Pope John Paul II (TV 2005)

Following the premature death of his mother, Karol Wojtyla is brought up by his father in the Polish city of Krakow during the first half of the 20th century. An outstanding student with a ... See full summary »

Director:

John Kent Harrison

Writers:

John Kent Harrison (teleplay), Francesco Contaldo (earlier teleplay),

Stars:

Jon Voight, Cary Elwes, James Cromwell

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jon Voight	...	Pope John Paul II / Karol Wojtyla
Cary Elwes	...	Young Karol Wojtyla
James Cromwell	...	Cardinal Adam Sapieha
Christopher Lee	...	Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski
Ben Gazzara	...	Cardinal Agostino Casaroli
Daniele Pecci	...	Roman
Vittoria Belvedere	...	Eva
Giuliano Gemma	...	Navarro Valls
Ettore Bassi	...	Gapa
Wenanty Nosul	...	Stanislaw Dziwisz
Stefano Molinari	...	SS Officer
Valeria Cavalli	...	Teresa
Bartosz Glogowski	...	SS Officer
Chiara Conti	...	Anna
Bianca Nappi	...	Vittoria

Storyline

Following the premature death of his mother, Karol Wojtyla is brought up by his father in the Polish city of Krakow during the first half of the 20th century. An outstanding student with a magnetic personality, he dreams of becoming an actor. When his homeland is invaded by the Nazis in 1939, he and his friends secretly oppose the systematic persecution of their Polish culture. But, with the death of his father and the lacerating solitude which accompanies this loss, Karol's personal "resistance" takes on a new form and he decides to follow a priestly vocation. At the end of the war, Poland falls into the grip of Soviet totalitarianism. The newly ordained Karol is constantly surrounded by young people whom he teaches to safeguard and defend human dignity. He could be considered a serious threat to the regime, but the Communist authorities merely see him as an innocuous intellectual and even encourage his nomination for the position of bishop. Karol Wojtila is the youngest bishop in ...

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Plot Keywords:

pope | poland | bishop | nazi | church | 

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Taglines:

The faith to inspire millions begins with the power of one.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

CBS [us]

Country:

Italy USA Poland

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 December 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Vida de João Paulo II

Filming Locations:

Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Baltmedia, CBS Productions, Granada Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

201 min 186 min 127 min (theatrical) 201 min (2 parts) 171 min (4 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color (Augustus)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Cross used at the night-time mass scene in Nowa Huta, 1959, was originally supposed to be raised by two men using ropes, but after numerous takes the producers felt the act was too melodramatic and decided that the Cross simply be placed into a hole in the ground.

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Goofs

After Wojtyla accepts the papal election, the cardinals rise and applaud. The camera then pans in towards the new Pope. However, if you look closely, it is actually the mirror image shot from the previous conclave, with John Paul I clearly in the middle of it all instead of John Paul II.

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Catherine Zeta-Jones/Franz Ferdinand (2005)

User Reviews

Mini series brings an even more human feel to this man!

What a wonderful story! Cary Elwes plays the Pope from his early adulthood until his acceptance of being voted in by his fellow Cardinals to the Papalcy. Elwes does an incredible job and his acting is flawless and natural.

Jon Voigt simply deserves an award for his portrayal of the Pope... sometimes it was eerie watching his mannerisms and reactions to historically known situations. He had a quiet grace and dignity about him that was also seen with the late Pope! If you missed this story on TV, I would highly recommend you order the DVD, or try and catch it on a repeat! This telling of Pope John Paul II's life is sweet and respectful and at the same time explains why he took the path he did. I'm not a Catholic, nor do I know anything about the religion, but this story is incredible and I enjoyed every minute of it!