Absolution (1978)

At a Catholic public school, Benjamin Stanfield is tired of being the teacher's pet and decides to play a practical joke on his form master Father Goddard. In confession, Stanfield tells ... See full summary »

Director:

Anthony Page

Writer:

Anthony Shaffer

Stars:

Richard Burton, Dominic Guard, David Bradley

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Burton	...	Father Goddard
Dominic Guard	...	Benjamin 'Benjie' Stanfield
David Bradley	...	Arthur Dyson (as Dai Bradley)
Billy Connolly	...	Blakey
Andrew Keir	...	Headmaster
Willoughby Gray	...	Brigadier Walsh
Preston Lockwood	...	Father Hibbert
James Ottaway	...	Father Matthews
Brook Williams	...	Father Clarence
Jon Plowman	...	Father Piers
Robin Soans	...	Father Henryson
Trevor Martin	...	Mr. Gladstone
Sharon Duce	...	Louella
Brian Glover	...	First Policeman
Dan Meaden	...	Second Policeman

Storyline

At a Catholic public school, Benjamin Stanfield is tired of being the teacher's pet and decides to play a practical joke on his form master Father Goddard. In confession, Stanfield tells Goddard that he has accidentally murdered his friend Blakey and buried him in the forest. When Goddard investigates the matter, he finds a buried scarecrow. Goddard is outraged, but, due to the seal of confession, he knows he cannot expel Stanfield. Shortly after, Stanfield once again enters the confession booth, telling Goddard that what before was a practical joke, he has now made happen. In disbelief, Goddard once again goes to the forest to investigate the matter. This time, he discovers Blakey's dead body. The plot soon thickens as Stanfield's fellow student Arthur Dyson mysteriously disappears...

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Plot Keywords:

confession | forest | practical joke | catholic | friend | 

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Taglines:

Boyhood innocence. Deadly secrets. Burning truths.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1981 (UK)

Also Known As:

Murder by Confession

Filming Locations:

Ellesmere College, Shropshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bulldog

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Richard Burton turned down an offer to play King Lear on stage in Canada in order to make this film.

User Reviews

Burton vs Connolly!

Angry looking, twitchy Richard Burton stars as a priest at an all boys school. He's all for slapping down the disabled, annoying pupil while praising the sycophantic, sneaky pupil (I've forgotten their names already). Meanwhile, Billy Connolly of all people turns up as a drifter and after being told to bolt by Burton, sets up camp on the school grounds and begins to turn the sneaky pupil's head onto drink and drugs and living free.

Vexed by Connolly's free spirit and nimble banjo plucking, Burton sets out to get rid of the Glaswegian hippy and get his pupil to return where every adolescent boy belongs: in a school run by Catholic priests. Brian Glover appears as a policeman that gives out a good old seventies police kicking for good measure. However, the tables turn as the young pupil confesses that he's murdered somebody, but is he telling the truth or is it just all mind games to drive old rummy Burton out of his mind?

This film is deadly, deadly slow, but quite on purpose. It's yet another one of these seventies movies where the plot zigs and zags and somehow retains a dark atmosphere that modern films somehow can't quite emulate. There's very little by way of action, but one burst of violence took me by surprise in it's brutality (a nasty axe to the face scene). Burton looks genuinely annoyed at everything, and as this was Billy Connolly back when he was funny, he's enjoyable too. This is not a film for insomniacs but good for those with a bit of patience.