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Faith: Pope John Paul II

Original title: Pope John Paul II
  • TV Mini Series
  • 2005
  • 1h 27m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
1.3K
YOUR RATING
Faith: Pope John Paul II (2005)
BiographyDrama

Raised by his father in Krakow after his mother's death, student Karol Wojtyla abandons his youthful dreams of acting at the beginning of World War II, secretly defying Nazi oppression in hi... Read allRaised by his father in Krakow after his mother's death, student Karol Wojtyla abandons his youthful dreams of acting at the beginning of World War II, secretly defying Nazi oppression in his homeland.Raised by his father in Krakow after his mother's death, student Karol Wojtyla abandons his youthful dreams of acting at the beginning of World War II, secretly defying Nazi oppression in his homeland.

  • Stars
    • Christopher Lee
    • Ben Gazzara
    • Daniele Pecci
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.7/10
    1.3K
    YOUR RATING
    • Stars
      • Christopher Lee
      • Ben Gazzara
      • Daniele Pecci
    • 21User reviews
    • 3Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy
      • 3 nominations total

    Episodes2

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    TopTop-rated1 season2005

    Photos8

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    Top cast99+

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    Christopher Lee
    Christopher Lee
    • Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski
    • 2005
    Ben Gazzara
    Ben Gazzara
    • Cardinal Agostino Casaroli
    • 2005
    Daniele Pecci
    • Roman
    • 2005
    Vittoria Belvedere
    Vittoria Belvedere
    • Eva
    • 2005
    Giuliano Gemma
    Giuliano Gemma
    • Navarro Valls
    • 2005
    Ettore Bassi
    • Gapa
    • 2005
    Wenanty Nosul
    Wenanty Nosul
    • Stanislaw Dziwisz
    • 2005
    Stefano Molinari
    Stefano Molinari
    • SS Officer
    • 2005
    Valeria Cavalli
    Valeria Cavalli
    • Teresa
    • 2005
    Bartosz Glogowski
    • SS Officer
    • 2005
    Chiara Conti
    • Anna
    • 2005
    Bianca Nappi
    Bianca Nappi
    • Vittoria
    • 2005
    Alessandro Demcenko
    Alessandro Demcenko
    • First Young Doctor
    • 2005
    Giulietta Revel
    Giulietta Revel
    • Halina
    • 2005
    Giovanna Nodari
    Giovanna Nodari
    • Nurse
    • 2005
    Fabrizio Bucci
    • Krysztof Zachuta
    • 2005
    Beata Ben Ammar
    Beata Ben Ammar
    • Beate
    • 2005
    Luca Capuano
    Luca Capuano
    • Jeep Clerk #1
    • 2005
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews21

    6.71.3K
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    Featured reviews

    9squarepizza4-1

    Can you say Emmy anyone?

    I have always been a Cary Elwes fan and of course, I love John Paul the Great and will always love the greatest saint of modern times but I was never a fan of John Voight until that Sunday night and now I can say that he is one of the best actors of his day he became the late great Holy Father for ninety minutes. yes the mini series made JP II look like saint, but hey is one. Elwes was fine, too old for his his first hour on screen, but passable. my only complaint was that it was too short and rushed in places. the film was reverently, well acted and handsomely crafted. I think it's crime that Voight is not up for a golden globe but I expect him to win an emmy for this one.
    7ChrisTickler

    Don't speak a word of Polish - but enjoyed it all the same...

    I watched this film with my Polish girlfriend this morning in a cinema in Krakow... It was dubbed in Polish, so I didn't understand a word that was said (apart from the very basics), but I really enjoyed it all the same...

    A very simple and moving story about a honest man who believed in love and peace - simple as that... I am not a catholic (and never will be), but I was really moved by his story...

    Jon Voight did a great job as the older pope - could really feel his frustration as the Parkinsons syndrome took hold...

    By the way they are going mad about this in Poland - cinema was full at 10.45am on a Monday morning...

    Many Thanks to my girlfriend who did her very best to translate for me! You should have seen the look of horror on her face when she realised it was dubbed in Polish and not polish sub-titles!
    montuno7777

    Pope John II TV movie was brilliant and inspiring

    I was riveted to the television set, watching Cary Elwes' brilliant and beautiful performance as John Paul the Great. It is such a pleasure to see a show on network TV, which seeks to instruct and uplift rather than the usual trash on TV, which demeans and degrades. When Mr. Elwes spoke, I could have sworn it was Wotyla himself. He captured the accent of the late Pope speaking English to the tee. There is no doubt that the late JPII was one of the most important figures of the 20th century. What I find the most appealing in this show, was the ability of Elwes and Voight to capture the warmth of the man. It also demonstrated his political shrewdness as a voice for Polish freedom. I wish there were more shows like this on television. What a breath of fresh air !!!!...10,000,000,000,000 stars !!!
    vchimpanzee

    Brilliant; Voight was amazing

    I watched both the ABC and CBS versions of the life of Karol Wojtyla. The ABC version was impressive but the CBS miniseries is the one to watch for at Emmy time.

