Monsignor (1982)

User Rating:

4.8/10   

Director:

Frank Perry

Writers:

Jack-Alain Léger (novel)
Wendell Mayes (writer)

Release Date:

22 October 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | War

Tagline:

Forgive me, Father for I have sinned. I have killed for my Country, I have stolen for my Church, I have loved a Woman, and I am a Priest.

Plot:

An ambitious priest seduces a nun and leads the Vatican into shady business during and after World War II.

Plot Keywords:

Priest | Catholic | Cardinal | Nun | Catholic Church

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Christopher Reeve	...	Father John Flaherty
Geneviève Bujold	...	Clara
Fernando Rey	...	Cardinal Santoni
Jason Miller	...	Don Vito Appolini
Joseph Cortese	...	Ludovico 'Lodo' Varese
Adolfo Celi	...	Cardinal Vinci
Leonardo Cimino	...	The Pope
Tomas Milian	...	Father Francisco
Robert Prosky	...	Bishop Walkman (as Robert J. Prosky)
Joe Pantoliano	...	Pvt. Joe Musso
Milena Vukotic	...	Sister Verna
Ian Danby	...	Lieutenant
Gregory Snegoff	...	1st Soldier
Harrison Muller Jr.	...	2nd Soldier
David Mills	...	Major

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Frank Yablans Presentations

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Hellcats (#3.9)" (1990)

Soundtrack:

Serenade in Blue

either the worst or one of the best depends

If you love bad movies this rates a 10. A sad Camp Triumph for the great for a while Frank Perry the director. Christopher Reeve stiffly makes no impression, as he did in most of his non superman roles. Some good European actors do what the can, for Genevieve Bujold all this amounts to is stripping naked. John Williams composes perhaps the most over the top piece of music in film history for the scene in the cathedral where sinner and saint meet. Also in the mix are some mob killing scenes leftover from a Godfather movie, actually these are the best done scenes in the film, the only ones that work. The rest is either over or under acted and done in a way that tries to be serious in a way that makes it totally campy. A better approach would have been to just go for the sleaze and make this one of those sort of exploitation sex in the confession booth films, that's really all this is at heart. In case you are a snob and think that only low budget films can suck, look at this beauty and realize that with money you can suck really really hard, and I mean that in a bad way. Everyone involved in this should or could rate this as a career low. Reeve claimed there was a great film and they lost it in the editing room. Well, no it's still here to be enjoyed. One of the worst Hollywood films ever, but if you take in in the bad film frame of mind there are many highlights.