Karol: A Man Who Became Pope (2005)

The life of the pope John-Paul II, from his youth as a writer, actor, and athlete in war-torn occupied Poland to his election as Pope at the age of 58.

Director:

Giacomo Battiato

Writers:

Giacomo Battiato (screenplay), Gianfranco Svidercoschi (book)

Stars:

Piotr Adamczyk, Malgorzata Bela, Ken Duken

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Piotr Adamczyk	...	Karol Wojtyla
Malgorzata Bela	...	Hanna Tuszynska
Ken Duken	...	Adam Zielinski
Hristo Shopov	...	Julian Kordek
Ennio Fantastichini	...	Maciej Nowak
Violante Placido	...	Maria Pomorska
Matt Craven	...	Hans Frank
Olgierd Lukaszewicz	...	Karol Wojtyla senior - Karol's father
Lech Mackiewicz	...	Stefan Wyszynski
Radoslaw Pazura	...	Pawel Kowalski
Grazyna Szapolowska	...	Brigitte Frank
Kenneth Welsh	...	Professor Wójcik
Raoul Bova	...	Tomasz Zaleski
Szymon Bobrowski	...	Captain Macke
Mateusz Damiecki	...	Wiktor Milosz

Storyline

The life of the pope John-Paul II, from his youth as a writer, actor, and athlete in war-torn occupied Poland to his election as Pope at the age of 58.

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Plot Keywords:

pope | propaganda | cleric | clergyman | roman catholic church | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Karol Wojtyla was completely alone by the age of 20. His sister Olga died in infancy before Karol was born. His mother, Emilia, died when he was eight. His older brother Edmund died when he was 26 and Karol was 12. His father died when he was 20. Karol was not present for any of their deaths. It was after his father's death that he seriously began to consider the priesthood.

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Quotes

Professor Wójcik: You pay for freedom with your whole being, that is why you will call freedom that which while paying for it helps you to know and control yourself over and over.

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Connections

Followed by Karol - The Pope, the Man (2006)

User Reviews

Nice Work, But For the Pope Fans Only

This is a very good film, or, mini series, of almost 3 hours duration. The historical background of Krakow occupation and Jews' sufferings is shown very well, and the Nazi atrocities are not muted or bypassed here. The main role is played by Pyotr Adamczyk and he did a great job as a the young Karol, and then a mature cardinal, and then, a Pope. There are some weaker parts, though. Of course, such a long story requires a longer film, which could make it almost impossible, but to press into so much in a 3 hour spell is a bit hastened. Then, there are certainly some weaker parts of some actors and come on, there are some obvious caricature-quality Communist figures shown almost like clowns or mere idiots. Saying that, I must admit, that this film is 1000 times better than the 2006 sequel, which is a real bore. This one is vivid, brisk, dynamic and often very very elegant work. Great film, yes, but still, for John Paul II's fans

Details

Official Sites:

Faith Streams

Country:

Poland Italy

Language:

English Italian Polish

Release Date:

15 August 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Karol: A Man Who Became Pope

Filming Locations:

Dobczyce, Malopolskie, Poland

Box Office

Budget:

EUR10,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$7,367,476

Company Credits

Production Co:

Taodue Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

155 min (theatrical) 180 min (2 parts) (TV) 240 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1