    This version opens with the shooting of John Paul II on May 13, 1981. Then we see Karol's earlier life through flashbacks. Sadly, we see only five seconds with his mother, but that scene was wonderful. Add to that about ten seconds of Karol's life as a boy.

    From there, we go to Poland in the days of the invasion by the Nazis. Karol is part of a theater group, and he is in college. A number of his friends and even a professor get taken away or killed by the Germans, and he has important choices to make. God's call seems to outweigh all the other factors, and Karol does end up becoming a priest, even though he must break rocks for the Germans. Even while doing that, Karol shows how strong and moral he is. Later, the Communists appear to be less of a threat than the Germans. Maybe so, but they are still manipulating the church for their own purposes.

    We see several scenes with Karol's loving father, but for the most part his life is shaped by his superiors in the church, including Cardinal Adam Sapieha. Karol advances more quickly in the church than anyone would expect, making the Communists nervous.

    Eventually, a new Pope is needed, and Karol is ready. He seems less reluctant to accept the position in this version, and the election process is shown in more detail (and twice), even using the correct language (which must have been Latin).

    As Pope, John Paul II is shown as very loving and caring, interested in the people and in travel, and ready to take on all challenges. World events, especially those affecting Poland, receive a detailed treatment here, and Lech Walesa is a major character.

    Cary Elwes did a fine job as Karol in his younger years, showing Karol with quite a sense of humor as well as very intelligent. Jon Voight, who looked less like John Paul II than Thomas Kretschmann, did an amazing job and effectively captured an aging and increasingly frail man who still had faith and a strong desire to serve. All the major actors did an impressive job, but I particularly noticed James Cromwell since I have known him since his days as Stretch Cunningham. Who would have ever believed Stretch Cunningham as a Cardinal? Well, believe it.

    The ABC movie may be better for those with a limited attention span. If you want to be entertained rather than educated, this may not be the movie for you, though it includes plenty of entertaining scenes and considerably more laughs than the ABC movie did.

    As a work of art, though, the CBS production achieves the excellence broadcast TV often lacks.
    10broadfoot

    The Best Pope John Paul II Movie

    2005 has been the "Year of The Pope". There have been three TV movies about John Paul II's life this year. I think this one is the best. The one with Thomas Kreutschmann in the title role was too rushed and it tried to cram Karol Wojtyla's life into only 2 hours. This one goes at a more relaxed pace. Cary Elwes, Jon Voight, Ben Gazzara, James Cromwell, Christopher Lee and the rest of the cast are excellent. Voight adopts a perfect Polish accent when he plays Wojtyla as an older man.

    I recommend that all religious teachers throughout the world show this movie to their students, whatever their religion may be. John Paul II reached out to people of all faiths, and he was even the first Pope to welcome a visit by the President of Iran!

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    Related interests

    Ben Kingsley, Rohini Hattangadi, and Geraldine James in Gandhi (1982)
    Biography
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This mini-series was approved by the late Pope John Paul II. The project started before his death, and Pope John Paul II was very hands-on with the production and knew of the script. Also, Pope Benedict XVI praised it after watching a screening on November 2005. However, what Pope Benedict XVI saw was a brief cut-down version of Part 1, and all of Part 2, which covers the papacy of Pope John Paul II.
    • Goofs
      After Wojtyla accepts the papal election, the cardinals rise and applaud. The camera then pans in towards the new Pope. However, if you look closely, it is actually the mirror image shot from the previous conclave, with John Paul I clearly in the middle of it all instead of John Paul II.
    • Alternate versions
      The theatrical version of the movie shown in Polish cinemas in 2006 is 60 minutes shorter than the original television cut and is not divided into two parts. The dialogs are dubbed by some popular Polish actors and all opening and final credits are printed in Polish. The final credits are accompanied with a song performed by Polish highlanders during John Paul II's visit to Zakopane in 1997.
    • Connections
      Featured in The 58th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards (2006)

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 4, 2005 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • Italy
      • Poland
      • United States
    • Official site
      • CBS (United States)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • El Papa Juan Pablo II
    • Filming locations
      • Italy
    • Production companies
      • CBS Productions
      • Granada Media
      • Grupa Filmowa Baltmedia & Studio Filmowe Projektor
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 27m(87 min)
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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