in the darkness of the story we see light. We see hope.

I Heard the Bells is a product of Sight & Sound Theatres, an organization known for its lavish stage productions of biblical stories. Most people who’ve gone to one of their productions in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, or Branson, Missouri, rave about them.

Now, Sight & Sound is expanding into the movie business—not stage productions that are recorded and shown on screen, but productions made to be movies from the get-go. I Heard the Bells is the company’s real experiment in that world.

That lack of experience shows here a bit. The movie still feels like a stage production. The stage demands big movements and exaggerated emotion to make it to the back row. Movies, on the other hand, reward a certain subtlety—a product of experience, which Sight & Sound will gain as it finds its footing in this new medium.

Meanwhile the core story—one little known today—carries this film. Longfellow’s journey from joy to grief to rekindled hope is a powerful one—and embodied by the poem that inspired the movie itself.

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: “God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; The Wrong shall fail, The Right prevail, With peace on earth, good-will to men.”

Paul Asay has been part of the Plugged In staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He’s written for a number of other publications, too, including Time, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. The author of several books, Paul loves to find spirituality in unexpected places, including popular entertainment, and he loves all things superhero. His vices include James Bond films, Mountain Dew and terrible B-grade movies. He’s married, has two children and a neurotic dog, runs marathons on occasion and hopes to someday own his own tuxedo. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @AsayPaul.

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I Heard the Bells Reviews

The target audience for this faith-based biopic can't argue about the poet's belief in Jesus as a source of goodness and salvation, even if the film's slow pace left some naysayers.

Full Review | Original Score: B- | Dec 21, 2022

This is how you do faith based films right. Well done

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Dec 9, 2022

An elegantly-mounted production with significant appeal for people seeking an inspirational story of faith this, or any, holiday season.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/4 | Dec 1, 2022

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Thursday, December 1, 2022

[review]—"i heard the bells" is a beautiful historical film.

3 comments:

This looks wonderful! I love the costumes, and I love this Christmas carol as well.

More movies of this caliber should be made, thank you.

I would love to take my family to see this movie!

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4 Things You Should Know about I Heard the Bells , Sight & Sound's First Movie

Michael Foust Crosswalk Headlines Contributor
Updated Dec 06, 2022

4 Things You Should Know about <em>I Heard the Bells</em>, Sight & Sound's First Movie

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is a well-known poet who has shaped the views of 1800s America with his mind and penmanship.

The public knows him as the author of Paul Revere's Ride .

His children, though, only know him as the energetic and loving father who brings joy to their home. He's always laughing, always playing, always singing.

But then tragedy strikes. A close family member dies, sending Henry into a spiral of grief that causes him to question life itself.

"If God gave me the voice of a poet, why did he take my poetry?" Henry asks. "I will never write again."

Will Henry ever find the will to live?

The new Sight & Sound movie I Heard the Bells tells the faith-based true story of Henry's battle with grief and his recovery to pen a famous Christmas carol.

Here are four things you should know:

Photo courtesy: ©Sight & Sound, used with permission.

1. It's Sight & Sound's First Theatrical Film

Sight & Sound is best known for its Broadway-style Bible-based musicals that feature a 300-foot wraparound stage, live animals, elaborate sets, a massive LED screen (the "world's largest flying LED screen"), special effects and dozens of cast members. Sight & Sound's productions – they have locations in Lancaster, Pa., and Branson, Mo. – just may be the best Bible-based musicals on the planet. (Recent musicals spotlighted Moses, Noah, David and Jesus.)

"We want to move people's hearts towards truth through the power of story," Josh Enck, president and chief story officer of Sight & Sound, told Crosswalk. Enck directed it.

"One of the ways that we can keep production costs down is to do it ourselves," Enck said. "We have a whole company full of carpenters and costumes and wigs and even animals."

2. It Spotlights a Hero of History

Perhaps you've never heard of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. But if you lived in 1800s America, you would have. Longfellow (1807-1882) wrote the famous poem Paul Revere's Ride (1861) that propelled Revere into American folklore. Years earlier, Longfellow penned Poems on Slavery (1842), publicly establishing himself as an abolitionist. Both works are referenced in I Heard the Bells – Longfellow's son Charles is popular among fellow Civil War soldiers due to his famous father – but the film's climax is Longfellow's writing of Christmas Bells , which later was set to music and became the famous Christmas carol, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day . Longfellow was friends with Charles Dickens.

"[Longfellow] was America's most famous person," Enck told Crosswalk. "He was a celebrity."

Sight & Sound's movies , Enck said, will "portray the stories of figures and events from history that changed the world, because Christ first changed them."

The company has plans for a second film (spotlighting a different historical figure).

"I've already started working on it," Enck said.

3. It's about Tragedy … and Hope

Longfellow wrote Christmas Bells in the wake of a personal tragedy that caused him to question life itself. We see him lying in bed, depressed and inconsolable, wishing he were dead. We watch as he sits at the dinner table, quiet and despondent, as the rest of his family laughs. His son, Charles, wants to serve in the Civil War. Yet Longfellow can't stand the thought of his son possibly dying.

"You never leave the house," Charles tells him. His father has "written poems that "inspired the union" but is wasting away in his current state.

The film urges the audience to ask: What is the purpose of tragedy? How do we move on? What role can faith play? How can we help others who are going through tough times?

Later in the film, Charles returns to his faith, telling his father, "You are not done ringing." In the final minutes, Longfellow pens his famous poem. It includes a lyric that testifies to his spiritual journey: "God is not dead, nor doth He sleep."

I Heard the Bells , Enck said, is "really a story about hope."

4. It's Fantastic … and Family-Friendly

The timing couldn't be better for Sight & Sound's filmmaking venture. Hollywood movies are growing more coarse, more "non-family-friendly." In other words, we need more G and PG content, and Sight & Sound Films could help fill that void.

I Heard the Bells includes no coarse language or sexuality. It has a few mature thematic elements – a family member dies, a son goes off to war, and individuals question their faith – but stays firmly within the boundaries of a PG film. (Technically, I Heard the Bells is unrated .)

The actors and actresses are solid and believable. (It uses cast from the Sight & Sound stage productions.) The plot keeps you guessing. (It has plenty of hope and inspiration but also friction.) The score adds to the emotional tug-at-your heart. It looks and feels different than most faith-based films.

"Our films are going to have a theatrical flair to them," Enck said. "I'm a daddy of four kids, and … I want all of our stories to be able to be family-friendly. And this one, I believe, is."

Visit IHeardtheBellsMovie.com . I Heard the Bells is unrated. (It contains minor war violence and tragedy – we briefly watch as someone is killed by fire – but no coarse language or sexuality.)

Entertainment rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Family-friendly rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Photo courtesy: ©Sight & Sound, used with permission.

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

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I Heard the Bells (2022)

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This Henry Wadsworth Longfellow movie is now my favorite family Christmas film

This new movie explores how longfellow navigates personal tragedy and the heaviness of the civil war.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow sitting at a desk in the film.

By Hanna Seariac

American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote the words to the famous hymn “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.” Now there’s a movie that tells us more about him.

Sight & Sound, a ministry production company, released “I Heard The Bells” for this Christmas season. This is the company’s first feature film , according to the Sight & Sound production company website.

