Catholics 

In the near future, the Catholic church has joined with other western religions in an ecumenical movement that has washed out much of the original message of the religion. A group of Irish ... See full summary »

Director:

Jack Gold

Writers:

Brian Moore (screenplay), Brian Moore (novel)

Stars:

Trevor Howard, Raf Vallone, Martin Sheen

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Trevor Howard	...	The Abbot
Raf Vallone	...	Father General
Martin Sheen	...	Father Kinsella
Cyril Cusack	...	Father Manus
Andrew Keir	...	Father Matthew
Godfrey Quigley	...	Father Walter
Michael Gambon	...	Brother Kevin
Leon Vitali	...	Brother Donald
Seamus Healy	...	Brother Pius
John Kelly	...	Brother Paul
John Franklyn	...	Brother Martin
Patrick Long	...	Brother Sean
Cecil Sheridan	...	Brother Malachy
Tom Jordan	...	Father Terrence
Liam Burk	...	Brother Daniel

Storyline

In the near future, the Catholic church has joined with other western religions in an ecumenical movement that has washed out much of the original message of the religion. A group of Irish monks have begun saying the mass again in Latin and have begun to have an international following. Martin Sheen is sent from Rome to bring them to task and they must confront what is truly essential in their worship and what is not.

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Plot Keywords:

religion | latin | ireland | rural ireland | monastery | 

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Taglines:

Riveting for believers, half-believers and unbelievers alike [Video Australia]

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 November 1973 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Ireland

Company Credits

Production Co:

HTV, Hemisphere Productions, Sidney Glazier Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

78 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in The Lonely Passion of Brian Moore (1986)

User Reviews

Classic Acting

Had no idea just how I was going to react to this film and after being rather patient with the slow action taking place in the beginning of the picture, it became interesting. The story is about monks who live in a rather remote area and live with only the bare necessities of life. Their leader is Trevor Howard, (The Abbot), who has caused a great deal of problems with Rome by wanting to say Mass in Latin rather than English. There are other controversial subjects which are mentioned in the film about Communion and how the Body and Blood of Christ is portrayed and how Faith plays a big role in determining how a person wants to believe. Martin Sheen,(Father Kinsella), is a young priest who travels to Rome and tries to stop the problem with Mass still being said in Latin. The Abbot, has some very deep dark secrets which are quite unbelievable, because of the position he holds in the church. If you are not interested in any kind of religion, this is not the film for you.