I have to give this movie an 8 out of 10, which isn't too bad.
First off, I remember seeing this movie on cable, in the VERY EARLY days of cable, and I had to have been maybe nine or ten at the time.
It wasn't until about a year ago, that I saw it for the first time when I really understood what was going on with the characters.
Anthony Quinn, usually a ham and a half, turned in a very restrained, yet passionate performance as a man who was bulldozed into being a pope. He wasn't expecting to even be named as a Cardinal after his release, much less get elected to the Papal Throne! Poor thing looked like he'd been smacked with a board when they all stood up and started nominating him, in spite of VERY vociferous protests.
Oskar Werner, who is rapidly becoming one of my favorite actors, was just as passionate as Father Telemond, the troubled young priest (really? Wasn't he in his forties at the time? But that's a teeny quibble.) I watched as he was taken to pieces by the first commission, and yet throughout it all, he didn't really lose his temper. He knew what the outcome would be, no matter what he said, so he told the absolute truth. The Church needed a good kick up the bum and he was the one attempting to do so. Too bad it was pretty much inured to being kicked.
There are ways around being silenced and forbidden to publish that he could have taken and didn't.
A. Leave the Church (which he admitted that he couldn't do), and publish anyway.
B. If he had any REALLY good friends on the outside that were in a position to do so, he could have sold them the publishing rites for a dollar, and publish that way. They weren't bright enough to think of that option or forbid it to him, so technically, he wouldn't have been disobeying them.
Unfortunately, he was much too honest of a man and priest to do that, so he accepted their decision.
The subplot with David Janssen, his unhappy wife and cutesy putesy chickeeboo could have been eliminated completely, and made for a much tighter film.
The subplot with the Chinese nation being on the verge of starvation and NO ONE HELPING!!! was a little bit hard to believe. You can't tell ME that the Red Cross, and other relief organizations wouldn't have come a knocking on China's doors to help out, no matter what the U.S. etc. said. Their purpose is to help those in need, PERIOD END OF STORY!!! I was saddened at the death of Fr. Telemond, but really, since they spent a lot of time talking about it, it was pretty much expected.
The scene between Anthony Quinn and Leo McKern was touching. I knew that Cardinal Leone was jealous of the relationship between the Pope and Fr. Telemond, but it was nice to see him finally acknowledging it.
The ending was a bit, I dunno, cheesy isn't the word to use, but it didn't seem all that genuine to me.
Sure, the speech was nice enough, but it just didn't really have any 'oomph' to it, I suppose.
Still and all, excellent movie, but a smidge dull.
