The Catholic Standard and Times

Miniseries about the late
Pope John Paul II ‘blessed’
by Pope Benedict

TV review:
“Pope John Paul II,” Dec. 4 and 7, CBS

By Harry Forbes
Catholic News Service

NEW YORK — The latest entry in the Pope John Paul II biography sweepstakes is the most comprehensive of all. “Pope John Paul II,” a two-part miniseries, airs on CBS Sunday, Dec. 4, 9-11 p.m. EST, and Wednesday, Dec. 7, 8-10 p.m. EST.

Interestingly, each of the three network films, of which this is the latest, took a different approach. The gripping Hallmark Channel presentation, “A Man Who Would Be Pope,” concentrated on Karol Wojtyla’s youthful days in Poland, as he, his family and friends struggled to survive under Nazi and then communist occupation, and hurriedly dispatched his election to the papacy, ending there.

ABC’s “Have No Fear: The Life of John Paul II” [airing locally on Thursday, Dec. 1 at 8 p.m.] tried to squeeze a lifetime into its two-hour running time, registering for the most part as mere moving snapshots.

CBS covers the Polish years in its first installment, and devotes all of the second part to the (far less action-packed) period of Wojtyla’s papal tenure at the Vatican starting in 1978.

What distinguishes CBS’ production especially is the veracity of Jon Voight’s Emmy Award-worthy performance as the Pontiff (superbly matched by Cary Elwes, who essays the Pope’s younger days), a name cast, and an overall larger canvas.

The film begins with the 1981 assassination attempt as the papal motorcade makes its way through a crowded St. Peter’s Square. As the gravely wounded Pope is tended by the doctors, he recalls his childhood in Poland, the flashback continuing into the miniseries’ second night.

Many of the events depicted in the Hallmark film are recreated here, though in less detail: the death of Wojtyla’s beloved father; his early days as an actor; his horror at the Nazis trying to eradicate Polish culture and his role in the resistance movement; his burgeoning vocation as a priest, much to the astonishment of his university and acting cronies; his becoming a student chaplain — and 10 years later, auxiliary bishop — in Krakow; and the Mass he boldly held in a field in Nova Huta in defiance of the communists. The Nazis and the communists are given rather less screen time here than on Hallmark, though their villainy is no less vividly portrayed.

Throughout all the hardship, we observe Karol’s stubborn refusal to fight back with violence, adhering to his belief: “evil begets evil.” Throughout, he is drawn as a caring, amiable, keenly intelligent, natural leader — warm and down-to-earth. When, as a young priest, he goes on a camping trip with his friends, he unself-consciously lectures them on sexuality, telling them it is “dear to God” and that “true love (between husband and wife) brings us straight to God.”

The 1981 shooting plays out again about a third of the way into the second night, providing some needed juice in a narrative mostly concerned with the Pope holding formal meetings, addressing large crowds and globe-trotting. All the benchmark events in his papacy are here: urging the Soviets to allow religious freedom, his groundbreaking visit to Poland and subsequent backing of its Solidarity movement against communist rule, and empathy with the Jews, whose plight he had observed with compassion back in Poland. The film includes his reconciliation with his would-be assassin, also dramatized by ABC.

Pope John Paul is seen reaching out to young people and to women, and his attention to right-to-life issues and condemnation of the U.S. sexual abuses within the priesthood are also touched upon.

The series is as respectful of its subject as one would wish, and gives a good idea of what life behind the walls of the Vatican might truly be like.

Among the distinguished supporting players are James Cromwell as Krakow Archbishop (eventually Cardinal) Adam Sapieha, Ben Gazzara as Vatican Secretary of State Agostino Casaroli, and Christopher Lee as Polish Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski. The decision to have everyone speak with Polish or Italian accents, though somewhat hokey, adds authentic texture.

The current pope, Benedict XVI, is shown in a brief scene where Pope John Paul names then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Voight is quite extraordinary. Besides doing a spot-on impersonation of Pope John Paul’s public persona, he ages most convincingly so that you can really empathize with every ache and pain that came with Parkinson’s disease and the damaging falls that the uncomplaining Pontiff must have endured. It’s a heart wrenching portrayal.

At press time, there were some minor errors in chronology: Pope John Paul II’s convocation with the American cardinals at the height of the sexual abuse scandal was 2002, not 2001; his appearance at World Youth Day in Denver came before Parkinson’s disease was diagnosed or even suspected; and in his final months, Easter came before his “final public appearance,” not after. But these are minor glitches, and may be corrected by airtime.

The miniseries was produced by Lux Vide, RAI Fiction, Quinta Communications and Poland’s TVP. Historians at the Vatican are said to have vetted the script. Director John Kent Harrison’s stately and reverent film could hardly be bettered in covering so much ground in a relatively short amount of time (less than three hours, if you exclude the commercials).

Pope Benedict XVI attended the world premiere screening in the Paul VI audience hall at the Vatican and at the conclusion blessed the miniseries — the ultimate endorsement.

Forbes is director of the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.