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The Scarlet and the Black

  • TV Movie
  • 1983
  • Not Rated
  • 2h 23m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
3.4K
YOUR RATING
Gregory Peck in The Scarlet and the Black (1983)
DramaHistoryWar

Vatican efforts, led by Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty, to save Allied P.O.W.s and downed Allied airmen as the Nazis invade Rome.Vatican efforts, led by Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty, to save Allied P.O.W.s and downed Allied airmen as the Nazis invade Rome.Vatican efforts, led by Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty, to save Allied P.O.W.s and downed Allied airmen as the Nazis invade Rome.

  • Director
    • Jerry London
  • Writers
    • J.P. Gallagher
    • David Butler
  • Stars
    • Gregory Peck
    • Christopher Plummer
    • John Gielgud
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.5/10
    3.4K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Jerry London
    • Writers
      • J.P. Gallagher
      • David Butler
    • Stars
      • Gregory Peck
      • Christopher Plummer
      • John Gielgud
    • 49User reviews
    • 7Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Primetime Emmy
      • 1 win & 2 nominations total

    Photos32

    Gregory Peck and Olga Karlatos in The Scarlet and the Black (1983)
    Gregory Peck and Christopher Plummer in The Scarlet and the Black (1983)
    Gregory Peck in The Scarlet and the Black (1983)
    Gregory Peck in The Scarlet and the Black (1983)
    Christopher Plummer and Walter Gotell in The Scarlet and the Black (1983)
    Christopher Plummer and Walter Gotell in The Scarlet and the Black (1983)
    Christopher Plummer in The Scarlet and the Black (1983)
    Gregory Peck and Olga Karlatos in The Scarlet and the Black (1983)
    Gregory Peck in The Scarlet and the Black (1983)
    Gregory Peck in The Scarlet and the Black (1983)
    Christopher Plummer and Barbara Bouchet in The Scarlet and the Black (1983)
    Gregory Peck and Vernon Dobtcheff in The Scarlet and the Black (1983)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Gregory Peck
    Gregory Peck
    • Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty
    Christopher Plummer
    Christopher Plummer
    • Col. Herbert Kappler
    John Gielgud
    John Gielgud
    • Pope Pius XII
    • (as Sir John Gielgud)
    Raf Vallone
    Raf Vallone
    • Father Vittorio
    Kenneth Colley
    Kenneth Colley
    • Capt. Hirsch
    • (as Ken Colley)
    Walter Gotell
    Walter Gotell
    • Gen. Max Helm
    Barbara Bouchet
    Barbara Bouchet
    • Minna Kappler
    Julian Holloway
    Julian Holloway
    • Alfred West
    Angelo Infanti
    • Father Morosini
    Olga Karlatos
    • Francesca Lombardo
    Michael Byrne
    Michael Byrne
    • Reinhard Beck
    T.P. McKenna
    T.P. McKenna
    • Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler
    Vernon Dobtcheff
    Vernon Dobtcheff
    • Count Langenthal
    John Terry
    John Terry
    • Lt. Jack Manning
    Peter Burton
    Peter Burton
    • Sir D'Arcy Osborne
    Phillip Hatton
    • Lt. Harry Barnett
    Mark Lewis
    • Cpl. Les Tate
    Fabiana Udenio
    Fabiana Udenio
    • Guila Lombardo
    • Director
      • Jerry London
    • Writers
      • J.P. Gallagher
      • David Butler
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      While serving his sentence in prison, Herbert Kappler divorced his first wife and married his nurse, Anneliese, in 1972. In 1975, he was diagnosed with cancer. As the authorities refused to release him, in 1977, Anneliese carried Kappler out of prison in a large suitcase (he weighed less than one hundred five pounds at the time). They escaped to West Germany, where Kappler died six months later.
    • Goofs
      In at least four scenes, Herbert Kappler wears a black SS parade tunic instead of his usual office gray uniform. By 1943, when the film is set, the SS had completely phased the black SS tunic out of service and this uniform would not have been worn at even the most formal of functions.
    • Quotes

      Col. Herbert Kappler: You're alone?

      Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty: I am.

      Col. Herbert Kappler: Not afraid I'll shoot you?

      Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty: No. If you were going to kill me, your man would have already done it in my room.

      Col. Herbert Kappler: That is so.

      [pause]

      Col. Herbert Kappler: But believe me, at this moment, nothing would give me greater pleasure.

      Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty: Well, when it comes down to it, a bullet's your answer to just about everything, isn't it? The only argument you've got.

