The Scarlet and the Black (1983 TV Movie) User Reviews

Based on real events about priest Hugh O'Flaherty who hides fugitives against Gestapo Colonel Herbert Kappler

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 5 May 2010]

The priest Hugh O'Flaherty (Gregory Peck) turns into the rescuer of the persecuted by Nazis. The Monsignore clandestinely within the shield of the Vatican's diplomatic immunity to shelter allied military from the Gestapo Chief Herbert Kappler (Christopher Plummer) . Then O'Flaherty masquerades as nun, seller, or Nazi officer in order to outwit the German plans in occupied Rome. At the ending the scene where bad guy , Plummer, and good priest ,Peck, finally confront each other is a high point.

This story is inspired on actual facts and based on the nonfiction novel titled ¨The Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican¨ by J.P.Gallaher. This interesting story drags in some place but is well realized and contains good cinematography by Giuseppe Rotunno and excellent musical score by Ennio Morricone. It's a lavish production by Bill McCutchen , an ITC-RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana Co-production for world distribution, well filmed by Jerry London entirely on location in Rome.

The real events are the following : In the early years of World War II, O'Flaherty (Gregory Peck)toured prisoner of war camps in Italy and tried to find out about prisoners who had been reported missing in action.When Italy changed sides in 1943, thousands of British POWs were released. Some of them (John Terry), remembering visits by O'Flaherty , reached Rome and asked him for help. O'Flaherty did not wait for permission from his superiors. He recruited the help of other priests (Raf Vallone, Angelo Infanti), and a Swiss count (Vernon Dobtcheff). He also kept contact with Sir D'Arcy Osborne (Peter Burton), British Ambassador to the Vatican. O'Flaherty and his allies concealed 4,000 escapees − Allied soldiers and Jews − in flats, farms and convents. One of the hideouts was beside the local SS headquarters. O'Flaherty coordinated all this and when he was visiting outside the Vatican, he wore various disguises.The German occupiers of Rome commanded by Col. Herbert Kappler (Christopher Plummer) under orders of Reichsfuhrer Heinrich Himmler (T. P. McKenna) tried to stop him and eventually they found out that the leader of the network was a priest.His efforts put him at odds with the Pope Pius XII (John Gielgud) and SS attempts to assassinate him failed. They found out his identity, but could not arrest him inside the Vatican. When the German ambassador revealed this to O'Flaherty, he began to meet his contacts on the stairs of the St. Peter's Basilica.Several others, including priests, nuns and lay people, worked in secret with Msgr. O'Flaherty, and even hid refugees in their own private homes around Rome. Another person who contributed significantly to this operation was the Malta-born widow Chetta Chevalier (Olga Karlatos), who hid some refugees in her house with her sons (Fabiana Udenio), and was lucky to escape detection. When the Allies arrived in Rome in June 1944, 3,925 of the escapees were still alive. O'Flaherty demanded that German prisoners be treated properly as well. He took a plane to South Africa to meet Italian POWs and to Jerusalem to visit Jewish refugees. Of the 9,700 Jews in Rome, 1,007 had been shipped to Auschwitz. The rest were hidden, 5,000 of them by the official Church − 3,000 in Castel Gandolfo, 200 or 400 as "members" of the Palatine Guard and some 1,500 in monasteries, convents and colleges. The remaining 3,700 were hidden in private homes. After liberation Monsignor O'Flaherty was honored by Italy, Canada and Australia given the US medal of Freedom and made a Commander of the British Empire. Herbert Kappler was sentenced to life imprisonment for war crimes. In the long years that followed in his Italian prison, Kappler had only one visitor. Every month, year in and year out, O'Flaherty came to see him. In 1959, the former head of the dreaded Gestapo in Rome was baptized into the Catholic faith at the hand of the Irish priest.

Intriguing true story; inspirational and well acted.

