Doubt, for religion, for marriage. Magic, or a child's imagination, or a spiritual triumph. Although the ending is bright, the essence is dark.
And, in the beginning, there are too many gorgeous interior furnishings, endless family banquets, and it gives me a headache. The simplicity and sternness of the priest's house would be a breath of fresh air, if its sternness had not gone to the extreme.
The 3-hour theatrical version can be shorter to highlight the backbone. And the 5-hour TV version can also be longer, in order to plump the branches and leaves.
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