    • Alternate versions
      An edited version of approximately 110 minutes (120 minutes when broadcast with adverts) is sometimes shown on TV in the UK.
    • Connections
      References Massacre in Rome (1973)
    • Soundtracks
      La Boheme
      Composed by Giacomo Puccini

    User reviews49

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    Based on real events about priest Hugh O'Flaherty who hides fugitives against Gestapo Colonel Herbert Kappler
    The priest Hugh O'Flaherty (Gregory Peck) turns into the rescuer of the persecuted by Nazis. The Monsignore clandestinely within the shield of the Vatican's diplomatic immunity to shelter allied military from the Gestapo Chief Herbert Kappler (Christopher Plummer) . Then O'Flaherty masquerades as nun, seller, or Nazi officer in order to outwit the German plans in occupied Rome. At the ending the scene where bad guy , Plummer, and good priest ,Peck, finally confront each other is a high point.

    This story is inspired on actual facts and based on the nonfiction novel titled ¨The Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican¨ by J.P.Gallaher. This interesting story drags in some place but is well realized and contains good cinematography by Giuseppe Rotunno and excellent musical score by Ennio Morricone. It's a lavish production by Bill McCutchen , an ITC-RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana Co-production for world distribution, well filmed by Jerry London entirely on location in Rome.

    The real events are the following : In the early years of World War II, O'Flaherty (Gregory Peck)toured prisoner of war camps in Italy and tried to find out about prisoners who had been reported missing in action.When Italy changed sides in 1943, thousands of British POWs were released. Some of them (John Terry), remembering visits by O'Flaherty , reached Rome and asked him for help. O'Flaherty did not wait for permission from his superiors. He recruited the help of other priests (Raf Vallone, Angelo Infanti), and a Swiss count (Vernon Dobtcheff). He also kept contact with Sir D'Arcy Osborne (Peter Burton), British Ambassador to the Vatican. O'Flaherty and his allies concealed 4,000 escapees − Allied soldiers and Jews − in flats, farms and convents. One of the hideouts was beside the local SS headquarters. O'Flaherty coordinated all this and when he was visiting outside the Vatican, he wore various disguises.The German occupiers of Rome commanded by Col. Herbert Kappler (Christopher Plummer) under orders of Reichsfuhrer Heinrich Himmler (T. P. McKenna) tried to stop him and eventually they found out that the leader of the network was a priest.His efforts put him at odds with the Pope Pius XII (John Gielgud) and SS attempts to assassinate him failed. They found out his identity, but could not arrest him inside the Vatican. When the German ambassador revealed this to O'Flaherty, he began to meet his contacts on the stairs of the St. Peter's Basilica.Several others, including priests, nuns and lay people, worked in secret with Msgr. O'Flaherty, and even hid refugees in their own private homes around Rome. Another person who contributed significantly to this operation was the Malta-born widow Chetta Chevalier (Olga Karlatos), who hid some refugees in her house with her sons (Fabiana Udenio), and was lucky to escape detection. When the Allies arrived in Rome in June 1944, 3,925 of the escapees were still alive. O'Flaherty demanded that German prisoners be treated properly as well. He took a plane to South Africa to meet Italian POWs and to Jerusalem to visit Jewish refugees. Of the 9,700 Jews in Rome, 1,007 had been shipped to Auschwitz. The rest were hidden, 5,000 of them by the official Church − 3,000 in Castel Gandolfo, 200 or 400 as "members" of the Palatine Guard and some 1,500 in monasteries, convents and colleges. The remaining 3,700 were hidden in private homes. After liberation Monsignor O'Flaherty was honored by Italy, Canada and Australia given the US medal of Freedom and made a Commander of the British Empire. Herbert Kappler was sentenced to life imprisonment for war crimes. In the long years that followed in his Italian prison, Kappler had only one visitor. Every month, year in and year out, O'Flaherty came to see him. In 1959, the former head of the dreaded Gestapo in Rome was baptized into the Catholic faith at the hand of the Irish priest.
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    • May 5, 2010

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    FAQ2

    • What does Monsignor O'Flaherty mean when he refers to the 'Black and Tans'?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 2, 1983 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • United Kingdom
      • Italy
    • Languages
      • English
      • German
      • Italian
    • Also known as
      • Grimizno i crno
    • Filming locations
      • Vatican City
    • Production companies
      • ITC
      • RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana
      • Bill McCutchen Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 23 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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