Our Fathers

I have seen this movie and am a practicing Catholic from Boston who worked in a rectory at age 12 in 1964 and did not hear of any abuse. I think the movie did a great job. I lived through the scandal. Before this happen I always said Cardinal Law had to be a cardinal because he could not get that ego in regular size church. You cant believe what this scandal has down to our diocese. And we cant blame lawyers or the media the only real culprit are the pedophile priests and those the covered it up. A a practicing Catholic I have always been aware of the secrecy in the everyday Church. When a Priests in our parish and left to get married have Mental disorders (nerves, drinking ) or left to get married it was if the just never existed. And why would anyone blame Jews for this movie. It looks like the writers , director and stars are not Jew's if that make a difference. Father Spag is in the parish next to ours and the movie did an accurate account of him. Except he is medium built Italian.

Yes its powerful, primarily because the acting is powerful and effective. Anyone in the cast would deserve an acting award.

There are script problems. Too many characters and too many individual stories crammed into 2 hours. Some characters have little or no character development. Big mistake to concentrate on media-circus. The media is notoriously shallow and insincere, and it contrasts sharply with the otherwise deep tone of this film. Perp walks and media rabble on the sidewalks will work fine in the Martha Stewart trial movie, but it is way overemphasized here where it seems silly and unnecessary. Probably the writers were trying to show the "American-ness" of the situation but if so they weren't very successful.

Danson is great at conveying the essence of the legal aspect. So good that we are reminded that the essence is all we need. Legal detail is great in a Courtroom Drama but that is not what we expect here. Also, you feel like some of the characters are Courtroom Drama-style "witnesses" rather than human beings. A movie with such spiritual aspects should show each character as a human being.

Gentle and dignified portrayal of the late Pope. Seems the rest of the Catholic world could not comprehend the depravity and the generally different nature of American society and of this particular monstrous problem.

Showtime ought to be congratulated for its courage in bringing "Our Fathers" to the television screen as a film. Dan Curtis, the director, gives us a first rate account about this sad chapter of abuse to young children by Catholic priests. Those same priests were supposed to have been examples and role models for young children, but in violating that trust, these men committed crimes one never suspected them capable of doing. The book by David France, "Our Fathers: The Secret Life of the Catholic Church in an Age of Scandal", gets an amazing screen treatment by Thomas Michael Donnelly.

The books emphasizes the role of Cardinal Bernard Law in the whole affair. This sinister figure, who was able to get away with murder by resigning his post as the head of the Boston Diocese, is still not admitting his role in the cover up, even after everything is well known and documented.

Father John Geoghan, the monster priest arrested and convicted of several sexual molestation charges, is one of the most repugnant figures involved in the scandal. We watch as this man is ordained with tears in his eyes in the early 60s. Father John is seen as a holy man who is quite charming hiding behind a facade of being good to the children. Parents love him because what they see a role model for their boys to follow.

The film concentrates on Angelo DiFranco's story. Angelo is seen putting his own fist through a mirror in rage. This young man and his lawyer, Mitchell Garabedian, are instrumental into putting the lawyer in contact with Mary Ryan, a woman whose seven boys are sexually abused by father Geoghan. Mrs. Ryan is asked to keep quiet.

The other priest in the story, Father Joseph Birmingham, is also responsible for abuses to other children. Another accuser, Olan Horne, brings it to the attention of Cardinal Law, who is arrogant and indignant about the accusations. Cardinal Law makes a point to tell Olan that Christ hasn't done anything wrong, if anything, he was the one instrumental in his failure as the man who could have solved the problem, but didn't. In the end we watch Cardinal Bernard Law with tears in his eyes as he resigns. Unfortunately, much too late!

The performances are first rate. Christopher Plummer as the sinister cardinal does an excellent performance. Chris Bauer and Daniel Baldwin, two talented young actors, are seen as Olan Horne and Angelo DiFranco, respectively. Ted Danson, as the lawyer is not as effective, maybe because we don't see him as Mr. Garabedian at all. Brian Dennehy is good as Father Spagnolia. Ellen Burstyn is a great Mary Ryan, full of rage and bitter for what the evil priest did to her sons. Steve Shaw plays the evil Father Geoghan.

The tragedy that was done to innocent children by these heartless men will stay in the victim's memories forever. More than likely, these monster priests were abused themselves as children, and now they feel it's their turn to keep the practice going.

If only I could write a spoiler. That would imply that the final outcome of this the greatest of all scandals to rock the Catholic Church was known. But it is not, and the filmmakers do not pretend they know. They simply present in an honest, unflinching manner, the struggles of one group of victims in one city as they emerge from their own dark closets to seek justice for the pedophilia inflicted upon them by the men they most deeply trusted, their priests. This was a venture that took great courage. These were blue collar workers who had to first buck the macho culture in which they lived to do what they believed was the right thing to do. That was not easy. They received more mockery than plaudits as they sought understanding and healing. Cardinal Bernard Law is presented in a more compassionate light than I thought he deserved. He after all could have ended it all many years ago had he acted decisively in ferreting out and removing evil men like Geoghan and Shanley. Instead, he moved them around from parish to parish, enabling them to continue their perversions on new and unsuspecting victims. The Cardinal and his lawyers were so powerful in their hierarchical world and held the media so completely under their spell, that initially a disbelieving Boston Globe reporter suggests a spin that the bishop could use to modulate his responsibility into a more acceptable justification. She was anxious to set aside honest reporting for the more important act of helping the Cardinal. I saw superb acting, brilliant direction and hard hitting dialogue, but no vengeful lashing out. This was a fair and balanced presentation, with the viewer left to ponder and decide. The film ripped a hole through the surface of this horror exposing the incredible cover-up for all to see, but still maintained its balance. It is left to others to more fully plumb the depths of this scandal. This is a must see film for all, Catholics and non-Catholics alike, as pedophilia is not the exclusive domain of the Catholic Church.

Much credit should go to David France and Thomas Michael Donnelly for the book and screenplay for "Our Fathers." The delicate subject matter of pedophilia in the Catholic church and the years of cover-up of the abuses in the hierarchy of the Boston diocese were handled with great sensitivity.

Every note of the film rang true, which was due in large part to the stellar cast. Christopher Plummer as Cardinal Law and Brian Dennehy as Father Spagnolia were both standouts. But the smaller roles were noteworthy as well, especially the adult men who were the abuse victims. The long-term effects of the abuse were vividly conveyed by those actors, who played their roles with great feeling and conviction. Ted Danson was very effective as an attorney motivated by the pursuit of justice, as opposed to greed. Even the actor who was faced with the daunting task of playing the late Pope John Paul II was highly credible. This brilliant ensemble was led skillfully under the sensitive direction of Dan Curtis.

This could have been a run-of-the-mill, lurid made-for-television film. Instead, it was an enterprise created with integrity by all of the artists involved.