Hellen I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

Contentar Best movie of this year hands down!

Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Bob 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.

caryshelton I am a man of faith but not Catholic. I appreciated the taste with with faith and Catholicism were portrayed in the movie. Not a perfect movie and it can appear dated at times. However it does have some plot twists, makes you think and reminds you of the hope and humanity of the human race.Quinn does an excellent job portraying the conflict he faces. The supporting cast plays their wells true. Some of the premises and solutions might be far fetched but the plot does a great job of portraying the agony and subsequent growth one goes through as he or she is faced with difficult life changing decisions.

Kev11sky Just saw this movie on TCM. I was particularly struck by a conversation between Pope-elect Kyril and one of the cardinals. The cardinal tells Kyril that he has been placed in the "shoes of the fisherman" (St. Peter) and is following in the footsteps of Jesus, as Christ's vicar on earth. Kyril discusses his doubts about his own ability and worthiness. The cardinal replies that Kyril CANNOT resign his holy office. Well, we know how the movie ends.In the real world of February 2013, Pope Benedict has in fact resigned his office, the first Pope to do so in nearly 600 years. I wonder if Pope Benedict ever saw this movie, and thought deeply about it.And for that matter, I wonder if Pope John Paul II was inspired by this movie -- after all, he was the first Pope from a Slavic nation, like Kyril.

esteban1747 Any serious film may have a message, this one has it, for me it is a message of peace at the time that cold war was in its highest point (1968). The invention of a Russian Pope may have an influence in later developments of the catholic church when Polish cardinal Karol Wojtyla was chosen as the Pope. Cardinal Lakota came from Siberian gulag and Wojtyla passed some time in a German camp during the II World War, some similarities exist. Living for long in Rome I did not know how the Conclave works and elects the new Pope. Perhaps this is not exactly what is going on there at the time of the election, but it might be pretty close to the reality. The philosophical discussions of Fr. David Telemond (Oskar Werner) about the life of Jesus Christ were also interesting. Church wants to keep the legend in a way it has been spread, a new understanding goes away from the dogma and cannot be tolerated. The weak point of the film is the representative from China, he looks more to a seller of mango and other fruits than to a diplomat. It is doubtful that China has such vulgar diplomats at that time, in fact they were smarter than Russians in starting a new relationship with USA later on. Catholic church is famous for its conservationism, and internal divergences were shown, some cardinals were in favor of changes, others still want the things going as ever. Hopefully John XXIII, Pavel VI and the same Wojtyla helped a lot to change the face of the church although there is still a lot to do. Lakota (Anthony Quinn) was a man of progress, able to share good and bad times with all, always learning something.

mark.waltz 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.