The film is rated PG-13 and does show brief scenes of violence and implies violence as well.

‘I Heard The Bells’ review

The movie is about the American poet Longfellow. According to the National Park Service , Longfellow was a burgeoning author who wrote prolifically and he was also written about prolifically during his life. One of the most significant moments of his life was when his wife Fanny died of burns in 1861. As he mourned his wife, he turned to writing the words that became the hymn, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.”

From beginning to end, I loved this movie.

It’s a heartwarming story.

This new movie explores how Longfellow navigates personal tragedy and the heaviness of the Civil War. Longfellow’s personal journey highlights his faith, his abolitionist writings and how he interacts with subjects like family, unity and experiencing joy through sorrow.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and his family with Christmas decorations around him.

The narrative of the film shows Longfellow as a complex figure. He’s a complicated person in the film, but also a deeply sympathetic one. Family is a major part of the film, especially as Longfellow navigates what his abolitionist work means for those who die in war.

His relationship with his wife is tender and the audience will appreciate the clean romance that this film shows.

The production quality of the film is impressive, especially considering that this is the first movie from the company. The picture was crystal clear and the filmmakers succeeded in recreating the atmosphere in which Longfellow lived.

The themes throughout the film were interesting, particularly the juxtaposition of hope and grief. The religious elements of the film deserve praise.

This was a Christian movie that was not over the top about being a Christian movie. Christianity was weaved through the plot seamlessly and the viewer was able to appreciate the deepening of Longfellow’s conversion without feeling preached at. I especially enjoyed how Longfellow experienced a real darkness of the soul and then emerged hopeful.

Overall, this movie is a great family Christmas movie that has a positive message. It’s one not to miss this season.

I Heard the Bells

I Heard the Bells - User Reviews

Thank you for rating this movie read your review below. ratings will be added after 24 hours..

Based on 44 votes and 17 reviews

Please rate movie 1 to 5 stars

I loved that Hollywood stayed out of it it was such a beautifully family movie wish there were more like it

I wasn’t sure about viewing this movie but after doing so found myself transfixed by the force of its inspiring true story and awed by the circumstances surrounding creation of the beloved Christmas carol written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

GREAT MOVIE IN EVERY WAY. WE WISH THERE WAS MORE MEANINGFUL MOVIES THAT A FAMILY CAN ENJOY.

I do not go to many movies, but I am glad I saw this one. It is a good movie that I recommend to you this Christmas season. I Heard the Bells tells the story of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882), an American poet that rose to national prominence before the Civil War. The movie tells the story of his life just before and during the war, plus a brief scene years later. Its focus is his poem, written in 1863, the year of bloody battles at Chancellorsville, Vicksburg, Gettysburg, Chickamauga, and Chattanooga. Much later, it was put to music as the Christmas carol we hear and sing today. Before going to the movie, I knew little about Longfellow. Afterwards, I looked into him a bit, and it appears that the movie was quite faithful to his life and events through the time covered. Not knowing about him, the opening scenes seemed a bit overdone to me, but I now accept them as a reflection of Longfellow's wealth and esteemed place in Massachusetts society. Christian movies have a reputation for poor quality, but I Heard the Bells was, to my eye, well done. The Longfellow household is shown as a place where faith in Christ is both real and important in life, but it does not sugarcoat the tragedies of this sinful world. Reality in this life is well-expressed by Longfellow's words in an opening scene: “Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and oftentimes we call a man cold when he is only sad.” Unusually, the final movie credits were followed by information on its production by Sight & Sound Films, which has been making Christian films and other products since 1976. I never heard of any of them, but based on I Heard the Bells, I left the theater hoping the movie is a box office success, giving the company resources for future movies. Otherwise, I was pleased to leave behind the other shows, with their godless stories of this or that. Ugh.

True story of Henry Longfellow’s work as a poet. Great movie to watch for Christmas.

What a masterpiece! Poignant portrayals and compelling storytelling. Thoroughly got caught up in this inspirational period piece brought to life and the big screen. So glad I went and experienced it! Look forward to more from Sight & Sound!

So refreshing to see a Christian based movie in our theaters...please do not miss this wonderful movie. A true story and perfect for this time of the year!!

Thank you for showing this tremendous movie in our little town. It has such a message that God is not dead and there is hope when things go wrong and our plans are crushed. God loves us and will save us😇

I enjoyed the authentic, believeable depiction of this movie! When I saw the trailer, it looked good BUT when I SAW THE MOVIE, I was awed! The love, tragedy & healing in this movie was so inspiring! I want this one on DVD!!! Nothing like seeing it on the BIG SCREEN!!! It is the story behind the making of this song, I Heard the Bells! Excellent!!! A must see!

Very slow. Probably better viewed at home on Masterpiece Theater on television.

What a wonderful story for the Christmas Season. The actors were breathtaking. I plan to go again.

Wow! So glad I saw this. I'm not a fan of poetry and don't really know this poet's work, but I love the line "writers ramble on, poets ramble on in rhyme". What a beautiful family, what a horrible tragedy and paralyzing grief, but what amazing love and redemption and healing. Full range of emotions, for sure. Exceptional movie and life. Now I'll have to go look up his works. Thanks!

This was cast well, directed well, had gorgeous period costumes and drew you into the Longfellow family dynamics. I laughed. I cried. I winced. I cheered! I know some say it is dark in places, but it's REAL LIFE. I enjoyed Henry Wadsworth Longellow's poetry, but now I know the man behind it!! Bravo!

Captured the soul of a forgotten family. Gave us a glimpse of what effect the written word has, when done by a master penman.

I saw it yesterday! It is exceptional! I want to see it again and will buy it when it comes out on DVD. I love knowing the history behind the song and will always remember it when I sing it.

He was struck by tragedy ....and came to the other side of his grief...can't wait for dvd...it's definitely on my list..

We have deep ties to Gettysburg, both my Uncle Tom and Myself (Dave) my uncle was actually in Gettysburg while filming this movie was taking place there. He was on the field as they filmed. My uncle is my HERO, God bless all

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I Heard the Bells — Movie Review

Verdict: A well-crafted and meaningful story about finding hope and beauty amidst a broken world.

About The Movie

The Christmas movie season is fast approaching. This time of year provides fertile soil for uplifting stories. The faith-based film I Heard the Bells is a Christmas movie, but of a different sort than many traditional holiday films. It tells the true story of how the great American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned the exquisite poem and holiday carol “Christmas Bells” against the backdrop of the Civil War and intense personal tragedy. As both an unabashed classic literature nerd and a Christmas fanatic, the film intrigued me. Despite suffering from a few shortcomings prevalent in many faith-based films, I Heard the Bells is a well-crafted and meaningful story with enough filmmaking competency to do the subject justice.

The movie is the first film from Sight and Sound, which has previously focused on theatrical performances. It’s a surprisingly strong debut effort. The theater background is evident at times, particularly in the acting. That’s not to say the performances are poor. In fact, they’re quite good. But they have a theatrical flair. For the most part, the film represents a successful move into cinema. The cinematography is well done with moments of sophistication, such as a few well-executed longer tracking shots and some clever transitions. As with most faith-based films, I Heard the Bells lacks the budget or spectacle of a typical Hollywood blockbuster. For example, the Civil War battle action happens just off screen. Nevertheless, the filmmakers make the most of what they have, and the set design never feels cheap or of the “Church Christmas Program” variety.

