Monsignor (film)

Monsignor

theatrical release poster
Directed by Frank Perry
Produced by David Niven Jr.
Frank Yablans
Written by Jack-Alain Léger (novel)
Abraham Polonsky and Wendell Mayes (screenplay)
Starring
Music by John Williams
Cinematography Billy Williams
Edited by Peter E. Berger
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release dates
 October 22, 1982 (US)
Running time
 121 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $10 million[1]
Box office $6.5 million (US/ Canada)[2]

Monsignor is a 1982 drama film directed by Frank Perry about a Roman Catholic priest's rise through the ranks of the Vatican, during and after World War II. Along the way, he involves the Vatican in the black marketeering operations of a Mafia don, and has an affair with a woman in the postulant stage of becoming a nun. He eventually repents and returns to his faith, attempting to make right the things he has done wrong.

The cast includes Christopher Reeve, Geneviève Bujold, Fernando Rey, Jason Miller, Joseph Cortese, Adolfo Celi, and Leonardo Cimino.

It was not well received by critics and performed poorly at the box office; Reeve later blamed this on poor editing. Supporting actors Miller and Rey were singled out for their strong performances. The film was nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Musical Score,[3] the only Razzie nomination John Williams ever received in his career to date.

The filming location was entirely in Rome, Italy.

Plot

With the Vatican having financial difficulties during World War II, a young priest from America is sent for, recommended because of his accounting skill.

Father John Flaherty does indeed have a good head for figures, but also believes in any means to an end. To raise money for the church, he is willing to enter into a black market operation with the Mafia, selling cartons of cigarettes by the tens of thousands for a percentage of the take.

The priest's morals are strained further when he develops a romantic interest in Clara, a young nun who is having a crisis of faith. They begin an affair, but Flaherty does not confess to her his true identity. One day during a papal audience, Clara catches sight of Flaherty in his clerical robes. Her love and trust are shattered.

Flaherty's methods may be overlooked, but his success at raising funds is appreciated by some of his superiors as he rises to become a monsignor, then a cardinal. When an ill-advised stock investment costs the Vatican millions, however, Flaherty must pay the price for his deeds.

Cast

Notes

  1. ↑ Aubrey Solomon, Twentieth Century Fox: A Corporate and Financial History, Scarecrow Press, 1989 p260
  2. ↑ Solomon p 235. This figure is rentals not total gross.
  3. ↑ Wilson, John (2005). The Official Razzie Movie Guide: Enjoying the Best of Hollywood's Worst. Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 0-446-69334-0.

External links