[PepperLu · 8/10 · 12 October 1998]

This is a pretty good movie. Gregory Peck and Christopher Plummer are strong in the leading roles, but the edge goes to Plummer. Peck's on-again-off-again Irish brogue is distracting, but he makes an acceptable hero. Plummer, on the other hand, is deliciously wicked--charming on the outside, ruthless underneath. Even so, there are occasional glimpses of a less-brutish man; a man who loves his family and wants them to be safe; a man not entirely content with the horrors he has helped to create. So, when Plummer is forced to ask his archenemy for help, we can feel a bit sorry for his shattered pride and can share some of his resulting disillusionment and despair. One of the really wonderful moments in the movie comes at the end. Kappler is asked a question and the camera moves in for a close-up of his face. He doesn't have to say a word--the answer is in his eyes. Fantastic! This inspiring story of heroism and courage is also, ultimately, about forgiveness and about asking ourselves what we would have done. It's an excellent reminder that one should never under-estimate oneself--one good person can do a heck of a lot!

Inspiring true-life adventure

[vaughan-birbeck · 7/10 · 8 April 2005]

I tuned to this by accident one evening on TV when it seemed there was nothing else worth watching and it grabbed my attention for over two hours.

This is the true story of a man whose conscience will not let him stand by while the world goes to hell around him. Gregory Peck plays an O'Flaherty whose quaint 'Oirish' charm hides a cunning and resourceful leader who has to balance the demands of his conscience with his role as an official in the Vatican government.

Pope Pius makes it clear he understands O'Flaherty's motivation while warning him that if he is arrested, the Pope will not compromise Vatican neutrality to save him. The film does its best to restore Pius XII's reputation - he has been called "Hitler's Pope" - but it is unclear how much he knew of, or even condoned, O'Flaherty's activities. O'Flaherty cannot compromise, and continues with his work despite the Gestapo having orders to shoot him on sight if he is found outside the Vatican, and suffering a failed assassination attempt in St Peter's itself.

Christopher Plummer is always worth watching and his performance here is no exception. Shown first as an arrogant man who feels the Nazis now "own Rome... it's ours", we later see that Kappler is at the mercy of this ruthless regime even as he plays his part in it. Finally the only person he can turn to is his arch-enemy from the Vatican. This is a fairly conventional irony, but during the course of the film Plummer also suggests how Kappler is losing his soul to his inhuman work, becoming isolated from his family as he begins to loathe what he is doing. You feel Kappler hates O'Flaherty not simply because of what he does, but because O'Flaherty represents the better part of himself.

I would give the film more stars but it is about 15 minutes too long and becomes rather episodic towards the end. However, it's a great story, well-acted by a strong cast, and can be viewed and enjoyed many times.

A TV movie that is of Big Screen Quality!

[ozthegreatat42330 · 9/10 · 2 March 2007]

Based on a true story set during World War II in Rome, this made for television movie stars Gregory Peck in yet another fine role,(as if he could ever do a bad one.)The supporting cast is also amazing with fine performances from Christopher Plummer and Sir John Gielgud, with Raf Valone, Vernon Dobchef and Walter Gotell among others.

It is a fast paced history/war/drama/thriller in the mold of such films as "The Third Man," and "The Thirty Nine Steps." The frenetic musical score of Ennio Morricone (The Good, The Bad and The Ugly) helps to keep the pace on the edge of you seat. This is simply some fine film making at its very best, and I highly recommend it, if you have not already had a chance to see it. Just a beautiful film.

So potent a film on the day John Paul 11 is buried!

[mrjcf · 10/10 · 8 April 2005]

I am not a Catholic myself, however, the story of Msgr Hugh O'Flaherty must be the most forgotten true story of the Second World War! It also gives us an inside view of the politics the Vatican faced in the 1940s and, presumably, today! The film reminds us all, that whatever the situation, there are always people who are prepared to help. O'Flaherty went beyond this. He hated the British, but saved many British (and American airman) from certain death. His actions saved the lives of thousands of Jews in Italy at not only great personal risk to himself, but to the others in his organisation.