The heart of the film and its biggest strength is the story itself. I Heard the Bells has a deep and meaningful story that it shares rather than preaches. Like many, I have a somewhat complicated relationship with faith-based films, since they too often feel like sermons poorly disguised as movies. I Heard the Bells doesn’t overcook its message. It focuses on the personal journey of Longfellow and to a lesser extent, his family. In other words, it’s not a sermon about finding God amidst grief and suffering; it’s the story of how a broken man found hope.

Even during what might be considered the more “didactic” or “evangelistic” scenes, such as a priest attempting to comfort Longfellow in a church, the answers the film gives are not all that intellectually satisfying. But they don’t need to be. The priest is not trying to deliver an evangelistic spiel to the audience; he is comforting an individual. As a result, there is a degree of realism that makes Longfellow’s journey feel more powerful. I Heard the Bells shares an important message about faith and grief, but it never feels like a Sunday School lesson, and I mean that as the highest compliment.

Lastly, this is a Christmas film, but not a particularly festive one. The opening thirty minutes are warm and comforting, but the rest of the runtime is somber. This is clearly by design considering the weightier subject matter, and certainly not all Christmas films are required to be breezy singalongs. Perhaps adjust your expectations accordingly.

I went into I Heard the Bells hoping that my deep love of literature and Christmas would make the expected cringe-worthiness of a faith-based film more palatable, and I was pleased to find my concerns unfounded. I greatly enjoyed this film and expect it will inspire many others this holiday season. With this impressive debut, Sight & Sound is off to an extremely promising start, and I look forward to seeing what they do next.

For Consideration

Profanity: None.

Violence: A woman’s dress catches on fire and she dies from the event. The scene is not gruesome, and the burned skin is not shown. But it may be intense for younger viewers. There are also several moments in which characters describe, in somewhat grim detail, the horrific consequences of the war.

Sexuality: None.

Engage The Film

Finding hope in god amidst a broken world.

The movie draws its main theme directly from the poem itself, which beautifully captures Longfellow’s struggle to see God at work in a world filled with so much pain and suffering. Essentially, the story is an exploration of the classical philosophical problem of evil (ie. if God is all loving and all powerful, then how is there so much evil in the world?). It’s a difficult problem, and the film never attempts to simplify it. Instead, it personalizes it.

In one scene, Longfellow has a heated conversation with his son, who desires to enlist in the army: “This is not God’s will for you,” he says, to which his son responds, “God’s will. So, you still believe in that? What do you think he was doing when [a family tragedy happened]. Was he sleeping? Hope? I will not put it in a God who is sleeping. Or a God who is dead…there, I said it for both of us.” Earlier, Longfellow expresses his personal grief, “If God gave me the voice of a poet, then why did he take my poetry from me? I will never write again. As the dead lie silent. My voice lies silent. Let the war within me rage.”

The movie doesn’t minimize suffering (the real Longfellow never truly recovered from his grief) or attempt to provide a canned “free-will defense” to the question. Instead, it allows the characters to grieve, and in that grief to find God’s peace. I Heard the Bells doesn’t endeavor to explain why God allows suffering to exist, but it reminds viewers that it is in the middle of suffering that we need to draw nearest to God (Matthew 11:28-30).

The Power of Art

Another theme is the power of art to provide comfort and hope. Longfellow’s wife expresses that the world needs poets to put into words what everyone else is feeling. At various times and in numerous contexts, the impact of his poetry is seen. Yet the film doesn’t seem to hold an idealistic “art will change the world” mindset. In one scene, Longfellow’s son confronts his father, arguing that he wrote poems against slavery, but he won’t let him enlist in the army to fight against it. Poetry is a powerful force, but it can also be an escape. Longfellow’s poetry may inspire the nation, but it was not a substitute for action.

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I HEARD THE BELLS

"god’s faithfulness frees the bonds of grief".

	None	Light	Moderate	Heavy
Language
Violence
Sex
Nudity

What You Need To Know:

Miscellaneous Immorality: Many of the conversations surround grief, including the death and miscarriage of Longfellow’s first wife and child, and conversations about Franny’s death and the death of their first child, but the grief ends on an inspiring note of hope and gratitude for God’s faithfulness.

More Detail:

I HEARD THE BELLS is a dramatic telling of the true story behind American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s famous poem turned Christmas carol, I HEARD THE BELLS.

The movie starts with one of Longfellow’s quotes, which reads, “Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and, oftentimes we call a man cold when he is only sad.” The movie cuts to the famous American poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, as he sits down at a writing desk, picks up his pen and begins writing in his Cambridge home in 1863. The movie flashes back to Christmas Eve three years earlier, as Longfellow, his wife Franny and their four children are in a church service.

The family home is full of artists, but times are tough as the North fights to free the slaves in the South. Longfellow is renowned worldwide but only manages to cope with the limelight because of the support of his wife. The couple are invited to dinners with senators, and his poems about the horror of slavery are read during dinner.

Despite the difficult times, the Longfellows are happy to be together as a family. However, tragedy strikes on July 9, 1861, when Franny dies due to her dress catching on fire. Henry is badly burned after trying to put the fire out.

Distraught and angry, Henry stops writing and grows distant from his children. His eldest son, Charley, wants to enlist. Against his father’s wishes, Charley joins the Northern Army. Henry, who’s friends with a Massachusetts senator, asks that his son be promoted so that he doesn’t fight on the front lines.

However, while fighting in Virginia, Charley is shot and badly injured. Longfellow goes to find his son and bring him home. While Charley makes a recovery from his injuries, he discusses his anger and grief with his father. Charley reveals that he expected to die, but that he found hope and faith again in God.

Inspired by his son and thankful for his survival, Longfellow stays up late on Christmas eve in 1863 to write the words to his famous poem, “Christmas Bells.” However, what was meant to be a hopeful poem about God’s faithfulness to his people, Longfellow is overwhelmed by his grief and puts the poem down until morning.

Will the Christmas morning light help Longfellow realize the goodness of God to him and his family?

I HEARD THE BELLS is incredibly well-acted and produced. Despite its truth about the tragedy in Longfellow’s life, the movie ultimately champions the gifts of family, faith, and hope in the face of the darkness of family tragedy and the violent chaos of the Civil War. The movie suffers from some slow pacing, but it’s a wonderful Christmas movie with scenes of prayer, church, salvation, communion, and song. I HEARD THE BELLS points viewers to the goodness of Jesus Christ and the freedom that comes through Him. However, because of some violence and mature themes about grief, MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for younger children.

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Movie Review: I Heard the Bells

This biopic from Sight & Sound Films tells the story of American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s struggle to hold on to his faith in the wake of family tragedy and the horror of the Civil War.

Read the Plugged In review: https:// www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/i-heard-the-bells-2022/

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I Heard the Bells

Short takes

Not suitable under 10; parental guidance to 11 (violence, scary scenes, themes)

This topic contains:

overall comments and recommendations
details of classification and consumer advice lines for I Heard the Bells
a review of I Heard the Bells completed by the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) on 8 December 2022 .

