The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968)

Ukrainian Archbishop Kiril Lakota is set free after twenty years as a political prisoner in Siberia. He is brought to Rome by Father David Telemond, a troubled young priest who befriends ... See full summary »

Director:

Michael Anderson

Writers:

John Patrick (screenplay), James Kennaway (screenplay)

Stars:

Anthony Quinn, Laurence Olivier, Oskar Werner

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Anthony Quinn	...	Archbishop Kiril Pavlovich Lakota
Laurence Olivier	...	Premier Piotr Ilyich Kamenev (as Sir Laurence Olivier)
Oskar Werner	...	Fr. David Telemond
David Janssen	...	George Faber
Vittorio De Sica	...	Cardinal Rinaldi
Leo McKern	...	Cardinal Leone
John Gielgud	...	The Elder Pope (as Sir John Gielgud)
Barbara Jefford	...	Dr. Ruth Faber
Rosemary Dexter	...	Chiara (as Rosemarie Dexter)
Frank Finlay	...	Igor Bounin
Burt Kwouk	...	Chairman Peng
Arnoldo Foà	...	Gelasio (as Arnoldo Foa')
Paul Rogers	...	Augustinian
George Pravda	...	Gorshenin (credit only)
Clive Revill	...	Tovarich Vucovich

Storyline

Ukrainian Archbishop Kiril Lakota is set free after twenty years as a political prisoner in Siberia. He is brought to Rome by Father David Telemond, a troubled young priest who befriends him. Once at the Vatican, he is immediately given an audience with the Pope, who elevates him to Cardinal Priest. The world is on the brink of war due to a Chinese-Soviet feud made worse by a famine caused by trade restrictions brought against China by the U.S. When the Pontiff suddenly dies, Lakota's genuine character and unique life experience move the College of Cardinals to elect him as the new Pope. But Pope Kiril I must now deal with his own self-doubt, the struggle of his friend Father Telemond, who is under scrutiny for his beliefs, and find a solution to the crisis in China.

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Plot Keywords:

pope | famine | political prisoner | gulag | catholic priest | 

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Taglines:

A modern-day story of faith, courage and intrigue!

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although it is never mentioned nor indicated at any point in the movie, the story is set twenty years in the future.

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Goofs

Kiril Lakota is often identified as a Russian, when in fact he is an Ukrainian, a different ethnic group. Ukraine was then part of the Soviet Union. During the Cold War, Westerners - especially Americans - typically referred to the Soviet Union as "Russia" and did not distinguish between various nationalities within the Soviet Union, referring to all of them as "Russians."

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Quotes

George Faber: Darling, I would at least have tried to persuade you that I was definitely calling it off with Chiara.
Dr. Ruth Faber: It'll be alright. I mean, not just about us. I know it will.

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Connections

Featured in The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968)

User Reviews

Movie must be understood in the context of 1968

With respect to those viewers who evaluate this film as entertainment, to fully appreciate and understand the many sub-plots, a viewer would have to understand something about Roman Catholic theology, the currents of 1968, and the popular philosophy of the French Jesuit Pierre Teilhard de Chardin with some people such as the author of the book, Morris L. West. The Oskar Werner character of Father David Telemond is a good surrogate and advocate for Chardin but he is not Chardin. Chardin is mentioned by Werner during the inquiry of the Papal Commission into Father Telemond's writings. The real Chardin believed in what Telemond calls "The Cosmic Christ" "the point to which all of human evolution is advancing." Telemond and Chardin would explain that a good God still allows man to use free will to chose the wrong things, to commit crimes, even mass crimes such as war, because those things are part of the natural breakage that always happens in any production process. But they would also argue that faith would ultimately bring mankind closer to God on a very long but not infinite timetable. Pope Kiril thinks there is beauty and power in Telemond's writings but cannot understand Telemond's views on theology. "There is little of the Catholic faith as I know it in your writing." The Pope tells him that faith alone saved him from insanity in the Gulag of Siberia in the USSR. In his background, fundamental toughness, and simple faith, the fictional Pope Kiril (1968) is an amazing precursor to the real Pope John Paul II (1978). Tellemond protests, "God is there but by a different name." Telemond is finally accused by Cardinal Leone of heresy because he says that if his faith were taken away he would still believe in the world and its goodness--an idealistic but still secular world view. Pope Kiril is willing to sell off the wealth of the Church to help starving Chinese people because he understands that is the only way to prove to Chairman Peng and the world that the church believes in what it preaches. The loneliness of his decision is framed by terror when Cardinal Leone tells him, "This is Calvary, Holiness, and you have just begun to climb." That is the most profound line of a great many profound lines in the movie. One does not have to be an intellectual to appreciate the film which succeeds on its own terms as entertainment. But people who think it is boring just have no concept of what the film is really about. For acting and content, this is one of the best films of the last 50 years.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Latin Hebrew

Release Date:

14 November 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Shoes of the Fisherman

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

162 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1