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The Shoes of the Fisherman | Year: 1968 Directed: - Michael Anderson Great movie Really interesting movie about the papacy, inner Vatican turmoil, philosophical aspects of Christianity, and maintaining your principles in a morally complex, often violent world. That might sound off-putting, but it's anchored by exceptionally strong, moving performances by the late Anthony Quinn, Leo Mckern, Oskar Werner, and others. Kind of old-school Hollywood, with bittersweet rewards--it's pleasing in the manner of 'Inn of the Sixth Happiness' or 'Ben Hur.' It looks and acts like a movie made in the late 60's, but that's a definite plus in my view. Leonard Maltin's review is unnecessarily harsh--he must have been having a bad day. Or sore at the pope or something. Don't let it deter you from enjoying a very colorful, well-acted, thoughtful and old-fashioned movie. The Authenic Christian Revolution of a Russian Pope This 1968 film, based on Morris West's novel, has Anthony Quinn as Kiril Lakota, released after twenty years in a Siberian work camp to become a Cardinal and then Pope at a time when the Soviet Union and a starving People's Republic of China are about to go to war. The idea that the first non-Italian pope in centuries would be from a Communist country certainly seems prophetic today. Lakota is released by the Soviet Premier (Laurence Olivier), who is taking a chance that a sympathetic Vatican might tip the balance towards peace. Lakota emerges from imprisonment as something of a saint, admired by the Elder Pope (John Gielgud) for having refused to deny the faith even when seven priests were brought before him and shot. Although the obvious comparison is to John Paul II, Quinn's pontiff is actually more like John Paul I, who was considered a "pastoral" Pope, capable of relating to the people more on the level of a parish priest. When he is elected and has to change into his papal robes, he introduces himself to his new valet saying simply,"I am Kiril Lakota." The politically charged atmosphere is a bit melodramatic, but the strength of this film is in its portrait of the inner workings of the Vatican where both politics and personalities come into play. My favorite scene is when the college of Cardinals are deadlocked, repeated votes having been "insufficient for election," and one of the elder statesmen of the church stands up to declare his belief that God has sent them the man intended to be the next Pope. With growing horror, Lakota watches as the momentum builds for his stunning election (Now if somebody could just explain to me, when reporter David Janssen announces "They have elected a Russian Pope" is the word "Russia" an adjective or a noun in that sentence? This has been driving me crazy for other 30 years). Of the two subplots the romantic estrangement of Dan Janssen, the reporter covering the Vatican and his doctor wife, Barbara Jefford, is trivial soap opera nonsense, although it does lead to a nice scene where the Pope sneaks out of the Vatican disguised as an ordinary priest. The doctor sends him to the pharmacy for medicine and is stunned when he returns and is able to do prayers in Hebrew over the dying man. The other, with Oskar Werner as Father David Telemond, is much more provocative and provides an interesting counter-point to the main story line. Telemond has written several books, none of them published, dealing with what he calls the "Cosmic Christ." A Pontifical Commission is investigating his writings as being heretical. Certainly there is a sense in which this film, in the wake of the Vatican II Council, was trying to confront the Catholic Church with certain issues. Ultimately "The Shoes of the Fisherman" is a much more subversive film than "The Last Temptation of Christ." Quinn's dignified performance holds "The Shoes of the Fisherman" together, aided by Leo McKern and Vittorio De Sica as a pair of Ca Great acting, with one exception. The main story isn't all that important: the Cold War, the death of a Pope, his replacement with a Russian, and all this covered by an American reporter. What is striking about this film is its high-quality acting, and the various relationships and chemistries that become vivid as a result. Of particular interest is the deep friendship between the newly elected, completely natural, simple, and disarmingly candid Russian Pontif Kiril Lakota (Anthony Quinn) and his philosophically and scientifically minded secretary Father David Telemond (Oskar Werner). Telemond desperately wants to publish his unorthodox views, of great beauty and depth, developed over many years of intense study and under the threat of impending death due to illness; his Pontif is torn between his friendship for Telemond and the decision of the Council to silence Telemond. Meanwhile, we see the great Leo McKern as the main interrogator of Telemond, and Vittorio de Sica as a fellow cardinal who knows enough about the world and the Church to become a complacent, humorous, yet wistful clerical bourgeois waiting to see who will become the next Pope. Laurence Olivier is the Russian premier trying to adjust to the situation that a Russian exile as Pope poses. We see a great deal of the Vatican interior, the election ceremony, the grandeur of rite and religion, the intricate Vatican politics. So far so good. The only thing that manages to upset the delicate balance of this film is the awkward presence of David Janssen as the American reporter following the papal election. His acting is mediocre at best, and I find myself fast-forwarding whenever his unfortunate person appears on the screen. Other than this flaw, this is a film worth seeing, mainly because of the excellent portrayals by Werner, Quinn, McKern, and de Sica.<br><br> Buy The Shoes Of The Fisherman at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on The Shoes Of The Fisherman Search with the Priority Search Engine on The Shoes Of The Fisherman This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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