Customer Reviews

Monsignor [VHS]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

It's amazing to me to read such widely opposing comments about this film. Mostly ignored, this film has perhaps a storyline that's rather difficult to believe, but many problems in Christiandom read more like fiction than fact in real life. Some Catholics may be offended by the film.

The movie starts out as a young Christopher Reeves, then a chaplin, has to make a choice as the Nazi troups close in, whether to open fire or not, as one of his soldiers dies of a bullet wound. Reeves ends up in the Vatican and through an unusual set of circumstances, relieves the church of its financial woes during WWII by selling Vatican supplies through the black market. He is befriended by a Cardinal, (Fernando Rey) whose performance in this film was perhaps the best of all the cast. Reeves ends up having an affair with the lovely Genevieve Bujold, their first encounter romantic, yet painful. The story continues with Reeves becoming involved in high finance as a bank manager for the Vatican, taking the blame for a multi-million dollar scandal brought on by a rogue mafia operative.

The film has been criticized for its fanciful plot, but at least we're not dealing with a child molestation, but a priest making very difficult choices while other priests are quick to condemn. It is a story of sin and redeption. Beautiful score by John Williams.

I generally only like movies which movie critics think are exceptional movies, but this movie is an exception. The critics and many people really trashed this movie, many because it is so anti-catholic. Don't be put off by the bad reviews. I think Chris Reeves has a great performance in this movie.

The plot of this movie is excellent and meaningful. It takes us behind the golden façades of the Vatican's walls and makes us take a plunge into its controversial policies and hipocritical acts. The only thing that ruins the plot is a love story of the main character à la "Torn Birds", which is meant as a "reminder" to us, that even priests have a heart (well, we know already). For the rest, the movie is flawless, and follows a very sinister path that at times crosses into true facts, which unfortunately, did happen. Christopher Reeve plays convincingly. Absolutely not recommended for those who "believe" in the Church. For all the others, it is a worthy insight into the machineries of power and corruption, even among the Holy Walls. To you, the final judgment...

I too, found the story to be very far-fetched, 'til I read an article in the Los Angeles Times concerning the American Cardinal that was in charge of the Vatican Bank concerning some 'slight' irregularities of one (financial) type or another. Interesting timing?

My ultimate view of the movie is that it was a love story. The love that a man had for his church and for his girl. Never mind that the girl was a nun-in-training.

For me, the confrontation scene in the church just messed with my head - that is - I could actually 'feel' Monsignor Flaherty's agony. Don't get me wrong, people in the theatre actually laughed, but there was nothing even remotely funny about 'being caught' like that, and the ramifications should have been nothing less than catastrophic for him.

For those who termed the movie Campy, Cheesy or whatever other adjectives you may choose to describe this movie, I say get yourself a copy and see for yourself. Oh, and the acting was actually decent! Three stars for the film! R.I.P. Mr. & Mrs. Chris Reeve!!

I am one who agrees the movie is not only better but different than perceived by the critics. I don't think it is laughable. You can take it as a stylized metaphor or parable of Catholic reality. Quite remarkable how that which was too over-the-top to be taken seriously a while back now seems like an expected headline. Nobody thought it preposterous when Coppola put the Pope and Michael Corleone in the same bed.

However, the character played by Geneviève Bujold..this is amazing. She seems the embodiment of the intrinsic conflict in Christianity/Catholicism with regard to matters of the flesh versus those of the "spirit." She is a victim of the dichotomy because she does not reject it as false on its face, as it should be rejected.

Her incipient 'hope' growing from within the otherwise desultory hook-up grows. She invests in it. It could be the healing of her torture.

But then the betrayal. Okay, perhaps on hearing this plot-point it seems all too clichéd...but Bujold brings home the pain. The way the filmmakers set up and record the reveal of the betrayal and the intense, naked confrontation just afterwards, with rage-justified words and gesture...I know of no other such counter-attack of the wounded soul.

The film is worth it just for this scene.

John Donohue
Pasadena, CA

Just caught "Monsignor" on cable. It seemed to be well-paced in that it didn't drag for me as it did for another reviewer. The plus side is that it shows the worldly side of the Roman Church and how this church might get into financially ambiguous dealings with the best of intentions. The black-market business does seem farfetched; yet there's historical precedent: in the Middle Ages the pope was dealing with Jewish moneylenders while the official Church was condemning usury as a sin. Also, Chris Reeve's character represents a type based in reality, the priest who's rambunctious in his younger years, and even does some messing with women, but eventually gets himself into line. Genevieve Bujold is fairly credible as the novice--or postulant--who gets involved with a man--but to be seduced on the second meeting?! She loves him that much that soon? I fear she was an excuse to insert a disrobing scene into a leaden script. And why did they jeopardize their immortal souls with such a mournful fornication?
The film may be worth renting, but not buying.

