Exciting WWII drama based on a true story. Gregory Peck stars as a Vatican official who hides escaped POWs and refugees from the Gestapo under the eyes of German officer Christopher Plummer. With John Gielgud, Edmund Purdom, Raf Vallone, Barbara Bouchet, Kenneth Colley. AKA: "The Vatican Pimpernel." 156 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital stereo Surround.

Average Customer Review: ( 104 customer reviews )
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Let's begin with the cast. Gregory Peck, Christopher Plummer and Sir John Gielgud all together in the same movie? Just this cast alone would be enough to recommend this movie to most people.

And the filming? On location in Rome and the Vatican. Doesn't get much better than that!

Drama? Yes, it's there. Suspense? In SPADES! Pathos? Yup! Humor? Believe it or not, yes!

This movie, based on the true story of an Irish cleric in the Vatican will have you sitting on the edge of your seat. The ending will have you cheering and crying and shocked, etc. You will run the full gamut of emotions when viewing this film.

The only major difficulty? The "politically correct" portrayal of Eugenio Pacelli, aka Pope Pius XII. For me, a trained historian, this was a major flaw. The film's presentation of Pius was that of a weak man, unable to do much of anything, while the facts of the matter were quite different.

Regardless, though, this movie does rate as a "must see".

63 of 70 found the following review helpful:

WWII WWJDJun 09, 2002
By Elderbear
What Would Jesus Do (WWJD) in Nazi occupied Rome? Gregory Peck as Fr. O'Flaherty answers this question the best he can, despite tacit opposition from the Pope himself, by helping to spirit escaped allied POWs and Jews out from under the noses of the Gestapo. Christopher Plummer plays the SS colonel who "owns" Rome (an interesting contrast with his role as Baron von Trapp in The Sound of Music). Peck stays on his toes, continuously exploring ways of outwitting the growing Nazi oppression.

Although not overtly religious--well, it's hard to set a story in the Vatican without being religious! While the movie doesn't explore spirituality in depth (nor does it seek to proselytize), it does paint several ethical dilemmas.

A powerful story, one I'd like to see on DVD, with background material. Worthy of a documentary as well. Almost hard to believe that a movie about a Jesuit member of the Holy Order (ie the Inquisition) could be this riveting. It is.

(If you'd like to discuss this movie or review in greater detail, please click on the "about me" link above and drop me an email. Thanks!)

24 of 25 found the following review helpful:

One of the few Catholic friendly movies from HollywoodMay 30, 2003
By Jerome P. Quigley
Exact historical account or not aside, this movie has greatness above any of the criticisms that I have read here on Amazon.com. What makes this movie great is that from beginning to end it is a marvelous Catholic friendly movie, so unlike Hollywood to make. The ending scene and epilog tells it all very powerfully. What a tribute to the Church! The pro-Catholic view of the movie is not at the expense of Protestantism, so I don't think Protestants would be offended in any way. I think that all Christians can love this movie for what it is a movie of a historical event that is uplifting as can be. Another triumph of love and goodness. Our parish priest a number of years ago, thought so highly of this movie that he bought it for everyone in the parish. Do your family a favor and buy this tape or DVD. I run the Wayside Shrine Catholic retreat house. Everyone of our guests has thought very highly of this film.

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