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:

practical joke | bludgeoning | dead body | murderer | man crying | 

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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:

1 July 1988 (USA)

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

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Playright-scriptwriter Anthony Shaffer once commented on this film's unproduced source stage-play 'Play With A Gypsy''s similarity with the stage-play 'Child's Play' by Robert Marasco: "In the Marasco play, evil is rampant, for reasons some folks never quite figured out. In 'Play With A Gypsy' it'll be plotted all the way. The central figure is a priest, not a bad priest, but one who doesn't understand human beings. He is so bound by his vows and rigid adherence to Catholic orthodoxy that he doesn't know how to cope with malice. He becomes the prey of very wicked animals. The animals are the boys in the school whom he believes to be telling him the truth. 'Play With A Gypsy' is not an anti-Catholic play by a long shot. It simply tries to say that the church, with it's rigidities, engenders certain conflicts with which it is difficult to cope."

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Goofs

In the tennis match, a close shot of Benjie shows him serving whilst standing in the right service court (which would be illegal) but the long shot shows him serving from the baseline (legal). The score is 30-all, so he should be serving from the right side of the baseline, but is shown serving from the left side.

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Soundtracks

Pretty Sort of Treatment for a Military Man
Lyrics by W.S. Gilbert
Music by Arthur Sullivan
Performed by the students
from "Patience or Bunthorne's Bride"

User Reviews

Exciting thriller!

Richard Burton plays a priest in Absolution. I know, his real-life persona was very un-priest-like, but that's why it's called acting! I mean, Frank Sinatra played a very convincing priest in The Miracle of the Bells, and he was just as un-saintly as Richard Burton in real life. Anyway, Burton gives a great performance as a man of the cloth. He's conflicted and pained, and when he even hears about a sin, you can see him struggling not to take it as a personal insult.

He's a teacher and mentor in a boys' Catholic school, and during one of his lessons, the boys ask about the rules during confession. If someone confesses to a crime, will the priest turn him into the police? Burton answers, almost directly into the camera for the audience's benefit, that the priest is bound to silence and can't call the police if he's told of a crime. Then, surprise! One of his students confesses a murder.

Granted, if this movie had been made today, it would be a lot more gruesome, and probably have a few more twists and turns. But it was made in 1978, and so if you watch it, keep that in mind. There are a couple of violent scenes, but nothing overly graphic. And I thought it was thrilling, with enough twists and turns to keep me on the edge of my seat. It's a lot of fun to watch a manipulative, snot-nosed student take Burton to the brink of insanity!