Overall comments and recommendations

Children under 10	Not suitable due to violence, scary scenes and themes.
Children aged 10–11	Parental guidance recommended due to violence, scary scenes and themes.
Children over the age of 11	Ok for this age group.

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Australian Government Classification Board and the associated consumer advice lines. Other classification advice (OC) is provided where the Australian film classification is not available.

Name of movie:	I Heard the Bells
Classification:	PG
Consumer advice lines:	Mild themes
Length:	110 minutes

ACCM review

This review of the movie contains the following information:

a synopsis of the story
use of violence
material that may scare or disturb children
product placement
sexual references
nudity and sexual activity
use of substances
coarse language
the movie’s message

A synopsis of the story

Set in the 1860’s at the start of the American Civil War, I Heard the Bells tells the story of America’s much loved poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (Stephen Atherholt). Henry is happily married to his wife, Frances (Franny) (Rachel Day Hughes), and lives a seemingly idyllic life with his five children. He is well known and admired for his poetry throughout the country. The oldest son, Charley (Jonathan Blair), wants to go and fight in the war but at 17 he needs his father’s permission, which Henry refuses to give and Frances makes Henry promise that he’ll never allow their sons to fight.

Tragedy occurs, however, when Frances dies due to her dress catching on fire. Henry does his best to save her, and is himself badly burnt in the process, but he is unable to. After his wife’s death, Henry withdraws from life and vows to never write again. Charley also feels the loss of his mother greatly and loses his faith in God. Subsequently, he is compelled to go to war and forges his father’s signature to do so. Through Henry’s connections, he is able to protect Charley from the front line, but Charley is eventually shot and wounded in the war. Charley is taken by his comrades into a destroyed church, and is lying on a pew when he sees the church bell on the floor next to him. Close to death, Charley hears the bells ringing loudly, which gives him the hope he needs to cling to life. Henry writes the hymn with the title of the film as a result.

Themes info

Children and adolescents may react adversely at different ages to themes of crime, suicide, drug and alcohol dependence, death, serious illness, family breakdown, death or separation from a parent, animal distress or cruelty to animals, children as victims, natural disasters and racism. Occasionally reviews may also signal themes that some parents may simply wish to know about.

The American Civil War; Slavery; Death; Tragedy; Hope and Faith in God.

Use of violence info

Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.

Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.

There is some violence in this movie, including:

Frances walks through a room and accidentally knocks over a candle, which sets alight her flowing dress. This scene is quite intense as she screams for Henry who is asleep in the next room. Although briefly shown, Henry rolls on top of her to extinguish the fire, suffering terrible burns to his hands and face. Frances dies as a result of her burns.
Scenes of war are shown with soldiers firing rifles and cannons.
Charley and Henry have a heated argument at the dinner table. The other children cry.
Henry and some other men go duck shooting.
Two confederate soldiers with rifles hide behind the church as Charley approaches on horseback. Shots are heard and Charley is seen wounded. He has blood on his face and is unable to move.

Material that may scare or disturb children

Under five info.

Children under five are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations.

In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children under the age of five, including the following:

The scene when Frances’s dress catches on fire is particularly disturbing.

Aged five to eight info

Children aged five to eight will also be frightened by scary visual images and will also be disturbed by depictions of the death of a parent, a child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.

In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes and scary visual images, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children aged five to eight, including the following:

A funeral is held which all of the family attend, except for Henry who is still bedridden. Everyone is dressed in black and the children all cry. Charley goes outside of the church to weep.
Henry is seen in bed with bandages on his hands and his face badly burnt. He cries when he remembers it’s the day of their 18th wedding anniversary.
Frances is shown lying in her coffin.
Charley storms off after fighting with his father. The scene is intense with thunder, lightning and rain. Annie asks if Charley is going to die too.
Soldiers returning from the war are shown on crutches, with bandages around their heads. Charley arrives on a stretcher, looking like he’s about to die.

Aged eight to thirteen info

Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened.

In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children aged eight to thirteen, including the following:

The American Civil War divided the nation on the subject of slavery. The Union wanted an end to slavery and Henry wrote several poems about it. At a dinner, a former slave reads out one of these poems in very dramatic style. He drops a set of chains onto the table, startling everyone, and is so passionate in his reading that it moves the people in the room to tears.
Henry questions why God took Frances away from him.
Charley asks his father how he can still believe in God after allowing his mother to burn to death. What was God doing at the time – was he asleep or dead?
Charley is teased around the army campfire because he has been made a 2nd Lieutenant. This obviously embarrasses him and makes him more determined to see some action.
An army lieutenant tells Charley how he’d just ordered 200 men to march into a slaughterhouse.
Henry tells the Minister that Frances was his second wife. His first wife, Mary, died after miscarrying a baby at 6 months.

Thirteen and over info

Children over the age of thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic physical harm or threats, molestation or sexual assault and / or threats from aliens or the occult.

Nothing further of concern.

Product placement

None noted.

Sexual references

There are some sexual references in this movie, including:

Henry and Frances dance closely together and kiss.

Nudity and sexual activity

Use of substances.

There is some use of substances in this movie, including:

Henry takes ether for the pain.
One of the soldiers smokes a pipe.

Coarse language

In a nutshell.

I Heard the Bells is an inspirational movie about hope and faith. Henry Longfellow’s faith is sorely tested when he loses his most beloved wife, Frances. The film shows the despair of loss of life but also the hope that people live on through their work and deeds. It is a very emotional and intense film, best suited for families with older children.

The main messages from this movie are that people live on through their legacy; and that there is hope after death.

Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include:

The importance of family
Hope and faith
Caring and compassion.

This movie could also give parents the opportunity to discuss with their children attitudes and behaviours, and their real-life consequences, such as:

The film could give parents the opportunity to discuss the reasons for the American Civil War and the abolition of slavery.
Parents could also discuss their own beliefs.

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Movie Review: I Heard the Bells

This biopic from Sight & Sound Films tells the story of American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s struggle to hold on to his faith in the wake of family tragedy and the horror of the Civil War.

Read the Plugged In review: https:// www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/i-heard-the-bells-2022/

If you've listened to any of our podcasts, please give us your feedback: https://focusonthefamily.com/podcastsurvey/

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I HEARD THE BELLS

Post author: Dennis Schwartz
Post published: December 21, 2022
Post category: Uncategorized

(director/writer: Joshua Enck; screenwriter: Jeff Bender; cinematographer: Steve Buckwalter; editor: Jordan Graff; music: Chad Marriott; cast: Stephen Atherholt (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow), Jonathan Blair (Charley Longfellow), Rachel Day Hughes (Fanny Longfellow), Zack Meeker (Ernest Longfellow); Runtime: 110; MPAA Rating: NR; producer: Joshua Enck; Fathom Events/Sight & Sound Films; 2022)

“The target audience for this faith-based biopic can’t argue about the poet’s belief in Jesus as a source of goodness and salvation, even if the film’s slow pace left some naysayers.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz First-time feature film director Joshua Enck is the writer-director of this feel-good biopic on America’s anti-slavery Civil War poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (Stephen Atherholt). He’s the writer of the 1863 poem “Christmas Bells” that later inspired the classic yuletide Christmas Carol: “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.” The poet lived happily in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with his wife Fanny (Rachel Day Hughes) and four children. But tragedy struck in 1861, when Franny dies because her dress catches on fire and hubby is badly burned trying to put the fire out. Then Henry becomes despondent and stops writing, and furthermore his oldest son Charley (Jonathan Blair) enlists to fight for the Union against his father’s wishes. In a battle in Virginia, Charley is severely injured and brought back home by his father. When nursed back to health, Charlie renews his belief in God. The poet in 1863 in response, stays up all night on Christmas Eve to write “Christmas Bells.” But the scenes of family togetherness, faith, prayer and communion should be pleasing to the Christian believer who observes the traditional religious way. As his target audience for this faith-based biopic can’t argue about the poet’s belief in Jesus as a source of goodness and salvation, even if the film’s slow pace left some naysayers.

