THE LIVES OF THE SAINTS began as three novels by Nino Ricci and became a television miniseries for Canadian TV with a screenplay by Malcolm MacRury under the direction of Jerry Ciccoritti. It is a sweeping epic that covers Italy, Canada, Alaska and other parts of the US over a number of years in a non-linear fashion that weakens the plot progress. But despite the sudsy aspects of the three-hour plus DVD, there are moments of tenderness and memorable acting that deserve attention.The story opens in Italy where Vittorio Innocente as a child (Flavio Pacilli and as a teen by Joseph Marrese) observes his mother Cristina (Sabrina Ferilli) in the stables, bitten by a snake but obviously having just had a consignation with a soldier with blue eyes. Vittorio seeks solace from his maiden teacher aunt Therese (a luminous Sophia Loren) who consoles him, protects Christina when she becomes visibly pregnant (her husband Mario - Nick Mancuso - has been absent...), and helps him understand life through the lives of the saints by means of stories in a book she gives him. Vittorio and his mother depart for Canada 'to join Mario', but on the ship Christina dies giving birth to her daughter Rita, an infant protected by the ship's nurse (Valeria Benedetti Michelangeli). Vittorio is eventually separated from Rita and as an immigrant in America he separates himself from his Italian background, becoming a teacher in the Artic (Vittorio is now played with gusto by the talented and hunky Fabrizio Filippo, well known to American audiences from his work on Queer as Folk). Rita (Jessica Paré) is adopted and lives in Canada where she studies art and is stalked by Mario. Vittorio responds to Theresa's calls to protect Rita, the two fall in love, and the complications of the lives of this disseminated immigrant family intertwine in a manner of old-fashioned movies.The saving grace of this rather saccharine and too long epic is the pleasure of watching Sophia Loren who still commands the screen. It also gives notice of new faces to watch - the gorgeous Sabrina Ferilli and the handsome Fabrizio Filippo. These three are reason enough to watch the movie. It is a long song of familial love/hate relationships, adoration of the simpler past as exemplified by Aunt Therese, and the plight of Italian (and all) immigrants. The photography of the varying locales is lovely and the music matches the changing times and the story. LIVES OF THE SAINTS is another example of how audiences from different countries gain access to 'foreign' TV miniseries. Grady Harp

In Lives of the Saints, Sophia Loren proves why she has remained at the top of her game for over 50 years. Her brilliant performance as Teresa Innocente was nothing short of astonishing. Just watch the scene where young Vittorio and Cristina board the bus, and when the mature Vittorio confronts her about the painting. Loren conveys raw emotion that is gripping and entirely believable. If she doesn't receive a Gemini or Emmy award for this performance, it is an injustice. Fab Filippo also gave a remarkable performance. I haven't seen Filippo in anything else but I hope this film springboards him into higher profile roles. He is a performer to watch.

First of all, I must applaud Sophia Loren and Sabrina Ferilli for their impeccable performances! But the movie was... "eh." It could have been so much better. The story had a lot of potential but the movie was just too weak. Although Fabrizio Filippo's(who is v. gorgeous, btw) talent is evident, as much as I wanted to, I didn't sympathize with his character, Vittorio. As a matter of fact, I didn't sympathize with most of the characters in this movie. The movie had a very good, intriguing start with Loren and Ferilli. Then as the movie progressed, the story just became cold. A lot of information was lacking, the pace became too fast later on in the movie that the viewers were never really given a chance to care for any of the characters. Especially Jennifer Pare's character, Rita. How unlikable. She was just portrayed as an incestuous turbo-skank. I thought this was going to be another "Thorn Birds," but it just ... stunk. I'm sorry Fab(call me!), Sophia, Sabrina. It had an outstanding and an extremely talented cast, but this movie blows. Daryl Duke, who is a fellow Canadian and the director of "Thorn Birds," should have directed the movie. He could teach Jerry Ciccoritti a thing or two about film-making. I must also blame the writers. *shudder* What a disappointment.

American mini-series should be half this good. This could easily have been a feature film and would have been nominated for an academy award. Almost all the actors give incredible performances, but the true standouts are Sophia Loren and Fabrizio Filippo, who I've had great expectations for since I first saw him in "Ready or Not", more than ten years ago. His performances in the last several years, including "Waydowntown" & "Queer as Folk" have been standout, but here we finally see the true potential he has to be a true leading man. And Sabrina Ferilli also did an incredible job. It's simply impossible to keep your eyes off of her when she is on the screen, as her face says more than her words and you dare not miss an expression.Visually, this movie is like a painting brought to life, particularly the scenes in Italy. The use of the horizon and colour reminded me of Claire Denis' "Beau travail" and is almost a character itself, saying as much as any of the actual people.Jessica Paré's performance was fair, though clearly the weak point in the film. Still, I can't think of another film I've seen on television recently, that comes close to matching this one in scope, beauty, intensity, and pure passion. There's no doubt that this was a work of love for all those involved in the making of this film.If you have the chance, see this movie. You'll be glad you did.