There is talk today of making John Paul 11 a Saint. Surely somebody at the Vatican will remember this humble Monsignor who did (at the time) more to help mankind than anyone is such horrific circumstances. When I can afford it, I will visit this man's grave and say a silent prayer. I don't want a TV film crew there, but I want to say "Thank You" to a man who gave his all to save the free world! A certain telephone company ran a series of advertisements many years ago, asking who in History would you most like to talk to. For me... it would be Mons. Hugh O'Flaherty. At the moment in time, only this film, an area of trees and a gravestone honour this man. Surely he deserves more? An outstanding film, well cast, excellently photographed. Tension, intrigue, drama, even humour (dressing up as a Nun?) I say everyone should view this film. An inspiring, true life film.

interesting view of wartime life in the Vatican

[colby-14 · 27 October 2004]

Gregory Peck stars as Monsignor O'Flaherty, who is head of a cabal of Vatican officials aiding runaway POWs with the tacit approval of Pope Pius XII (John Gielgud). i found it interesting that Pius gets the good guy treatment here when many more recent accounts generally bash him as pro-axis at the least or spawn of Satan at worst(see "Hitler's Pope" by John Cornwell). there was an apochryphal story about his death where his casket supposedly was dropped and a hideous stench came forth. bad embalming job or eminence of evil? you decide!

Chrisopher Plummer as the sleek Col. Kappler had a good time with his role, one moment a good family man, the next extortioner of the Jews.the battle of wills between the two was done well, though one thing that didn't ring true to me was Kappler's naivete in letting O'Flaherty con him out of an autograph which was so obviously going to be used to further O'Flaherty's plans. *spoiler alert*

the movie gave Gregory Peck a couple of good laughs too. at a party he regales the society matrons with a tale of his golf game: his ball "hit a tree, bounced off into the back of a truck headed for Genoa. it was the longest drive in history!" later Jeeves the English agent saves him from imminent arrest by pulling him down the coal chute and gives him his clothes, then tells him to hit him to make things look good. O'Flaherty, ever the good Irishman, gives out a hearty "God love ya!" and POW! right on the kisser! another good movie to see involving the Vatican and WWII is "Amen"

A Stroy Worth Knowing

[chrissso · 7/10 · 20 June 2015]

The Story of Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty is a story that should be told. According to many sources he is responsible for saving over 6,000 allied soldiers and Jews. He is the embodiment of the good the Catholic Church can do and I am glad they made this movie so that we can know this great story.

As for this 1983 "made for TV" film … it feels real 1983 "made for TV" yet it is better than most "made for TV" films. The production value is actually quite impressive … and Christopher Plummer & Gregory Peck are superb selections for their roles. On the other hand I found the music score to be way over the top and even annoying.

Finally I deduct points as this film does not accurately reflect the real story of O'Flaherty efforts and even makes up events that are simply unbelievable (an Irish Catholic priest ... with a brogue as thick as a peat bog ... could make his way into the bowels of an SS prison … or that meeting with Keppler) Let us celebrate the life and time of Father O'Flaherty (there are several great books and even a website) but let's not make him a fictional character

The Scarlett Pimpernel of the Vatican

[RosePacatte · 10/10 · 31 July 2005]

Ever since I saw this made-for-TV film when it first aired, and then on video many times, I had wondered about the book on which it is based.

The book is entitled "The Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican," by J. P. Gallagher. It is the story of Irish Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty who was a minor Vatican official during World War II. Right under the noses of Vatican officials who looked the other way, and the German army, he helped smuggle allied soldiers out of Rome to safety in the months before the liberation of Rome. Rome and the Vatican were supposed to be neutral; if the Germans found out that the monsignor was helping the allies, who knows what would have happened.

I was able to find a copy of the book several years ago but have lost it. I do recall though that it had even more incredible stories about how O'Flaherty helped allied soldiers. One of the best (that is not in the movie) was about one American soldier whose appendix burst and he needed it removed. O'Flaherty dressed him as a German soldier, called the German army, they came and took him to their hospital - and O'Flaherty managed to get the soldier out before he even woke up because of the general confusion in the military hospital.

The Scarlett Pimpernel reference, is of course, to the British spy who helped save people from being beheaded during the French Revolution. That's another good book and the movie, with Anthony Andrews and Jane Seymour, are both excellent (though the movie changed the ending...).

A Tale Of Good Versus Evil

[boblipton · 7/10 · 15 February 2020]

When the Germans take over Rome during the Second World War, their commander leaves the Vatican alone. In the rest of the city, however they behave like Nazis (which they are), One priest begins almost single-handedly to save everyone he can.