REVIEWED ON 12/21/2022 GRADE: B-

Night house, the, megan leavey.

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I Heard the Bells

1 hr 50 mins
Drama, Fantasy

Known as America's Poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow leads an idyllic life – until the day his world is shattered by tragedy. With a nation divided by Civil War and his family torn apart, Henry puts down his pen, silenced by grief. But it's the sound of Christmas morning that reignites the poet's lost voice as he discovers the resounding hope of rekindled faith.

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0:20 I Heard The Bells (Fathom Events 20 Second Trailer)

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Stephen atherholt, henry wadsworth longfellow, jonathan blair, charley longfellow, rachel day hughes, fanny longfellow, latest news see all, trailers & videos see all.

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I Heard the Bells Parent Guide

This film may be flawed, but that doesn't diminish the power of its hopeful message of faith and triumph over darkness..

Theaters: Based on a true story, this film recounts the soul-wrenching experiences that led great American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to stop writing - until he penned a beloved Christmas carol.

Release date December 1, 2022

Run Time: 110 minutes

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The guide to our grades, parent movie review by kirsten hawkes.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (Stephen Atherholt) is America’s most popular poet – but he has sworn never to write again. One bereavement after another has left him emotionally spent and unable to summon up the energy or imagination to put words to paper. The final straw is when his eldest son, Charlie (Jonathan Blair), joins the Union Army without his father’s consent. As Charlie rides off to war, he shouts at his father that he will no longer “put hope in a God who is sleeping or a God who is dead.”

With his own faith frozen, Longfellow pulls strings to keep his son away from the front lines of the Civil War and then waits in dread for the feared knock at the door. As the poet descends into a dark night of the soul, it seems unlikely that inspirational words will ever flow from his pen again. How then, does this wounded and grieving man become the author of the beloved Christmas anthem, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day”?

What goes wrong with this movie? Its biggest weakness comes in the first act of the film, which feels stage-y. It too often seems that the actors are reciting lines, not having authentic conversations. At the worst moments, I felt like I was watching community theater (good community theater, but still…) Most distracting of all is Longfellow’s wig. It’s almost impossible to describe how bad his wig is: I don’t know what it’s made from but it never looks like real hair. In some scenes it looks like he’s dressing up as Karl Marx, which I am 100% sure is not the look the wardrobe department was trying to achieve. The rest of the movie looks good, I just wish the production staff had spent a bit more money on better wigs for their lead actor.

On the flip side, this movie has a lot to recommend it to family audiences (and particularly to Christian viewers). Negative content is minimal with just enough violence to provide historical accuracy and to keep the narrative moving. The film provides a touching depiction of a strong, loving family and honestly portrays the challenges of maintaining faith in a world of suffering and anguish. It’s a triumphant shout from the battle raging in a man’s soul; a powerful witness of how his renewed faith in God brings light into the darkness of grief and isolation. This message never grows old and as Christmas 2022 approaches in a world gripped by war, famine, and plague, a reminder that “The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, With peace on earth, good will to men” is as timely as it was in 1863.

About author

Kirsten hawkes, watch the trailer for i heard the bells.

I Heard the Bells Rating & Content Info

Why is I Heard the Bells rated Not Rated? I Heard the Bells is rated Not Rated by the MPAA

Violence: There are scenes of distant war violence and mention of injuries and death. A soldier is shot and is seen with bloody injuries. There is mention of miscarriage and maternal death. A woman burns to death when her dress catches fire. A man is seen with burns on his face and hands. A woman’s dead body is briefly seen in her coffin. There is mention of an abolitionist politician being beaten by a slave owner. Sexual Content: None. Profanity: None. Alcohol / Drug Use: A soldier smokes a pipe. Alcohol is seen at a dinner party and people hold glasses of what is presumably alcohol, but no one is seen drinking it. A bottle of ether is seen on a bedside table and it is suggested that a main character is abusing the drug to cope with emotional distress.

Page last updated January 20, 2024

I Heard the Bells Parents' Guide

Why does Charlie believe that God is dead or sleeping? If you are a religious person, have you ever faced a challenge to your faith? How did you respond to it? How do Charlie and his father address their loss of faith? What helps them recover their faith?

Loved this movie? Try these books…

If Longfellow’s story is meaningful to you, you can look for the picture book about the writing of the Christmas carol. Entitled I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day, the book is written by Lloyd and Karmel Newell and illustrated by Dan Burr.

To learn more about this influential poet, you can read Cross of Snow: A Life of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow by Nicholas A. Basbanes.

A complete collection of Longfellow’s poems can be read for free online at Project Gutenberg.

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New faith-based movie "i heard the bells" tells the story of rekindled faith in the midst of war.

Sight & Sound has created biblically-based entertainment at its performance theaters, now they are planning to release the new Christmas movie release, I Heard the Bells. The movie revolves around the true story of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, author of the 1863 poem "Christmas Bells", which inspired the Christmas carol "I Heard the Christmas Bells on Christmas Day." I Heard the Bells will be in movie theaters this Christmas for 3 days only - December 1, 3, and 4.

Set in the 1800s, the film is about American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow leads an idyllic life...until the day his world is shattered by tragedy. With a nation divided by Civil War and his family torn apart, Henry puts down his pen, silenced by grief. But it's the sound of Christmas morning that reignites the poet's lost voice as he discovers the resounding hope of rekindled faith.

As I Heard the Bells is set in the mid 1800's, it was important to the filmmakers that the costumes were accurate for the time period. With countless hours spent researching and designing, the final results are truly a masterpiece, as seen in this snapshot of our lead actress with members of the costume team.

To purchase your tickets, click HERE .

Sight & Sound® is a ministry on a mission to create spectacular entertainment experiences for the whole family. Since its beginning as a traveling multimedia show in 1976, Sight & Sound® has inspired over 25 million people with stories of faith. Today, Sight & Sound® owns and operates two live theater locations, immersing audiences in state-of-the-art original productions. Sight & Sound TV® launched in 2020, and this online streaming platform has since welcomed a global virtual audience from over 175 countries around the world. Most recently, Sight & Sound® announced expansion into feature films production, with I Heard the Bells as the first-ever theatrical release set for cinemas nationwide December 2022.

