Der Heilige der grünen Insel
Füge eine Handlung in deiner Sprache hinzuA young Christian boy attends a druid worship that is attacked by invading Irish tribes. Taken captive, he is taken back to Ireland to become a slave. Enduring many hardships, he finds comfo... Alles lesenA young Christian boy attends a druid worship that is attacked by invading Irish tribes. Taken captive, he is taken back to Ireland to become a slave. Enduring many hardships, he finds comfort and eventually salvation in his faith. After several years, he escapes back to England,... Alles lesenA young Christian boy attends a druid worship that is attacked by invading Irish tribes. Taken captive, he is taken back to Ireland to become a slave. Enduring many hardships, he finds comfort and eventually salvation in his faith. After several years, he escapes back to England, where he joins a convent to prove his faith. His greatest desire is to return to Ireland ... Alles lesen
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**1/2 (Out of 4)
The film is supported by a splendid cast, but its principal merit is the sensible, unobtrusive way in which it mixes the human, heroic story of the man, with the necessary miracles of the saint, and his duel of prodigies with the heathen druids is casually inserted in the more factual story of his labours, not without catering to the Irish by depicting a rapacious "British church" in perhaps the only departure from strict historical truth, since Patrick lived long before the English considered themselves such. Which doesn't prevent Malcolm McDowell from adding another splendid villain to his gallery, as the ambitious and autarchic Bishop Quentin.
For instance, when Patrick, upon his return from slavery, asked his father for "a Bible", he was asking the impossible. There was no such thing available. The most he could have gotten would have been a bound book of the 150 Psalms, or maybe--since his father was, as depicted, a patrician landowner--a book containing the four Gospels. The story omitted any mention of the fact that Patrick's father was, himself, a deacon in the Church.
Further, there was no "arduous course of studies" for the priesthood, and people didn't have to travel to Gaul for training and ordination, though some, indeed, did. Training and ordination normally would have been undertaken by the local bishop.
Then, when Patrick said to Bp Quentin, "In Matthew, the 16th chapter, verses 19 and 20...", that, too, was impossible. The Bible wasn't divided into chapters and verses until the 17th century, by Archbishop Ussher. What Patrick *should* have said would be more like "Remember the words of Our Lord which we read in the Gospel for the 2nd Sunday in Lent..." Oh, and the grammar of the quoted Biblical passages--pronouns and verbs all mixed up? Homer Simpson does just about as well. (It's not hard to look something up and copy it out right.)
By the way, Patrick was far from ignorant of Latin, as portrayed in the scene with Bp Quentin. He wrote Latin poetry, and his autobiography (as partly read in a later scene) was written in fairly decent Latin.
Now--the vestments. It looked as if the producers had raided all of the costume shops in Lower Manhattan, and a few of the church sacristies, and tossed together whatever looked good to them--none of it the least bit authentic.
Bishop Quentin's getup was the worst--a modern Byzantine chasuble and a 15th-century Venetian Doge's cap. The copes worn by the other bishops and Patrick were of 18th-century design, which persisted down to fairly recently, when the flaps on the back began to be restored as proper hoods--and these were topped off in the film with 16th-century Canterbury caps! The white surplices worn by the messengers and acolytes and the white albs worn by the slaughtered flock of newly-baptized came right off the shelf of Guardian Church Goods on 7th Street. Pfui.
As I said, enjoyable enough, but it could have been way better if the producers had simply asked me!
Several miracles/legends are depicted by special effects that may seem out of place to some viewers, but they are all famous legends told about St. Patrick. (eg. his banishing of snakes from Ireland)
I bought some DVDs not locally available for rent this Christmas, and thought I'd list my three favorites for others who are looking for something other than the usual Hollywood fare. 1.St. Patrick the Irish Legend (I really liked it that much!) 2. Ushpizin (Award winning Israeli film with English subtitles) 3. The Way Home (Award winning Korean film with English subtitles)
Wusstest du schon
- WissenswertesAlan Bates was first asked to play Bishop Quentin.
- PatzerSeveral of the companions of St. Patrick are shown wearing what is obviously a Franciscan habit. St. Francis of Assisi was not born until 1182 and did not gather an order around him until the 1200s, 800 years after St. Patrick.
- Zitate
Calpornius: The years of slavery must have taken their toll. Now you must seize the day as it presents itself. Patrick, you're my only son, the priesthood is nothing but poverty and obedience, how can you chose that above a life of wealth, status, and opportunity?
Patrick: It's not my choice! Father, it's a calling I can hear. I keep having visions.
Calpornius: Visions? You let visions rule your life?
Patrick: It was a vision that led me home, I put my faith in it and here I am and now the visions are calling me back and I must put my trust in them.