I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

There's a more than satisfactory amount of boom-boom in the movie's trim running time.

When asked. if he accepts election, kiril shakes hi head NO, but THEN says he accepts election!

And if you don't read Latin, that summary ain't a compliment. This elephantine blob of dullness is enough to drive the faithful right out the front doors of their parish church. How anyone can take a cerebral story of a prisoner of faith in the Soviet Gulag who rises to the pinnacle of the Roman Catholic Church as Pontiff and turn it into 160+ minutes of ponderous, tedious banality deserves a special Mass.But first, about a thousand Our Fathers and Hail Marys. Michael Anderson's production sucks almost every drop of humanity out of Morris West's book. THE SHOES OF THE FISHERMAN fails miserably where Allen Drury's--and Otto Preminger's--ADVISE AND CONSENT, succeeded in showing the internecine workings of the U.S. Senate. The viewer never really believes he's watching the elevation of a Ukrainian bishop to Cardinal, then Pope. It's just Anthony Quinn looking horrified at the prospect of being in another scene. And on and on.The cast--and the viewers, for that matter--serve an interminable penance for sins undetermined, and non-Catholics must wonder why all the loyalty to the Church by its members.The next time you really screw up, watch the movie. It's worth at least 3,000 Our Fathers.

Almost semi-documentary like in its telling of the processes of electing a new pope, "The Shoes of the Fisherman" is more of a message to the wealthy Catholic church than an actual movie. Told in just over 2 1/2 hours, the film starts with Russian Bishop Anthony Quinn being released from captivity in Siberia after 20 years, and his appointment to a cardinal-ship in Rome by Pope Sir John Gielgud. No sooner has Quinn stepped into his cardinal robes than the Pope has passed away, and the viewer gets an in-depth look at the process of replacing him. It soon becomes clear that the cardinals are not in agreement of who should be pope, and when Quinn simply expresses his simple values of world peace and solving hunger issues in Communist China (which has the world on the verge of another war), he suddenly finds himself getting votes from supportive Cardinals. Elected pope against his will, Quinn soon learns some harsh secrets about being in such a position of power, especially that it is a very lonely life. Like Zorba the Greek, Quinn's Russian Pope wants to see as much of the world as he can to understand it, and he disguises himself (like Audrey Hepburn in "Roman Holiday") as a common man to see it. He runs into the troubled wife of an American reporter (whose infidelity had earlier been revealed), and helps her solve her crisis while she takes care of a Jewish patient. Back in the Vatican, the Pope finds out about resentments from Cardinal Leo McKern (giving a bravo performance) over Quinn's liking for a troubled young priest, and learns of what he must do to survive this lonely life. What comes at the end is very touching, and even quite important in the current state of affairs.Quinn, as usual, gives an honest performance that reveals this character's humanity. He is quite likable from the start, and it is very apparent that such a pope (wearing civilian clothes when he goes off on Vatican business) could never exist, even in post Vatican II society. The problem is that this is a 2 1/2 hour character drama with no real conflict, just a series of situations revealed he must face when chosen pope. If there was more development in the story of a possible third World War which needed the church's interference, I could give this a much higher rating. It is beautifully filmed, and features a nice supporting performance by Sir Laurence Olivier as the Russian official who has Quinn released, and later meets with him to discuss the possibility of war and the resolution of world wide famine. I highly recommend it, but not without reiterating that it feels somewhat incomplete. In spite of its long running time, the film is not boring at all, and actually seems to move quite fast in spite of the lack of a story.

A political prisoner rises to the status of Pope and therefore wears "The Shoes of the Fisherman," the fisherman being Saint Peter, the first pope, in this 1968 film, which is set in a future time. The source material is the novel of the same name by Morris West.Ukranian Archbishop Kiril Lakota (Anthony Quinn), a political prisoner working in Siberia, is set free and brought to Rome by Father David Telemond (Oskar Werner), a controversial priest. Lakota impresses the Pope (John Gielgud), who makes him a Cardinal. At the time, China and the Soviet Union are nearing war, exacerbated by a famine due to trade restrictions against China by the U.S.When the Pope dies, the search begins for a new one. Ultimately Lakota is named Pope, Pope Kiril I. He has a weighty job ahead of him. He must deal with Father Telemund's provocative writings and, at the same time, prevent World War III! "The Shoes of the Fisherman" is an excellent film with a wonderful performance by Quinn as a man whose life experience must now come into play as Pope. The film is loaded with Catholic tradition, including the rituals involved with finding a new pope. We are walked through them by a TV reporter on the scene, played by David Janssen.The story also deals with the church's tremendous wealth and gets into theological discussions, as the passionate Father Telemond argues his beliefs. In this role, Oskar Werner gives an intense portrayal of Father Telemund.The film is somewhat prescient, since we had a Polish pope who came in as the Berlin Wall came down."The Shoes of the Fisherman" boasts an all-star cast which, besides those already mentioned, includes Laurence Olivier, Vittorio de Sica, Leo McKern, and Barbara Jefford. Well worth seeing if Catholic tradition and theological discussion interest you.