Tags : Sight & Sound I Heard the Bells Christmas Movie Faith based movie Henry Wadsworth Longfellow I Heard the Bells film

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I Heard The Bells | Home

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iOS 18 makes iPhone more personal, capable, and intelligent than ever

Three iPhone 15 Pro devices are shown in a row, with the first displaying a customized Home Screen, the second showing enhanced Tapbacks in Messages, and the third displaying the redesigned Photos app.

New Levels of Customization and Capability

iPhone 15 Pro shows the Home Screen with apps and widgets arranged around a photo.

Photos Gets a Unified View, New Collections, and Customization

iPhone 15 Pro shows a photo grid and collections in the Photos app.

Powerful Ways to Stay Connected in Messages

iPhone 15 Pro shows a message being composed with the word “bouncing” selected and the text effect Jitter selected.

Enhancements to Mail

iPhone 15 Pro displays an inbox in Mail with the label Primary shown above a series of emails.

Big Updates to Safari

iPhone 15 Pro displays the Passwords app with a list of app icons shown, including Door Dash, Atlas Obscura, LinkedIn, and more.

Introducing the Passwords App

New Privacy Features Designed to Empower Users

iPhone 15 Pro shows a screen with a prompt asking if the user would like to require Face ID for the Photos app.

Apple Intelligence Transforms the iPhone Experience

iPhone 15 Pro shows a message being composed with Writing Tools below it, including proofread and rewrite options.

In Apple Maps , users can browse thousands of hikes across national parks in the United States and easily create their own custom walking routes, which they can access offline. Maps users can also save their favorite national park hikes, custom walking routes, and locations to an all-new Places Library and add personal notes about each spot.
Game Mode enhances the gaming experience with more consistent frame rates, especially during long play sessions, and makes wireless accessories like AirPods and game controllers incredibly responsive.
Users get new ways to pay with Apple Pay , including the ability to redeem rewards and access installments from their eligible credit or debit cards. 5 With Tap to Cash, users can send and receive Apple Cash by simply holding two iPhone devices together. 6 Tickets in Apple Wallet bring a richer experience for fans, putting key event information like stadium details, recommended Apple Music playlists, and more at their fingertips. 7
SharePlay with Apple Music allows even more users to share control of music playing from HomePod, Apple TV, or any Bluetooth-enabled speaker, making listening together more fun and engaging.
The AirPods experience gets even more personal, private, and convenient with Siri Interactions, allowing AirPods Pro (2nd generation) users to simply nod their head yes or gently shake their head no to respond to Siri announcements. For even clearer call quality, Voice Isolation comes to AirPods Pro, ensuring the caller’s voice is heard in loud or windy environments. AirPods updates also provide the best wireless audio latency Apple has ever delivered for mobile gaming, and add Personalized Spatial Audio for even more immersive gameplay.
In the Notes app , formulas and equations entered while typing are solved instantly with Math Notes. New collapsible sections and highlighting make it easier to emphasize what’s important.
In Journal , an all-new insights view helps users keep track of their journaling goals, and the ability to search and sort entries makes it easy to enjoy past memories. Time spent journaling can be saved as mindful minutes in the Health app, and users can log their state of mind right in Journal. A Journal widget is now available for users to quickly start an entry from the Home Screen or Lock Screen, audio recordings are automatically transcribed, and users can export and print journal entries.
Calendar becomes even more helpful by showing both events and tasks from Reminders . Users can create, edit, and complete reminders right from Calendar, and the updated month view provides an overview of events and tasks at a glance.
In the Health app , Medical ID has been redesigned to make it even easier for first responders to find the most important information in an emergency. The Health app can help users better understand their data during pregnancy by making adjustments and recommendations to reflect changes in their physical and mental health.
Emergency SOS Live Video allows users to share context through streaming video and recorded media. In the middle of an emergency call, participating emergency dispatchers can send a request for a user to share live video or media from the user’s camera roll over a secure connection, making it easier and faster to get help.
The Home app introduces guest access, providing users with easy ways to grant guests control of select smart home accessories, set schedules for when guests can access the home, and more. For an effortless home entry experience, hands-free unlock with home keys leverages Ultra Wideband technology to allow users to instantly open supported entry locks as soon as they are six feet away from their door. With convenient updates to the Energy category, the Home app makes it easier for eligible users to access, understand, and make more informed decisions about their home electricity use.
Accessibility updates include Eye Tracking, a built-in option for navigating iPhone with just eyes; Music Haptics, a new way for users who are deaf or hard of hearing to experience music using the Taptic Engine in iPhone; and Vocal Shortcuts that enable users to perform tasks by making a custom sound.

iPhone 15 Pro shows a list of hikes in Sequoia National Park.

Text of this article

June 10, 2024

PRESS RELEASE

The release introduces all-new customization options, the biggest-ever redesign of Photos, powerful updates for staying connected, and Apple Intelligence, the personal intelligence system

CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple today previewed iOS 18 , a major release that features more customization options, the biggest redesign ever of the Photos app, new ways for users to manage their inbox in Mail, Messages over satellite, and so much more. Users will be able to arrange apps and widgets in any open space on the Home Screen, customize the buttons at the bottom of the Lock Screen, and quickly access more controls in Control Center. Photo libraries are automatically organized in a new single view in Photos, and helpful new collections keep favorites easily accessible. Mail simplifies the inbox by sorting email into categories using on-device intelligence, and all-new text effects come to iMessage. Powered by the same groundbreaking technology as existing iPhone satellite capabilities, users can now communicate over satellite in the Messages app when a cellular or Wi-Fi connection isn’t available. 1

iOS 18 also introduces Apple Intelligence , the personal intelligence system for iPhone, iPad, and Mac that combines the power of generative models with personal context to deliver intelligence that’s incredibly useful and relevant. 2 Built with privacy from the ground up, Apple Intelligence is deeply integrated into iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia. It harnesses the power of Apple silicon to understand and create language and images, take action across apps, and draw from personal context, to simplify and accelerate everyday tasks.

“We are thrilled to introduce iOS 18. It is a huge release with incredible features, including new levels of customization and capability, a redesigned Photos app, and powerful ways to stay connected with Messages. There are so many benefits for everyone,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “This release also marks the beginning of a tremendously exciting new era of personal intelligence with Apple Intelligence delivering intuitive, powerful, and instantly useful experiences that will transform the iPhone experience, all with privacy at the core. We can’t wait for users to experience it.”

iPhone users have new ways to customize the Home Screen, Lock Screen, and Control Center. Users can now arrange apps and widgets in any open space on the Home Screen, including placing them right above the dock for easy access or perfectly framing a wallpaper. App icons and widgets can take on a new look with a dark or tinted effect, and users can make them appear larger to create the experience that is perfect for them.

Control Center has been redesigned to provide easier access to many of the things users do every day, and it gets new levels of customization and flexibility. The redesign delivers quick access to new groups of a user’s most-utilized controls, such as media playback, Home controls, and connectivity, as well as the ability to easily swipe between each. Users can now add controls from supported third-party apps into Control Center to quickly unlock a vehicle or jump right into capturing content for social media — all from one place. The new controls gallery displays the full set of available options, and users can customize how the controls are laid out, including adjusting them to the ideal size and creating entirely new groups.

