Dear friends, I love watching and reviewing classic films, and in the 1940’s ,50’s and 60’s there were many religious, particularly Catholic, films. For a time, these films were commercially and critically successful and starred big names, like Bing Crosby, Spencer Tracy, Gregory Peck as priests, or Ingrid Bergman and Deborah Kerr as Catholic Nuns, among many others. These were all films aimed at a general audience, and many of them are enjoyable and worth watching even if you are of a different faith, or have none at all.
In the link below I offer quick reviews of two such movies “The Bells of Saint Mary’s” and “The Bishops Wife”
Free Classic Movies on YouTube Part 1
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April 11, 2025
Intro: Dear friends, this month I am honored to have 20 new subscribers. This is the first month that I have taken Substack seriously, and made the commitment to keep to a regular schedule, and give it the time it deserves. The only problem is that I can’t write a short story every week, so I am trialing a smaller post on the off week - this the first a…
This review however is for “Saving Grace” and I don’t mean the much better known British comedy with the same name.
Tom Conti stars as the newly elected Pope Leo XIV (there wasn’t one at this time) who is struggling, not with God, but with the bureaucracy and formality of his position. His days are busy, but he is not spiritually fulfilled, and he yearns to have the direct connection with ordinary people he once had as a simple parish priest.
When a deaf-mute girl from an impoverished Italian village arrives at the Vatican seeking help, for her village has no priest, the Pope is deeply moved by her plea. After confiding his doubts to another Cardinal he finds himself accidentally locked out of the Vatican in civilian clothes (he was gardening at the time). Taking this as a sign, he travels to the remote village of Montepetra, his identity concealed by his growing beard.
Arriving at the Village, he finds an abandoned and dilapidated church building, but he soon learns that the village has needs far greater than a restored church, that the villagers, poor and without purpose, needed something greater - a working Aqueduct!
Meanwhile, back at the Vatican, cardinals scramble to hide the Pope’s mysterious disappearance.
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This is a gentle yet quietly powerful movie. It is a parable, a simple story with a simple message, about rediscovering authentic faith through direct service to others.
In many ways this is not an uncommon plot, often called the “Ruler in disguise” which is a narrative pattern which appears in many cultures:
A king/ruler abandons their finery
Lives temporarily among common people
Gains wisdom, humility, and understanding
Returns to rule more justly
Plot as a rule is the least interesting thing about any creative endeavor, especially film. Tom Conti is the star of this film - the whole film rests on his shoulders, and he delivers an amazing performance equal to his roles in “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence” (1983) and “Reuben, Reuben” (1983). Tom Conti is an actor who can act with only his eyes, he has such an expressive face, and when he is on the screen you do not look away! The acting in general is high quality from all concerned, direction and cinematography is naturalistic, and everything is filmed on location. The music by William Goldstein also plays a part to elevate the film.
Part of what makes this film so special is that is shows authentic Catholic faith. Some religious movies are mainstream movies dressed up with religious habits and wholesome sentiment. “Saving Grace” escapes this by taking the Pope out of his papal vestments, and have him put his faith into action.
The film succeeds because it shows rather than tells what Christian ministry should look like - making it both inspirational for believers and accessible to non-Catholics.
Sadly, this film was not a commercial success, and received mixed critical reviews at the time of release, although it has always resonated well with audiences, its popularity has grown over time particularly through release on video, and broadcast on Television. It has also recently been released on Blu-ray.
Commercial success should never be the sole indicator of quality, and critical reviews, including mine, are always subjective.
To end, I want to acknowledge that many people have a problem with the Catholic Church due to the coverup of sexual abuse cases. I expect that a significant number of readers would avoid any movie that shows the Catholic Church in a positive light. I understand that - my only counterargument is that these movies show the best of what the Church could be and what ‘I hope’ they aspire to become once again.
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Dear friends, thank you for reading my review of this film. I am a fan of all classic movies and I have ideas for many more in this series. If you enjoyed this review please share this article with your friends.
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