I have grown wary of movies that begin with notices they are "based on a true story". They all to often use that as an excuse for dull film-making, or license to embroider the facts beyond all reason. This just-the-facts-ma'am handling of the tale of how Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty (as played by Gregory Peck) worked to rescue thousands of people from the Nazi occupation of Rome, transporting them into Vatican City, keeps the embroidery to a minimum and benefits from extensive shooting in the Vatican and around Rome. Christopher Plummer offers a portrait of the banality of evil, monster on the day job, gemutlich, absent-minded husband at night. Gregory Peck as O'Flaherty offers a stage Irish brogue, and John Gielgud adds to his repertoire of popes.

At times it seemed as if the story was overwhelmed by the sites, costuming and set decoration - not the first time this has happened in movies set around the papacy - and Ennio Morricone's score is good, although rather conventional. Even so, it's good to see the old warhorses, Gielgud and Peck, at work, and that youngster Plummer is pretty good too!

Bob

Another Meddlesome Priest

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 31 March 2006]

Remember Henry II's oblique wish about his former friend Thomas Becket which got carried out? Christopher Plummer tried more explicit methods to get rid of his meddlesome priest all without success.

Although Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty, an Irish national attached to the Vatican staff, was providing aid to refugees of all kinds from the Nazis before, this film covers a period between September of 1943 and June 5, 1944 when Mark Clark and the Fifth American Army liberated Rome.

Gregory Peck plays the resourceful monsignor who's got a whole bag of tricks from the land of leprechauns to outwit the Nazis. He develops quite a network of people who house escaped prisoners. When Italy threw out Mussolini and switched sides in World War II, a whole lot of Allied prisoners were freed and roaming the countryside. You might remember the novel and film Von Ryan's Express which detailed that phenomenon. The word got out if you could make your way to the Vatican, Monsignor O'Flaherty could help.

What I like about The Scarlet and the Black is the fact that Peck's chief antagonist Christopher Plummer is shown as a three dimensional character. We see him as the ruthless Nazi who dogs Peck and his operation every step of the way. We also see him as father and husband who's enjoying Christmas in Rome with his family and also acting like any other tourist taking the family to see the sights of the Eternal City.

Peck and Plummer are a pair of well matched antagonists. Presiding over it all is John Gielgud as Pius XII. The criticisms I have of Pius occur before he reached the Papacy in 1939. At the point in time that The Scarlet and Black is taking place, there was very little he or anyone else as Pope could have done. He feared, probably with good reason, an Avignon captivity situation for the Papacy if he appeared to be overtly pro-Ally. And of course the Soviet Union which was his big fear was an Ally.

I would recommend watching this film about a good man who happened to be a priest who stepped up to the plate when no one would and fulfilled a great need. A whole lot of lives were saved because of him.

Catholic Church meets Schindler's List

[elect_michael · 6/10 · 14 February 2021]

Christopher Plummer and Gregory Peck both put in good performances, but while the film is fairly good, it is not downright good and certainly not great as many film historians suggest. I've always believed that the 2 legends together (Plummer & Peck) has generally caused historians to overrate this film through the years because the 2 legends are in the film. Again, I do not want to take the complete wrong side of the argument, it's a fairly good film, and Plummer & Peck are good in it. The film certainly brought me memories of Schindler's List which was made years later, though this film focuses on the Catholic Church during WWII.

young couple in the Scarlet and the Black

[gabriellepatti · 10/10 · 24 August 2008]

This should be mandatory viewing in all "20th Century Europe" history classes. Also, unlike what another viewer inferred, the romance between the young couple in the movie is NOT fictional. It is based on real people and they did marry after the end of the war. Read about it in "The Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican" which is available at libraries. Also, anyone who liked this movie would love the book and the movie "The Assisi Underground". The movie stars James Mason, Maximilian Schell, Irene Papas and Ben Cross. Their is also a documentary of this story available thru interlibrary loans called "Assisi in Silence". It was filmed in Assisi and has real interviews with people and relatives involved in saving Jews in Assisi.