Christopher Reeve's is often blown off by critics is just a typecasted tragidy who never lived up to his full potential. Like Somewhere In Time this movie received harsh critisism when first released however unlike Somwhere In Time which eventually gained full respect. This film never did. Instead religious nuts bashed it. Not for it's bad taste like Godfather 3. But simply for it's alligations of corruption in the vadican. Something proved years later to be true. In the wake of many pedifile charges, this story isn't so far fetched. Religious nuts bash this as a religious film but it's not. It's a mafia/Gangster flick with a priest as a main charrecter and the vadican as the back drop.

This is great, not allotta gangster films actually take place in Italy. Let alone the vatican. Reeve's is great as ever. As we'll as his best friend Joseph "Joe" Cortese star of the underraited cult masterpeice Family Enforcer best known as Joe Pesci's first film. Cortese is very underrated. Equally as great as DeNiro & Pachino in their prime. It's sad Scorsese hired Pesci & Frank Vincent for Raging Bull but never hired Cortese. He shines hear as he does in many other films like Ruby by John Mackenzie & Rat Pack by Rob Cohen. People who have watched Family Enforcer and waiting for directors Cut from Grind House Releasings will most likely love this film too.

Another underrated genious in this film is the always intense Jason Miller who plays the Mafia Don & also plays a gangster in the Underrated Nickel Ride (Just released by Shout Factory) mostly known for The Ninth Configuration & The Exocist) in one of his best underrated roles as well.

Adolf Celi of ThunderBall, Fernando Rey of The French Connection & Leonard Cimino as the Pope of Q&A, Hide In Plain Sight, Honor Thy Father & Witness To The Mob.

Reeve's as many know also wanted to play Pat O'Brian's charrecter in an Angel's With Dirty Faces Remake in the 80's but bad press stopped it. I think it's great Reeve's got to be in a mini 2 hour epic where he ages old, hangs with Joe Cortese, works with Don Jason Miller, even romances nun Genevieve Bujold from Obsession. This film is a great Companion peice to Micheal Cimino's The Scilian directors cut. A Must see and finally on DVD.

Contrary to popular belief ... there are more than one kind of Catholic. There is the Roman Catholics who demand celibacy of clergy while the seven Eastern Rite (Byzantine Catholics) allows their priests to marry in Europe. Marriage was not a sacrament until sometime around 1000 AD when the Church added it to its list. Why shouldn't a priest be allowed to take holy orders and marriage vows at the same time? When Jesus taught he is referred to as Rabbi in the scripture, which during his day, was a term reserved only for marrried Jewish men. I am not stating anything about my views on theories that Christ was married but that .... if he was ... and if Eastern Catholics can ... why not those in Rome?

The late Christopher Reeve plays an ambitious American Priest and WW2 vet who arrives in the Vatican. He is placed in charge of financial dealings and ends up in illegal schemes with the Mafia, and breaking his vows to enter into an illicit union with a noviate. This isn't so far out and in 1982 when this film was released was far more controversial. The film could have had the kind of cinematic opulence as the Passion but it got flat with stereotypes about Catholics. Monsignor is a story about ambition in "spiritual" places and how one man's lust for recognition got uglier despit his frocks.

i don't know why i like it but i do! this is grade a cheese here but it is also a great soap opera, and i though that mr. reeve's acting was good. if you let it i think you may like it.

Except for the "shocking" premise, the movie doesn't have much to go on. Suprisingly slow moving considering the supposed drama of the corruption and the affair. Reeve, God bless his soul(pardon the pun)was handed a real doozy of a role. At times reverential to the Vatican,this character slides into a bizarre method-acted version of Gordon Gecko. How this person could ever exist is beyond me. Plus, I never really caught onto why the Monsignor is so ambitiously greedy anyway. Seems as if he would have gone to B-School instead of the clergy. Oh well, at least he's not chasing little boys...
Best scene: Nun discovers the awful truth during a "all-hands" Vatican visitation of the Pope.