Rent The Scarlet and the Black (1983)
3.9 of 5 from 61 ratings
2h 15min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- During the German occupation of Rome in 1943 an athletic Irish priest, Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty (Gregory Peck) devotes all the time he can spare from his work at the Vatican to hiding Allied POWs from the Nazis. Col. Herbert Kappler (Christopher Plummer), Rome's chief Gestapo Officer, suspects O'Flaherty of hiding escapees but can do little about it because of the priest's Vatican diplomatic immunity. But when he unearths proof of O'Flaherty's complicity, he orders that the priest be captured or killed if he is seen outside the Vatican walls.
- Actors:
- Gregory Peck, Christopher Plummer, John Gielgud, Raf Vallone, Kenneth Colley, Walter Gotell, Barbara Bouchet, Julian Holloway, Angelo Infanti, Olga Karlatos, Michael Byrne, T.P. McKenna, Vernon Dobtcheff, John Terry, Peter Burton, Phillip Hatton, Mark Lewis, Fabiana Udenio, Marne Maitland, Remo Remotti
- Directors:
- Jerry London
- Narrated By:
- Edmund Purdom
- Writers:
- J.P. Gallagher, David Butler
- Studio:
- ITV
- Genres:
- Drama
- Collections:
- British WWII Films: The Home Front and Europe, Drama Films & TV
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Reviews (1) of The Scarlet and the Black
Workmanlike TV Movie from early 80s about Wartime Rome - The Scarlet and the Black review by PV
This biopic is based on truth; as ever, however, one wonders how true it all is. Some of it is, no doubt, and the main characters are real.
It's a fascinating story set in Rome under German Nazi rule - and how an Irish priest helped partisans and allied prisoners of war escape to safety.
Gregory peck was a great actor, Boys from Brazil, The Omen etc. AND John Gielgud here aged nearly 80 plays the pope (he died aged 96 and worked to the end).
The relationship between the catholic church and indeed ireland with the Nazis is complex. Many Nazis were catholics and after the war the church and priests ran the ratlines which helped nazi war criminals escape from genoa to south america. However, some priests were anti-Nazi. The only head of state in the world to sign the book of condolence for Hitler was the Irish one - because there is no such thing as a neutral country in WWII, not really. Some irish were spies for the Nazis, esp the upper class ones who had cut glass English publil school accents. Some Irish fought with Britain. The latter has been explored in film more than the former.
And of course the historic abuses of priests in Ireland and elsewhere is ignored - this film was made when people and Catholics still looked up to priests and the church unthinkingly.
One final point: no Christians were thrown to the lions at the Colosseum in Rome, ever. No historical evidence at all. I have visited the place twice and researched its history in detail. Criminals were killed yes, and some may have been Christians. BUT there was no mass slaughter ort Christians thrown to lions, as stated here.
The real history is fascinating - the SS man Kappler was spared the noose for his mass murder and spent over 30 years in prison, escaping when suffering from cancer to die in Germany after 6 months of freedom (he was so thin and small, his wife carried him out of hospital in a suitcase to escape).
Anyway, interesting and watchable. 4 stars.
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