Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)At its core, "Priest" is a thoughtful examination of faith, conscience, and feeling and how those concepts can sometimes conflict with dogma, ideology, and tradition ... more simply put, spirituality versus religion. As a long-term associate of an Interfaith agency (and someone who deals with persons from many different faith communities), I found the characters and plot realistic, and was gratified that the script offered no easy answers to the dilemmas it presented. Real life is often messy; the film demonstrates that there are times when an ideal moral choice is neither clear nor even possible, and that a religious calling does not exempt one from the temptations and foibles of being human. These same tensions have been approached (usually as subplots) in many films over the years, including "The Song of Bernadette" (1943), "The Keys of the Kingdom" (1945), and "The Left Hand of God" (1955); "Priest" pushes the envelope by exploring these themes in the context of sexual situations within the Church.
The DVD transfer is beautiful, offering clear and crisp video and sound. The film features a superb performance by Linus Roache, and some very artful editing (with the exception of a couple of spots in which it's obvious that scenes have been snipped by the censors' scissors). I would have liked a few extras on the DVD, like an interview with the director and/or screenwriter, and perhaps some balanced coverage of the controversy the film has generated since its release. A theatrical trailer would also have been welcome. (How was this volatile film marketed, both in the USA and abroad?)
These missing features aside, this movie (to date) is not frequently screened on US cable or broadcast television, and I welcomed the opportunity to see it, and to be moved by it.
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Priest (1995)Critics everywhere declared PRIEST to be one of the best films of the year! The deeply held religious convictions of an idealistic young priest are challenged when he must face extraordinary events within his own congregation. Soon, he is forced to make the impossible choice between keeping the faith and exposing the truth! A gripping and powerful story -- see this unforgettable big-screen hit for yourself!
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