Richard Burton in one of his latter days best parts : he'd already been a member of the clergy:the archbishop in Peter Glenville's "Becket" from Anouilh ,and the defrocked priest in Huston's "night of the iguana" ,from T. Williams ; but none of these characters were as fundamentalist as this one who takes us back to pre-Vatican II days , when latin was compulsory for the mass,and when confession was de rigueur for everyone brought up a Catholic (The first time I've been through this, I was scared to death)
Father God-ard 's God is ,by his voice,as intractable and as demanding as the petulant Jehovah of Victorian Sunday schools .Old Testament indeed : this priest talking to Arthur about what the ancient did with the crippled gives you gooseflesh (it recalls the Nazis).
Combining an outdated vision of catholic religion with thriller , Anthony Shaffer 's play is as smart ,as exciting and as suspenseful as "sleuth" (Mankiewicz's last film) ,full of unexpected twists :the last scene in the church when the priest believes a ghost is coming to claim his damned soul ,verges on supernatural .
In this enclosed world,where you're not even allowed to intervene during father Goddard's class ,even when your remarks are relevant , there's a strong longing for liberty ,here represented by neo-hippie Blakey ;this underdog is a living threat for the establishment ; it begins as a practical joke , teacher's pet 's rebellion against a confession he does not believe in anymore and it ends up as a tragedy not devoid of humor -don't leave during the final cast ,you'd miss the boy's subtle last joke -. All that the priest stands for backfires against him .
Both Dominic Guard and David Bradley give excellent performances opposite a monstre sacré .Both play tricks on their spiritual adviser, and on the viewer too.
The book was a bit sweetened; no more hint at a gay relationship between Blackie and Benji. On the other hand , the ending of the film is much more cynical .
Father God-ard 's God is ,by his voice,as intractable and as demanding as the petulant Jehovah of Victorian Sunday schools .Old Testament indeed : this priest talking to Arthur about what the ancient did with the crippled gives you gooseflesh (it recalls the Nazis).
Combining an outdated vision of catholic religion with thriller , Anthony Shaffer 's play is as smart ,as exciting and as suspenseful as "sleuth" (Mankiewicz's last film) ,full of unexpected twists :the last scene in the church when the priest believes a ghost is coming to claim his damned soul ,verges on supernatural .
In this enclosed world,where you're not even allowed to intervene during father Goddard's class ,even when your remarks are relevant , there's a strong longing for liberty ,here represented by neo-hippie Blakey ;this underdog is a living threat for the establishment ; it begins as a practical joke , teacher's pet 's rebellion against a confession he does not believe in anymore and it ends up as a tragedy not devoid of humor -don't leave during the final cast ,you'd miss the boy's subtle last joke -. All that the priest stands for backfires against him .
Both Dominic Guard and David Bradley give excellent performances opposite a monstre sacré .Both play tricks on their spiritual adviser, and on the viewer too.
The book was a bit sweetened; no more hint at a gay relationship between Blackie and Benji. On the other hand , the ending of the film is much more cynical .