Qhis evening at 9.20pm on Rai 4 Russell Crowe, in the film The Pope’s Exorcist, transforms into Father Amorth to hunt down the evil one in the streets of the Vatican. The horror of 2013directed by Julius Avery and based on a true storywas met with numerous criticisms from the Catholic Church due to the excessive spectacularization of the ritual. Far from the dramatic quality of the 1973 progenitor, The exorcist by William Friedkinoscillates between the splatter genre and yet another historical suggestion from a Dan Brown novel. Franco Nero is also in the cast.
The Pope’s exorcistplot of the horror film with Russell Crowe tonight 28 October on Rai 4
Rome, 1987. Father Gabriele Amorth (Russell Crowe) has just concluded a complex mission in Southern Italy, a delicate case of demonic possession. Returning to the headquarters, the Italian priest comes convened by Pope John Paul II (Franco Nero) who holds him in very high regard. Amorth, That has the controversial role of Chief Exorcist of the Vatican, has long been the subject of skepticism and discontent on the part of the members of the high clergy. His enemies force him to show up before a commission of inquiry, specially constituted to evaluate his work.
The purpose is to scale the figure of the exorcistsince there is no objective evidence on the effectiveness of his methods. The presence of the evil one cannot really be demonstrated and the tormented souls would only be victims of psychiatric problems. Among this inquisitorial group stand out Cardinal Lumumba (Cornell John) and Cardinal Sullivan (Ryan O’Grady) who have two opposing views of the issue. Taking advantage of their disagreements, Father Amorth manages to buy time. Although almost all interventions are medical in nature, he knows that the devil, in a small percentage, he managed to take over the body of his unaware victims.
Russell Crowe is “The Pope’s Exorcist” (Ipa Agency)
The Pope’s Exorcist: the devil, Father Amorth and the Spanish Inquisition
The Pope in person she begs him to go to Spain, at the Abbey of San Sebastian. In the former convent, now property private of a friend of the pontiffrecently deceased, some shocking things are happening. A group of workers working on renovating part of the building was the victim of an inexplicable gas explosion coming from the basement. At the same time Henry (Peter DeSouza-Feighoney), the teenage son of the deceased owner, he started acting creepy.
The mother and sisters get first the intervention of the local priestthe young and inexperienced Father Esquibel (Daniel Zovatto), but without success. Then, after having savagely attacked the religious man, with an almost otherworldly voice, Henry he claims to meet Father Amorth himself. Arrived at the abbey, the exorcist begins to study the situationgetting help from Esquibel. The mysterious demon, however, offers a lot of resistance at the ritual and manipulates Amorth, reminding him of all the serious sins committed in the past. The priest is really tried: without knowing the name of the evil one, the exorcism will never be effective.
While searching the underground, he discovers a secret room where members of the Spanish Inquisition, at the end of the 15th century, they tortured their enemies. Finally, he learns that the birth of this unjust tribunal is the work of the devil, who plagiarized the minds of the Iberian clergy. His name is Asmodeus. After unmasking him, with Esquibel’s help the Satanist finally defeats the evil one and save the boy. Upon his return, the Pope reconfirms the importance of his protégé’s mission.
The Pope’s exorcist: true story, cast of the film
The movie is freely inspired by the memories of Father Gabriele Amorth (1925 – 2016) the Vatican’s chief exorcist from 1986 for over thirty years. Australian director and screenwriter Julius Avery (Son of a Gun) he took the autobiographical material exaggerating the more spectacular side and cinematic. The result is a halfway horror, which travels between religious references, paranormal and ridiculous dramas.
Even Russell Crowewhose talent and charisma no one doubts, in his first horror film moves and thinks like the splatter caricature of The Gladiator. Between riding a Vespa through the streets of Rome and looking florid, he seems like a priest more in tune with lasagna than with exorcisms. The willing but not very incisive Daniel Zovatto and a good if out of focus Franco Nero make up a cast continually overshadowed by the cumbersome protagonist.
Russell Crowe is Father Amorth in “The Pope’s Exorcist” (Ipa Agency)
Characters, locations, where it was filmed, sequels
In addition to the actual references to Amorth and Pope Karol Wojtyła, only fictional characters are present in the film. The Cardinal However, Lumumba has some affinities with the story of Immanuel Milingo. The controversial exorcist bishopremoved from the clergy for marrying a woman. They were not missed vehement criticism from the International Association of Exorcists (yes, it really exists). The category he stigmatized superficiality in dealing with the profession and the clumsy expedient of putting the Church in a bad light.
In the film, the boundary between the devil as an entity and ecclesiastical power, seen as a diabolical organizational chart, is rather thin. Although the story is set between Vatican City and Spain, the movie was filmed in Ireland and Rome. The Abbey of San Sebastian is actually Dromore Castlein Limerick. The ecclesiastical environments are those of Trinity College and City Hall, Dublin. Although it was not received triumphantly by audiences and critics, the film’s producer Jeff Katz announced that the sequel is already in the works.