Gone with the Pope

"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.

Duke Mitchell spent most of his life in nightclubs. As a Singer and an Actor, Duke struggled to showcase his talent. Throughout the movie, it's hard to decipher between Duke Mitchell and the character Paul for whom he portrays. Both men are victims of the life they chose. Each is fighting to survive and are living on the run. Duke would die from lung cancer at the age of 55. Its hard not to remind yourself while watching the movie as Duke smokes countless amounts of cigarettes. Duke's character deals with being a prisoner, having a burden and feeling cheated. He is angry and manipulates many of his close friends. Wanted to be loved, the only real woman in his life is distant and a minor character. The so called "leader of the band" or head gang member, Duke always tries to stay in charge and be one step ahead of everyone else. You could say that Duke lived like this for most of his life. The ending is very powerful as well as unexpected. You need to ask yourself if Duke is running away or running after something. The ending show's his true fear and that he has been running his entire life. He is angry at America, his friends, and even his Faith. For the low budget / grind house picture that it is, Gone with the Pope meant much more to Duke Mitchell then you think. Having accomplished what it did not set out to do, the movie showcases timeless images of Los Angeles and Las Vegas from the 1970's. The wardrobe alone makes this movie worth watching. For an entertaining movie, any grind house fan will not be disappointed. Then again, for a deep hidden message, Duke's final message to the audience is one that many might not be able to witness.

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.

In the 1950s, Martin & Lewis were the hottest comedy team on the planet. Not surprisingly, their success encouraged likealikes...such as Mitchell & Petrillo. This pair was clearly a knockoff version of the famous team, with Mitchell impersonating Dean Martin, and when they managed to get a film contract, it was for a horrible cheapie called "Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla". Amazingly, it's worse than it sounds and Mitchell & Petrillo (especially Petrillo) were simply awful.

I had no idea that Duke Mitchell managed to make a few films after his Lugosi debacle. I learned of this movie, "Gone With the Pope" when I was recently visiting Hollywood...where I saw a poster for this film in a retro theater. And, when I realized it was the same Duke Mitchell, I knew I had to find it. Fortunately, it's currently available on several channels on the Amazon Fire...and that's how I saw the movie.

The story behind this ultra-cheap film is a lot like what you'd expect from an Ed Wood movie. Mitchell scraped together a miniscule amount for a movie ($25-35,000 according to IMDB) and made it piecemeal over a couple years. Then, it appears he ran out of money and died a few years later. When cleaning out his things following his death, this very incomplete film was found in boxes....and someone decided to finish and release the movie...about three decades after Mitchell's death. Talk about a strange pedigree!

Paul (Duke Mitchell) was just released from prison and he isn't exactly repentant and ready to live the straight and narrow. After murdering a room full of mobsters, he comes up with a bizarro idea. He wants to kidnap the Pope and then charge every Catholic person $1 to get him back!

Much of the film was filmed using Mitchell's friends and associates. They clearly were NOT professional actors. You can tell this by the acting as well as the budget for the film. As far as the story goes, apparently there was no script. It is gritty and filled with expletives, racist comments and nudity you might not expect from a 1970s picture (that's when it was filmed).

Now I am NOT saying the movie is completely terrible. It has a few redeeming qualities and at least manages to be better than "Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla"! On the plus side, there is a gritty realism about it and you get a chance to see 1970s Vegas and Rome. Also, for better or worse, the story IS original! On the negative side, the film looks cheap...really cheap. It also appears in places to just meander without any apparent thought to a plot. Overall, a bad film but not a terrible one...and mostly of interest to the curious.

By the way, at one point the gang is talking about getting a Citroën Maserati. This is referring to the Citroën SM...a Citroën with a Maserati engine...hence the name.

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.