Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsEmmysToronto Int'l Film FestivalHispanic Heritage MonthIMDb Stars to WatchSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • FAQ
IMDbPro

Gone with the Pope

  • 2010
  • Unrated
  • 1h 23m
IMDb RATING
6.2/10
541
YOUR RATING
Gone with the Pope (2010)
CrimeDrama

Famed nightclub performer Duke Mitchell is Paul, a paroled gangster with an unholy scheme: to kidnap the Pope and 'charge a dollar from every Catholic in the world' as the ransom. Shot in 19... Read allFamed nightclub performer Duke Mitchell is Paul, a paroled gangster with an unholy scheme: to kidnap the Pope and 'charge a dollar from every Catholic in the world' as the ransom. Shot in 1975, GONE WITH THE POPE was unfinished at the time of Duke Mitchell's death in 1981, and fi... Read allFamed nightclub performer Duke Mitchell is Paul, a paroled gangster with an unholy scheme: to kidnap the Pope and 'charge a dollar from every Catholic in the world' as the ransom. Shot in 1975, GONE WITH THE POPE was unfinished at the time of Duke Mitchell's death in 1981, and finally completed in 2009 from a rediscovered, unfinished print.

  • Director
    • Duke Mitchell
  • Writer
    • Duke Mitchell
  • Stars
    • Duke Mitchell
    • Lorenzo Dardado
    • Jim LoBianco
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.2/10
    541
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Duke Mitchell
    • Writer
      • Duke Mitchell
    • Stars
      • Duke Mitchell
      • Lorenzo Dardado
      • Jim LoBianco
    • 11User reviews
    • 60Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos27

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 23
    View Poster

    Top cast16

    Edit
    Duke Mitchell
    • Paul
    Lorenzo Dardado
    • The Pope…
    Jim LoBianco
    • Luke
    Peter Milo
    • Peter
    John Murgia
    • John
    Giorgio Tavolieri
    • Giorgio
    Jeanne Hibbard
    • Jean
    Bill Boyd
    • Bill
    John Bruno
    • John
    Carl Cocomo
    • Carl
    Paul DiAmico
    • Bartender
    Steve DiBiaso
    • Vatican Bishop
    Nola Hand
    • Fat Woman
    Jeffrey Mitchell
    • Junkie
    Zep Mizner
    • Self
    Joe Virzi
    Joe Virzi
    • Radio Announcer
    • Director
      • Duke Mitchell
    • Writer
      • Duke Mitchell
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews11

    6.2541
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    8Falconeer

    Legendary Unearthed Grindhouse Classic

    "Gone With the Pope" was for years, a kind of cinematic "urban myth." Film fanatics knew it existed, but nobody ever imagined it would ever see the light of day. Well 'Grindhouse Releasing' has performed a miracle here, and this is certainly their finest restoration to date. Poring over 5 hours of film reels from the Mitchell family archive, they painstakingly put the film together in the order of what Duke Mitchell most likely intended, and have created an incredible film of the grindhouse genre. Having an obsessive fascination for Duke's previous film, "Massacre, Mafia Style,' getting to see this was a big deal for this viewer. I had feared that this one couldn't possibly be as good as 'Massacre...' but as it turned out, this one is BETTER. The camera work, the editing, the framing, are all more competent and professional, like a work from a film maker who has learned from past mistakes, and grown more confident in his craft. "Gone With the Pope" looks like it had a higher budget, featuring location shooting in Las Vegas and Rome. This time around Mitchell's character Paul, has a collection of Rolls Royce automobiles and access to a yacht, which he charters with his mobbed up buddies, to Rome, carrying an unprecedented plan to kidnap the Pope, and charge every Catholic on the planet $1 for his release. The writing at times is so powerful and emotional that one has to wonder just how much of the real Duke Mitchell was infused into the fictional character of Paul. His opinions of the Catholic church are intense and controversial, and obviously written from a very personal point of view. At a certain point Paul's buddies all have their own revelations about God and religion, and begin to change their minds about this outlandish and sacreligious plan, but Paul is not so easily swayed, and needs a bit more "proof" that God truly exists. Well he gets that proof at the films climax, which is a real stunner. Watching this film I had to wonder what directors Martin Scorsese and Abel Ferrara thought of it. I imagine they both hold "Gone With the Pope" in high regard, especially the intense religious imagery contained throughout, and of course the strong Italian influence that saturates every frame of this lost, priceless time capsule. Comments that this movie is somehow "boring" are truly mind boggling, as there is so much going on, so much eye popping imagery to behold, so much fascinating dialogue and such a collection of eclectic songs of the era, and of course, the mid 70's fashions and decor are sometimes hypnotic in their own right. Anyone who finds this movie "boring" must have the attention span of a mosquito. The footage of vintage Las Vegas, as well as the gorgeous scenes on the yacht, and of Rome are stunning as well. Filled with memorable and quotable lines and bizarre, hilarious characters. Fans of gangster and mafia movies should seek out this iconic film; it is a true masterpiece of the genre.
    1rob-m-neilson

    Amazing trailer, awful film.

    After viewing the trailer since it first came out, and showing it to all my friends I would say I was VERY MUCH looking forward to seeing this film.

    Man was I disappointed...They threw every good part of the film into the trailer and all of the good lines in it just ended up being throw-away dialogue in the actual story.

    There are a few good scenes in this film, but they could have turned this into an amazing 15 minute short instead of making me suffer. It's crazy to think that from an original 5 hour rough cut they couldn't find better material to pack into this film. It also didn't help at all that there must not have been a focus puller for this film, and roughly 1/4 of the film is all out of focus. The sound mix is barely audible as well.