For the first time, users can now switch the controls at the bottom of the Lock Screen, including choosing from options available in the controls gallery or removing them entirely. With the Action button available on iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, users can quickly invoke controls available in the gallery.

Photos receives its biggest-ever redesign to help users easily find and relive special moments. A simplified, single view displays a familiar grid, and new collections help users browse by themes without having to organize content into albums. Plus, collections can be pinned to keep favorites easily accessible. A new carousel view presents highlights that update each day and feature favorite people, pets, places, and more. Autoplaying content throughout the app brings libraries to life, so past moments can be enjoyed while browsing. Because each user’s photo library is unique, the app is customizable, so users can organize collections, pin collections to access frequently, and include what’s most important to them in the carousel view.

iMessage receives all-new text effects that bring conversations to life by amplifying any letter, word, phrase, or emoji with dynamic, animated appearances. Users can better express tone by adding formatting like bold, underline, italics, and strikethrough. Tapbacks expand to include any emoji or sticker, and now users can compose a message and schedule to send it at a later time.

When messaging contacts who do not have an Apple device, the Messages app now supports RCS for richer media and more reliable group messaging compared to SMS and MMS.

iOS 18 introduces Messages via satellite for the times when cellular and Wi-Fi connections aren’t available. Powered by the same groundbreaking technology as existing iPhone satellite capabilities, Messages via satellite automatically prompts users to connect to their nearest satellite right from the Messages app to send and receive texts, emoji, and Tapbacks over iMessage and SMS. 3 With Dynamic Island, users always know when they are connected to a satellite. Because iMessage was built to protect user privacy, iMessages sent via satellite are end-to-end encrypted.

Later this year, Mail will introduce new ways for users to manage their inbox and stay up to date. On-device categorization organizes and sorts incoming email into Primary for personal and time-sensitive emails, Transactions for confirmations and receipts, Updates for news and social notifications, and Promotions for marketing emails and coupons. Mail also features a new digest view that pulls together all of the relevant emails from a business, allowing users to quickly scan for what’s important in the moment.

Safari, the world’s fastest browser, 4 now offers an even easier way to discover information on the web with Highlights and a redesigned Reader experience. Using machine learning, Safari can surface key information about a webpage. For example, users can review a summary to get the gist of an article; quickly see the location of a restaurant, hotel, or landmark; or listen to an artist’s track right from an article about the song or album. Reader has been redesigned to offer even more ways to enjoy articles without distraction, with a summary and table of contents included for longer articles.

Building on the foundation of Keychain, which was first introduced more than 25 years ago, the new Passwords app makes it easy for users to access their passwords, passkeys, Wi-Fi passwords, and verification codes. The app also includes alerts for users regarding common weaknesses, such as passwords that are easily guessed or used multiple times and those that appear in known data leaks.

iOS 18 gives users even more control with tools to manage who can see their apps, how contacts are shared, and how their iPhone connects to accessories.

Locked and hidden apps offer users peace of mind that information they want to keep private, such as app notifications and content, will not inadvertently be seen by others. Users can now lock an app; and for additional privacy, they can hide an app, moving it to a locked, hidden apps folder. When an app is locked or hidden, content like messages or emails inside the app are hidden from search, notifications, and other places across the system.

iOS 18 puts users in control by letting them choose to share only specific contacts with an app. In addition, developers now have a way to seamlessly connect third-party accessories with iPhone without letting an app see all the other devices on a user’s network, keeping a user’s devices private and making pairing seamless.

Deeply integrated into iOS 18 and built with privacy from the ground up, Apple Intelligence unlocks new ways for users to enhance their writing and communicate more effectively. With brand-new systemwide Writing Tools built into iOS 18, users can rewrite, proofread, and summarize text nearly everywhere they write, including Mail, Notes, Pages, and third-party apps.

New image capabilities make communication and self-expression even more fun. With Image Playground, users can create playful images in seconds, choosing from three styles: Animation, Illustration, or Sketch. Image Playground is easy to use, built right into apps like Messages, and also available in a dedicated app.

Memories in Photos lets users create the stories they want to see just by typing a description. Apple Intelligence will pick out the best photos and videos based on the description, craft a storyline with chapters based on themes identified from the photos, and arrange them into a movie with its own narrative arc. In addition, a new Clean Up tool can identify and remove distracting objects in the background of a photo — without accidentally altering the subject.

With the power of Apple Intelligence, Siri takes a major step forward, becoming even more natural, contextually relevant, and personal. Users can type to Siri, and switch between text and voice to communicate with Siri in whatever way feels right for the moment.

With Private Cloud Compute, Apple sets a new standard for privacy in AI, with the ability to flex and scale computational capacity between on-device processing, and larger, server-based models that run on dedicated Apple silicon servers. When requests are routed to Private Cloud Compute, data is not stored or made accessible to Apple and is only used to fulfill the user’s requests, and independent experts can verify this privacy.

Additionally, access to ChatGPT is integrated into Siri and systemwide Writing Tools across Apple’s platforms, allowing users to access its expertise — as well as its image- and document-understanding capabilities — without needing to jump between tools.

Additional features in iOS 18 include:

Availability

The developer beta of iOS 18 is available through the Apple Developer Program at developer.apple.com starting today, and a public beta will be available through the Apple Beta Software Program next month at beta.apple.com . iOS 18 will be available this fall as a free software update for iPhone Xs and later. Apple Intelligence will be available in beta on iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPad and Mac with M1 and later, with Siri and device language set to U.S. English, as part of iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia this fall. For more information, visit apple.com/ios/ios-18-preview and apple.com/apple-intelligence . Features are subject to change. Some features are not available in all regions, all languages, or on all devices. For more information about availability, visit apple.com .

Messages via satellite will be available in iOS 18 along with Apple’s existing satellite features in the U.S. on iPhone 14 and later.
Users with an eligible iPhone, iPad, or Mac, and Siri and device language set to English (U.S.) can sign up this fall to access the Apple Intelligence beta.
SMS availability will depend on carrier. Carrier fees may apply. Users should check with their carrier for details.
Testing was conducted by Apple in May 2023. See apple.com/safari for more information.
The new Apple Pay features are available on cards from participating banks and card providers in certain markets. Subject to eligibility and approval.
Apple Cash services are provided by Green Dot Bank, Member FDIC, and only available in the U.S. on eligible devices. Learn more about the terms and conditions . To send and receive money with an Apple Cash account, users must be 18 and a U.S. resident, or if under 18, part of an Apple Cash Family account. Tap to Cash transaction limits are subject to change, including lowering limits, at any time during the developer or public betas without notice.
Ticket enhancements in Apple Wallet are available for events from participating ticket issuers.

