Catholics
While this film would be appreciated by most Catholics, it also
has value even if you don’t happen to be Catholic. Individuals growing up during
the Baby Boomer generation will particular find merit in this film and be able
to relate to the story line.
A priest who is sent to Rome to an Irish monastery is portrayed by the very
young Martin Sheen. The purpose of his assignment is to stop the monks in the
monastery from celebrating the Mass in Latin. The hierarchy of the Vatican has
been attempting to modernize the Mass around the world and have it celebrated in
the vernacular and to promote the idea that the Transubstantiation of the wine
and bread is actually symbolic and not real.
The problem is that the priests in the monastery have become very accustomed to
celebrating the Mass in a traditional sense. Due to the fact that the ceremony
has been televised there are even more problems. The abbot of the monastery,
portrayed by Trevor Howard, realizes he must find a way to obey the dictate
given to him while at the same time preventing all out rebellion among his
monks.
All of the performances in the film are excellent. While it may be a bit
difficult for someone who was not born a Catholic prior to 1960 to fully
comprehend exactly the dilemma of this film, it still comes across quite well.
The conflict between faith and conscience and the vow of obedience is clearly
demonstrated.
Actors: Martin Sheen, Trevor Howard, Raf Vallone
Run time: 1:13:32 hrs
File size: 212.6 Mb
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