Product Details

• Actors: Jon Voight; Cary Elwes; Ben Gazzara; Christopher Lee and James Cromwell
• Directors: John Kent Harrison
• Format: Dolby, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Number of discs: 1
• Studio: Ignatius Press
• DVD Release Date: October 16, 2006
• Run Time: 180 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000JR0BYE
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #24,558 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Pope John Paul II" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Watching this film has renewed in me a sense of profound gratitude to God for having given the Church and the world a Pope of such an exalted human and spiritual nature. --Pope Benedict XVI

Product Description

This epic film follows Karol Wojtyla's journey from his youth in Poland through his late days on the Chair of St. Peter. It explores his life behind the scenes: how he touched millions of people and changed the face of the Church and the world; how he defended the dignity of mankind. Jon Voight's powerful, Emmy-nominated performance as John Paul II was widely praised, as was Cary Elwes as the young Karol. Shot on location in Rome and Poland in close connection with the Vatican, this is the definitive epic film on the life of Pope John Paul II. DVD includes Spanish subtitles and special sixteen-page collectible booklet. Closed captioned.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful & Compelling Portrayal of a Beloved Figure, October 30, 2006

By	A. VanHecke "Love2learn Mom" (Milwaukee, WI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Cary Elwes and Jon Voight lovingly and skillfully portray one of the most beloved figures of our times. The research and numerous interviews with the Vatican and Pope John Paul II's close associates, make for a humorous and insightful storyline. It emphasizes his connections with Poland even after he becomes Pope and the "little stories" that reveal his humility and his devotion to God and to his friends and homeland. This is a much more personal and intimate portrait than we are accustomed to, and it was very moving.

The lead actors are excellent and the pope's devoted assistant and his secretary of state are especially interesting. Karol Wojtyla's fellow cardinals from Poland are played powerfully by Christopher Lee (Star Wars, Lord of the Rings) and James Cromwell (Babe).

On the down side, this was made as a TV movie and the budget limitations show in a number of the crowd scenes. Sadly incongruent with the overall quality.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinary Production on JP II, November 18, 2006

By	A. Ryan (Spokane, WA. USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This moving film truly captures the personality, spirit and character of Pope John Paul II thru the two powerful performances by Cary Elwes ("Princess Bride" fame) as the younger Pope, Karol Wojtyla, and the critically acclaimed performance by Academy Award winner, Jon Voight. Both actors give stellar performances to show the many facets of the Pope's personality and life, from his challenging youth in war torn Poland through his last days in the papacy.
Contrary to what another reviewer said about budget limitations, this is actually a big budget movie for television, a 20 million dollar production. It also had a full theatrical release throughout Poland, and had tremendous box office susccess, second only in revenues to "The Passion of the Christ". This is a very beautifully filmed production that has a great look to it, shot on location in Rome and Poland.
Director John Kent Harrison also wrote the screenplay, after interviewing those who were closest to the Pope, and Harrison just nails the story of the Pope's life so well. Both Elwes and Voight have publicly stated how greatly honored and humbled they were to play JP II, and they both said they worked extremely hard to portray the Pope as best as possible. They both succeeded admirably.
Voight was nominated for an Emmy Award for his performance, one that Variety called "remarkable", and USA Today said "Voight stands out as he closely mirrors our image of the Pope . . .with a mix of majesty and humility, humor and steel." Finally, the renowned Peggy Noonan said it was "Brilliant and warm . . the best work of Jon Voight's storied career."
I wholeheartedly agree. A memorable and deeply inspiring movie on John Paul II.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars MAGNIFICENT, November 25, 2006

By	George Malchow (Columbiaville, New York United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Jon Voight should receive an Oscar for this one, his best performance yet. Truly the best picture on the Life Of John Paul THE GREAT Buy this NOW you wont be disapointed.