Absolution

A film that has left an indelible mark on me in the two weeks I have mulled over a review!

Why? I disagree with so many other reviewers in their assessments in a way much more than the hundreds of other films I have reviewed.

The good. I like Richard Burton's performance as Father Goddard. The strict Catholic house master at a Roman Catholic boarding school who runs his house with an iron fist or the equivalent in religious terms!

Okay Burton is towards the end of his career but his sheer presence and masterful verbal diction are perfect for the role. He is not over the top in any way. He is psychologically bullied by a rebellious pupil in cahoots with another pupil better known for his role in Kes (1969) played by Dai/David Bradley who is an older version of his Casper role in the aforementioned Kes!

The title of the film, Absolution comes from the seal of Absolution that a Catholic Priest must honour from private Confessions. That lesson given by Father Goddard will come back to haunt him.

A Minor British Film with the Pedigree of Anthony Shaffer, Richard Burton, and Billy Connolly.

It got Lost in a Warp, was Ignored, Forgotten, and Suffered in "Public-Domain-Purgatory".

Bottom-Feeder Film-Buffs Discovered it in 1 of those "Mill-Creek" Marathon Cheap-Boxes with 49 Other "Sinners".

Given the Name-Recognition Involved it was an Easy Spot Among the Dregs.

Fans Shouted "Hidden-Gem".

It Also came with "Tags" for Gloomy, Religious Practices, a Dire, Dark, and Dour Screenplay and Presentation,

Many Seekers of the Obscure in Cinema Caused Ripples so Strong that Now the Movie has been 'Resurrected" on Blu-ray.

The Twisty Story, with Obnoxious, Sweaty, Students Rebelling Against Priest-Burton, Starting with Practical-Jokes Leading to Murder is an Intriguing but Slow-Ride.

British "Icon" (Sir) Billy Connolly's Film Debut.

Overall, a Bit Hard to Embrace with the Film's Grating Characters, Dark Meilu, and "Heady" Story.

It can be a Hard-Sell to those Accustomed too a More Gaudy, Gory, 70's Style Religio-Thriller after "Rosemary's Baby" (1968), "The Exorcist" (1973) and the Myriad of Imitators.

By 1978 the Trend had All but Exhausted and this Late Entry in the Sub-Genre was too Soft, too Little, too Late.

However, for Horror, Thriller, and Mystery Fans it's Definitely...

Worth a Watch.

"Absolution" is a film that has somehow faded into the public domain. So, if you are interested in seeing it, you can download it for free from archive.org. Often IMDb links to this site but in this case, oddly, it has not.

The film is set at a Catholic boarding school. An incredibly humorless priest, Father Goddard (Richard Burton) teaches Latin at the school and in most of his dealings with the students, he's a nasty and cold man. He's so cold that he naturally breeds contempt in some of his students. And, this coldness and inflexibility will eventually be his undoing.

In the course of his work, Father Goddard has also managed to alienate a stranger--a drifter and a bit of a rogue (Billy Connelly). Instead of showing the love of God, Goddard is cold and dismissive of the man. However, because he does treat this man so poorly as well as students, one of the boys finds a kindred spirit in this drifter. They become friends and the boy starts sneaking out at night to spend time with the guy. Where does all this lead? Well, certainly NOT where you'd expect it to go!!! The film turns out to be a dandy suspense film--and one that kept me guessing many times. It's very interesting and worth seeing though I have one reservation. While the teens playing the students were pretty good actors, occasionally Burton seemed to overact. I know, he's well respected by many, but here he did seem to overdo it just a bit.

By the way, another part that didn't come off well was the violent scene involving a shovel to the head. However, I would say that although it looked fake, I am happy it wasn't more graphic!

I got this film in the 50-pack Drive-in Collection. I had forgotten all about this movie.. I popped it in and about 1/3 of the way into the film I remembered seeing this one a few years ago. WOW what a pleasant blast from the past. So glad they included this forgotten gem in the collection!

Yes this film is good - it's my kind of a mystery-thriller. Although the film is not a horror film, it does get creepy - very creepy. Fans of classic horror movies should enjoy this film along with fans of mystery thrillers. Just an excellent film!

The film does start slow... but it is worth it in the end. There is a reason for this seemingly slow start - it will make sense in the end.

Great late night flick. One that you will not want to miss anything so have your drink and food ready!

9.5/10

The beginning is slightly boring but as you get into the film it twists and turns many times giving a great ending. Burton being one of the best actors of all time, gave a brilliant performance. From the tag line and the description of the film, I didn't think it was going to be a good as it was. The ending was unexpected, so i believe it to be very well written, very well cast and very well directed. This is a must for any Burton fan. I give it a rating of 3 out of 5