Romero (film)
| Romero | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | John Duigan |
| Produced by | Fr. Ellwood (Bud) Kieser |
| Written by | John Sacret Young |
| Starring |
Raúl Juliá Richard Jordan Ana Alicia Eddie Velez Harold Gould Tony Plana |
| Music by | Gabriel Yared |
| Cinematography | Geoff Burton |
| Editing by | Frans Vandenburg |
| Distributed by | Paulist Pictures |
| Release dates | August 25, 1989 |
| Running time | 102 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $10,032 |
| Box office | $32,912[1] |
Romero is a 1989 American biopic depicting the life of Salvadoran Archbishop Óscar Romero, who organized peaceful protests against the violent military regime, eventually at the cost of his own life. The film stars Raúl Juliá, Richard Jordan as Romero's close friend and fellow martyred priest, Rutilio Grande, as well as actors Ana Alicia and Harold Gould. Although the film depicts true events, there are a few fictional characters.
Plot
During the 1977 Salvadoran presidential elections, amid public unrest and a guerilla uprising, the military regime sends death squads to detain, torture and kill any people who speak out against its human rights record. The Vatican elevates conservative Oscar Arnulfo Romero (Raul Julia) to the position of Archbishop of San Salvador, hoping that he will accept the status quo. After the assassination of Father Rutilio Grande (Richard Jordan), an outspoken jesuit proponent of Liberation Theology, Romero begins to take a stand against the government's policies, prompting the death squads to begin targeting priests.
After failing to rescue a pro-government hostage of the guerrillas in a botched ransom, Romero discovers that his friend Father Osuna (Alejandro Bracho), a militant critic of the ruling regime, has been captured and tortured. After securing his release, Romero instigates a boycott of the president elect's inauguration, defying him by taking mass in a church the military took over as a baracks. He later attempts to secure the release of a soldier taken hostage by Osuna and the guerrillas, but is arrested in the process. Osuna is subsequently tortured to death. Undeterred, Romero rejects the violent methods of the guerrillas, but is nonetheless assassinated while holding mass.
Cast
- Raúl Juliá as Archbishop Óscar Romero, archbishop of San Salvador.
- Richard Jordan as Fr. Rutilio Grande, SJ.
- Alejandro Bracho as Fr. Alfonzo Osuña, SJ.
- Tony Plana as Fr. Manuel Morantes, SJ.
- Lucy Reina as Lucia, a poor campesino. (Fictional character.)
- Ana Alicia as Arista Zelada, an upper-class friend of Romero's. (Fictional character.)
- Omar Chagall as Rafael Zelada, the Minister of Agriculture and Arista's husband. (Fictional character.)
- Harold Gould as Francisco Galedo, Arista's rich father. (Fictional character.)
- Eddie Velez as Lt. Ricardo Columa, a right-wing military and political leader. (Fictional character.)
- Robert Viharo as Col. Ernesto Dorio. (Fictional character.)
- Harold Cannon as Gen. Carlos Humberto Romero, military dictator of El Salvador from 1977 to 1979 (no relation to Archbishop Romero).
- Al Ruscio as Bishop Estrada, the military vicar of El Salvador and opponent of Romero.
- Claudio Brook as Bishop Flores, a vacillating bishop.
- Martin LaSalle as Bishop Arturo Rivera y Damas, bishop of Santiago de María. (He became Archbishop of San Salvador after Romero's death.)
- Eduardo López Rojas as Bishop Cordova, an ally of Romero.
- Tony Perez as Fr. Rafael Villez, secretary of the Bishops' Conference.
Production
Romero was the first feature film from Paulist Pictures, a company founded by the Paulist Fathers, a Roman Catholic society of priests. The company was also known for the production of a long-standing television series called Insight. The film was screened in 1989 at the Toronto International Film Festival. It was directed by Australian filmmaker John Duigan and produced by Paulist Pictures founder Father Ellwood (Bud) Kieser. Composer Gabriel Yared, who went on to win BAFTA Awards and an Oscar for his other scores, composed the music for Romero.
Reception
Romero was well received by critics. The film currently holds a 78% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on eight reviews. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film a moderately positive review; awarding it two and-a-half stars out of four. Ebert praised Juliá's "restrained and reasonable" performance but felt that the film was predictable and therefore not as powerful as other biopics.[2]
References
External links
- Romero at the Arts & Faith Top100 Spiritually Significant Films list
- Romero Movie Guide from the Foundation for Self Sufficiency in Central America, a non-profit group
- Interview with Raul Julia about the film
- 'Romero' at the Internet Movie Database
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