    Save your money, watch the trailer...watch it again and again so you may imagine that Gone With the Pope is a great film.
    8konowd

    Gone With the Pope is Great Movie Madness

    Being a major fan of Duke Mitchell's film Massacre Mafia Style, I couldn't wait to see Gone With the Pope, and I was not disappointed. Seeing the pristine, restored print in a theater was great fun, and Bob Murawski, who won the Academy Award for editing The Hurt Locker, did a great job resurrecting Duke Mitchell's lost masterpiece. Bringing Gone With the Pope to the world has been a passion of Bob's and it shows. Grindhouse Releasing has done some amazing re-releases, especially Cannibal Holocaust, I Drink Your Blood, and now Gone With the Pope is the next hit on their roll.

    If you're unfamiliar with the work of Duke Mitchell, just wait until you see Massacre Mafia Style, which Grindhouse will also have on DVD soon, and if Gone With the Pope comes to your neck of the woods, be in, don't be in the way.
    9Agent_Orange_X

    Duke Mitchell's Masterpiece.

    Saw a midnight screening of Gone with the Pope at the New Beverly. They usually screen it once a month and I hope it's a mainstay there for a long time. It is a BLAST! It's not Goodfellas so leave your cynicism at home. Gone with the Pope is grindhouse/independent filmmaking at it's best. It's a gritty, don't give a toss mobster masterpiece that is hilarious on so many levels. Loaded with unforgettable scenes and quotable lines that I'll leave up to you to go out and experience for yourself. You can see how much love and effort went into making this film outweighing any of it's imperfections. Big thanks to Bob Murawski and Sage Stallone for tracking down this gem and getting it out to the masses.
    Michael_Elliott

    The Mafia Man Meets the Pope

    Gone with the Pope (2010)

    ** (out of 4)

    Wiseguy Paul (Duke Mitchell) agrees to kill seven people so that his friends can live a better life with the money once they're released from prison. Once out, Paul and his friends take a cruise around the world when he gets an idea to kidnap the Pope and request a dollar from every Catholic in the world for his return.

    GONE WITH THE POPE was produced, written and directed by Mitchell but the film was never complete and after Mitchell's death in 1981, the film pretty much remained unseen until the folks at Grindhouse Releasing discovered a print and took the next fifteen years trying to piece it together. It's clear that there's stuff missing but I'm not sure if this is due to a few reels being missing or the fact that it seems Mitchell was just filming stuff for the sake of filming and in the end none of it added up to much. This film is no where near as entertaining as MASSACRE MAFIA STYLE but fans of the (now) cult filmmaker will still want to check it out.

    If you're expecting the over-the-top craziness of MASSACRE MAFIA STYLE then you're probably going to be disappointed. This movie here is pretty laid back in its approach and there's really nothing too crazy outside the entire kidnapping of the Pope storyline. Even that there is somewhat deceptive considering that plot point only takes about thirty-minutes worth of running time if that. There are a few Mafia hits throughout the picture that contain some blood but nothing too graphic. There's some bizarre humor scattered throughout aimed at women, which is certainly something you'd only see from a movie in the 1970s. This includes a black woman who gets some racist jokes thrown her way and then there's a really bizarre sequence dealing with an obese woman.

    The film certainly isn't what you'd call well-made but there's no doubt Mitchell had something that is..... Well, I'm not sure what it is but there's no doubt that his two films as writer-director have given him some fame that sadly he never saw in his lifetime. GONE WITH THE POPE is going to be hated by most people and you know who you are. Fans of cult movies will find some mild entertainment here thanks mainly to Mitchell. Even his performance as his plays this tough guy is charming to say the least. This certainly isn't a masterpiece but it's got a certain Mitchell charm. Not to mention, the actor manages to turn in a good performance and especially during a more dramatic moment where he breaks down speaking with the Pope.

    More like this

    Massacre Mafia Style
    5.9
    Massacre Mafia Style
    Yokai Monsters: 100 Monsters
    6.5
    Yokai Monsters: 100 Monsters
    Revenge of the Dead
    6.1
    Revenge of the Dead
    Hollywood 90028
    5.7
    Hollywood 90028
    Tenement
    5.5
    Tenement
    The Editor
    6.0
    The Editor
    Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla
    3.6
    Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla
    Naked Vengeance
    5.7
    Naked Vengeance
    Hollywood Boulevard
    5.8
    Hollywood Boulevard
    Hellhole
    5.0
    Hellhole
    Streetwalkin'
    5.8
    Streetwalkin'
    Vic
    7.7
    Vic

    Related interests

    James Gandolfini, Edie Falco, Sharon Angela, Max Casella, Dan Grimaldi, Joe Perrino, Donna Pescow, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Tony Sirico, and Michael Drayer in The Sopranos (1999)
    Crime
    Mahershala Ali and Alex R. Hibbert in Moonlight (2016)
    Drama

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Reassembling the film was a challenge because there was no existing script. They had to use scenes written out in notebooks, on pieces of paper, and even on envelopes and cocktail napkins. Another challenge was that 5 reels of the rough cut were missing and never found (reels 9-13). They had to go through the negatives to find missing material.
    • Crazy credits
      At the end of the credits, you can hear Duke Mitchell say, "OK, cut it."
    • Connections
      Featured in Gone with the Pope: The Players (2015)

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    FAQ14

    • How long is Gone with the Pope?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 12, 2010 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Kiss the Ring
    • Filming locations
      • Lake Arrowhead, San Bernardino National Forest, California, USA(Our Lady of the Lake Parish)
    • Production company
      • Grindhouse Releasing
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $100,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 23m(83 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • 6-Track Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.