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Images in this article

IMAGES

I Heard the Bells
I Heard the Bells (2022)
I Heard The Bells
Official Trailer
I Heard the Bells Christian Movie Review
4 Things You Should Know about I Heard the Bells, Sight & Sound's First

VIDEO

Bells by Edgar Allan Poe Summary, Analysis, Interpretation, Review
I Heard the Bells : Diana Ross : London Symphony Orchestra
St Petersburg Choir I heard bells on Christmas day
The Bells by Edgar Allan Poe
25 Movies to Christmas
I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

COMMENTS

I Heard the Bells
Reviews 98% Audience Score 500+ Verified Ratings I HEARD THE BELLS tells the inspiring true story behind the beloved Christmas carol and its author, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Known as America's ...
I Heard the Bells
Movie Review. It was an innocent suggestion, made in the most innocent of days. The Longfellow family was enjoying the earliest hours of Christmas morning in 1860, their Massachusetts house ringing with children's laughter as, outside, the church bells rang in the holiday. ... I Heard the Bells gives this semi-forgotten literary lion new life ...
I Heard the Bells (2022)
I Heard the Bells: Directed by Joshua Enck. With Stephen Atherholt, Jonathan Blair, Rachel Day Hughes, Zach Meeker. The inspiring story behind the writing of the beloved Christmas carol and its author, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
I Heard the Bells
I Heard the Bells Reviews. The target audience for this faith-based biopic can't argue about the poet's belief in Jesus as a source of goodness and salvation, even if the film's slow pace left ...
[Review]—"I Heard the Bells" is a Beautiful Historical Film
I had this preconceived notion that "I Heard the Bells" would be a sappy Christmas story set in Victorian times, but aside from the sentimental part, I was mistaken.Instead, the film is a historical Civil War drama. The movie, set in New England, begins on Christmas Eve in 1860 and immediately establishes Henry Wadsworth Longfellow as a devoted husband and father.
4 Things You Should Know about I Heard the Bells , Sight & Sound's
The new Sight & Sound movie I Heard the Bells tells the faith-based true story of Henry's battle with grief and his recovery to pen a famous Christmas carol. Here are four things you should know ...
I Heard the Bells (2022)
I Heard the Bells definitely benefits from the atmosphere of Christmas but doesn't use it or Jesus in general as a crutch like oh so many other religious movies do. Highly recommended, especially for Christmas movie lovers who despise the genre's predicability and poor character development. ... An honest review of this movie bjsaint-34582 6 ...
Christmas movies: Why "I Heard the Bells" is worth watching
Now there's a movie that tells us more about him. Sight & Sound, a ministry production company, released "I Heard The Bells" for this Christmas season. This is the company's first feature film, according to the Sight & Sound production company website. The film is rated PG-13 and does show brief scenes of violence and implies violence ...
I Heard the Bells Movie Reviews
LEARN MORE. I HEARD THE BELLS tells the inspiring true story behind the beloved Christmas carol and its author, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Known as America's Poet, Henry leads an idyllic life - until the day his world is shattered by tragedy. With a nation divided by Civil War and his family torn apart, Henry?puts down his pen, silenced by ...
I Heard the Bells reviews
I Heard the Bells movie reviews and ratings - Tribute.ca rating of 4.82 out of 5 Stars. ... I Heard the Bells tells the story of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882), an American poet that ...
I Heard the Bells
I Heard the Bells Reviews. Known as America's Poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow leads an idyllic life - until the day his world is shattered by tragedy. With a nation divided by Civil War and his ...
I Heard the Bells
About The Movie. The Christmas movie season is fast approaching. This time of year provides fertile soil for uplifting stories. The faith-based film I Heard the Bells is a Christmas movie, but of a different sort than many traditional holiday films. It tells the true story of how the great American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned the exquisite poem and holiday carol "Christmas Bells ...
I HEARD THE BELLS
I HEARD THE BELLS is a faith-filled Christmas movie that tells the story behind Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's classic Christmas carol, "I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day.". Longfellow is often referred to as "America's Poet.". The movie is set inside Longfellow's Cambridge home in the 1860s. Tragedy strikes the family when his ...
Movie Review: I Heard the Bells
Movie Review: I Heard the Bells Show Notes This biopic from Sight & Sound Films tells the story of American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's struggle to hold on to his faith in the wake of family tragedy and the horror of the Civil War. ... Take a minute to hear a family-friendly review of the hottest movie, YouTube video, streaming series ...
Movie review of I Heard the Bells
a review of I Heard the Bells completed by the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) on 8 December 2022. ... I Heard the Bells is an inspirational movie about hope and faith. Henry Longfellow's faith is sorely tested when he loses his most beloved wife, Frances. The film shows the despair of loss of life but also the hope that ...
Movie Review: I Heard the Bells
Movie Review: I Heard the Bells. View description Share. Description; This biopic from Sight & Sound Films tells the story of American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's struggle to hold on to his faith in the wake of family tragedy and the horror of the Civil War. ...
I Heard the Bells (2022) • Movie Reviews • Visual Parables
This initiates a stream of events, in which Charley is reunited with his father, tin turn leading Longfellow, early on Christmas Day of 1863, to write the seven-stanza poem that years later was turned into a four-verse hymn or carol, " I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. Two of the stanzas refer to the on-going Civil War—"Then from each ...
I HEARD THE BELLS
In a battle in Virginia, Charley is severely injured and brought back home by his father. When nursed back to health, Charlie renews his belief in God. The poet in 1863 in response, stays up all night on Christmas Eve to write "Christmas Bells.". But the scenes of family togetherness, faith, prayer and communion should be pleasing to the ...
I Heard the Bells
I Heard the Bells. 2022. 1 hr 50 mins. Drama, Fantasy. NR. Watchlist. Known as America's Poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow leads an idyllic life - until the day his world is shattered by tragedy ...
I Heard the Bells Movie Review for Parents
I Heard the Bells Rating & Content Info . Why is I Heard the Bells rated Not Rated? I Heard the Bells is rated Not Rated by the MPAA . Violence: There are scenes of distant war violence and mention of injuries and death. A soldier is shot and is seen with bloody injuries. There is mention of miscarriage and maternal death.
I Heard the Bells Tickets & Showtimes
I Heard the Bells. NR, 1 hr 50 min. I HEARD THE BELLS tells the inspiring true story behind the beloved Christmas carol and its author, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Known as America's Poet, Henry leads an idyllic life - until the day his world is shattered by tragedy. With a nation divided by Civil War and his family torn apart, Henry?puts ...
New Faith-Based Movie "I Heard the Bells" Tells the Story of Rekindled
The movie revolves around the true story of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, author of the 1863 poem "Christmas Bells", which inspired the Christmas carol "I Heard the Christmas Bells on Christmas Day." I Heard the Bells will be in movie theaters this Christmas for 3 days only - December 1, 3, and 4.
I Heard The Bells
Watch the trailer, find screenings & book tickets for I Heard The Bells on the official site.Experience I HEARD THE BELLS this holiday season in this debut feature by Sight & Sound Films. In movie theaters December 2022. Brought to you by Sight & Sounds Theatres.
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I Heard the Bells

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I Heard the Bells Reviews

Thursday, December 1, 2022

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4 Things You Should Know about I Heard the Bells , Sight & Sound's First Movie

1. It's Sight & Sound's First Theatrical Film

2. It Spotlights a Hero of History

3. It's about Tragedy … and Hope

4. It's Fantastic … and Family-Friendly

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I Heard the Bells (2022)

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This Henry Wadsworth Longfellow movie is now my favorite family Christmas film

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