Contentar
Best movie of this year hands down!
Dynamixor
The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.
Micah Lloyd
Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.
gedhurst
I was recently handed this DVD by my family and was amazed, given its strong cast and terrific story, that I hadn't heard of it before.Set in 1943 with Italy slowly being prised from the Nazi's grasp, hundreds of POWs and political refugees wash up behind German lines in occupied Rome. A support network is rapidly set up to hide these refugees and somehow smuggle them to safety. The local chief of the SS (ironically modelled by Himler on the Jesuits), played by a suave and sinister Christopher Plummer, is determined to destroy the network with all the means at his disposal, but is continually thwarted by a spry and resourceful Irish monsignor attached to the Vatican, a role incarnated with gusto by Gregory Peck. The resulting cat and mouse scenes are played out against the fabulous backdrop of the Eternal City.The action is tense and gripping throughout this tale of plucky good against remorseless evil, based on a true story and with a startling twist of redemption at the end.
mark.waltz
After playing a fictional portrayal of Joseph Mengele in "The Boys From Brazil" in 1978, Gregory Peck turned to the Allies for his next portrayal of a real-life World War II figure. He is Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty, an Irish priest working in the Vatican and involved in hiding Ally soldiers from the Nazis. After escaping from the Nazis as Captain Von Trapp in "The Sound of Music", Christopher Plummer becomes Colonel Herbert Kappler, the Nazi commander in charge of keeping control of Rome after the fall of Mussolini. A devoted family man (ironically with a daughter named Liesel), he is never the less determined to undermine the Vatican organization helping Nazi enemies. At first, there is polite annoyance between the two men (they meet at the opera and exchange pleasantries), but later, once the battle lines are drawn, Kappler makes his determination to destroy O'Flaherty known. Promising to arrest him if he steps over the Nazi created white line between Rome and Vatican City, Kappler is angered by O'Flaherty's obvious taunting by standing just out of Rome over the line, almost vindictively. O'Flaherty also disguises himself continuously to continue his mission, and you half expect Kapper to screech, "Curses, Curses, Somebody always helps that priest!" This brings humour into the story which is serious yet never maudlin. On O'Flaherty's side is the brilliant Sir John Gielgud as Pope Pius, later criticized for not doing enough to stop the Nazis. One scene has Gielgud confessing his regrets to Peck, showing off the papal treasures to him in a scene that is of major historical interest to Religious historians.Gielgud makes Pope Pius extremely easy going and like his name, pious but not pompous. Peck makes Father O'Flaherty extremely human and vulnerable, and the type of priest any parish would be proud to have. Even with his constant pausing in the middle of his lines, Plummer is totally believable. His Nazi Colonel is not the one-dimensional hiss-able villain. You will really feel for him as he watches the Nazi world crumbling around him and the worry he feels of what will happen to his family once everything caves in. The confrontation scene between Peck and Plummer at the Colliseum is both powerfully dramatic and characteristically revealing about the flaws and virtues of both men. The conclusion is touching and results in a feeling of triumph that good always wins over evil.
screenman
This movie is long. It runs for some 2hrs 15mins. That's more than enough time to flesh-out a good story.At the outset it is pretty slow, almost tongue-in-cheek at times. But very gradually tension is ratcheted-up as the cat-and-mouse stand-off between the conniving cleric, Hugh O'Flaherty, and gestapo officer Kappler, comes into direct conflict. The - at first - superficial characters become increasingly three-dimensional and interesting as the plot deepens.By the time the movie is over, a genuine emotional experience has been offered.An ageing Gregory Peck still gives an excellent turn as the obdurate priest, whilst Christopher Plummer succumbs manfully to the charms of Nazi ideology that he sung his way into oblivion from in 'The Sound Of Music'. John Guilgud is unflinching as Pope Pius VII.There's great location-work amongst the fine old architecture of Rome, though I think more could have been done to emphasise the transience of individual pride and ambition measured against the ancient structures. I also think that the mechanics of Catholicism and The Vatican power structure could have been better explained for the benefit of non-Catholic audiences. There were moments when the editing seemed heavy-handed and slightly chopped. Script was adequate, but nothing special. Otherwise technical elements were up to snuff.If there is one matter I do take issue with it is the theme and incidental music. Many great (and not so great) movies have instantly recognisable tracks. 'The Dam Busters', 'ET', 'Get Carter', '633 Squadron', 'The Taking Of Pelham 123', 'Star wars' and so on. Just a few cords and you're there. And with no less than Ennio Morricone listed amongst the credits we should have been in for something really special. Just listen to the scores behind 'Once Upon A Time In The West', 'Fistful Of Dynamite', 'The Thing' or his magnum opus 'The Mission'. Morricone is a man who can write music for a fleeting few seconds or to literally encompass the big picture. But he fell down completely flat here. There were so many elements to play for, too: the Wagnerian bombast of Nazism, the subtle meditations of religion, quite apart from suspense, heroism and fear. Instead, what we were offered was a crass, shallow piece of martial tempo that might have been penned while its composer was having a tea-break. It failed to capture anything of the elements described and for me actually detracted from the viewing experience. One of the stars I've deducted was for this reason. The right music would have made this good movie great.Otherwise it's a long though still worthy watch.
ozthegreatat42330
Based on a true story set during World War II in Rome, this made for television movie stars Gregory Peck in yet another fine role,(as if he could ever do a bad one.)The supporting cast is also amazing with fine performances from Christopher Plummer and Sir John Gielgud, with Raf Valone, Vernon Dobchef and Walter Gotell among others. It is a fast paced history/war/drama/thriller in the mold of such films as "The Third Man," and "The Thirty Nine Steps." The frenetic musical score of Ennio Morricone (The Good, The Bad and The Ugly) helps to keep the pace on the edge of you seat. This is simply some fine film making at its very best, and I highly recommend it, if you have not already had a chance to see it. Just a beautiful film.