Based on a True Story

[Uriah43 · 7/10 · 28 November 2021]

This film begins in 1943 with the Germans occupying Rome after the Italian surrender to the allies who are slowly advancing from the south. It's during this time that many of the allied prisoners taken by the Italians are released which results in many of them heading to room to petition the Vatican for safe refuge. Naturally, the Germans desperately want to recapture these escaped prisoners-of-war and because of that the SS Head of Police for Rome "Lieutenant Colonel Herbert Kappler" (Christopher Plummer) has a meeting with "Pope Pius XII" (John Gielgud) to essentially inform him that a white line is being painted around St. Peter's Square to mark the limit Vatican control. For his part, although Pope Pius XII needs to remain neutral in the eyes of the world, he doesn't disapprove when one of his subjects named "Monsignor Hugh O'Flanerty" (Gregory Peck) actively participates in assisting the prisoners-of-war escape German captivity. Needless to say, this infuriates Lieutenant Colonel Kappler and he does everything he can to carry out his mission fully realizing the consequences to his career should he fail in his mission to recapture these POW's. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a pretty good made-for-television movie which was based on a true story. That said, having no prior knowledge of this event, my attention remained focused from start-to-finish and I was pleasantly surprised at the way it ended. Admittedly, this film may not appeal to all viewers, but I enjoyed it and I have rated it accordingly. Above average.

The note after the movie is incomplete, as is the movie

[steve-1338 · 5/10 · 20 November 2010]

The note says Kappler was visited in prison only by Msgr. O'Flaherty. Not so. After the wife who was shown in the movie divorced him, he married his nurse. She then carried him out of the prison in a suitcase and took him to Germany, which refused extradition. The movie also omits Kappler's major crime (not the execution of the priest): the massacre of 305 people at the Ardeatine caves. This was the worst war crime committed in Italy. Finally, the movie failed to name the top SS general, Karl Wolff, because he was still alive. My U.S. Army division, the 88th Infantry, stopped Wolff from handing out medals in Bolzano to his men AFTER the Krauts had lost the war.

The story of a brave Catholic monsignor serving in the Holy See who saved Jews and Allied soldiers during WWII.

[Deusvolt · 8/10 · 1 January 2006]

The film focuses on the dangerous situation faced by the Holy See in standing up to Nazi oppression. The Vatican, after all, has no military power and after the forcible confiscation of the Papal States by Italian nationalists during the pontificate of Pius IX near the close of the 19th century, he and at least two of his successors considered themselves as prisoners in the Vatican of the secular Italian state. Ignoring the warnings of the Popes against supranationalism in encyclicals like Non Abbiamo Biscogno and Mit Brenender Sorge, Italy and Germany persisted in pursuing social orders based on Fascism and Nazism. Yet despite the difficulties, many Catholics and religious like Msgr. Flaherty performed their Christian duties heroically by saving some of the persecuted Jews.

John Gielgud makes a very convincing Pope Pius XII. Sir John aged very gracefully giving him that perpetual angelic half smile on that kind face. Contrast this to the fact that we remember him well as the blackguard Casca in Julius Caesar (with James Mason and Marlon Brando). As Pius XII, Gielgud portrays the late Pope as torn between his duty to ensure the safety of the Church and Catholics and the necessity of actively participating in rescuing the Jews of Europe lest that provoke the Nazis towards more brutalities. The recently released Actes et Documents du Saint Siege relatiffs a la Guerre Mondiale Seconde (Acts and Documents of the Holy See relative to WWII or ADSS) reveal that the Holy See saw a relation between increased persecution of both Jews and Catholics, especially the religious orders, every time Pius XII spoke against the Nazis. It also disclosed that Jewish leaders, both in and out of Nazi Germany, advised the Pope to speak and act more discreetly because of this.

Gregory Peck is, as usual, dignified, likable and very convincing as a brave Catholic monsignor. An interesting political sidelight in the movie concerned Flaherty saving some British Tommies stranded behind enemy lines in Italy. One of them obviously not one fond of the Irish, upon hearing Flaherty's Celtic brogue exclaimed that he was Irish. Flaherty's response was to the effect, that he may not like what the British were doing in Ireland but it was still his Christian duty to help them. Remember, at the time Southern Ireland was still under British rule under very repressive conditions (cf. Leon Uris' book, Trinity).

If you liked movies of this genre you should also see Portrait : A Man Whose Name was John which starred Raymond Burr as the Papal Nuncio in Turkey, Msgr. Roncalli, the future Pope John XXIII who used his position and his chancery to save thousands of Jews escaping from Nazi-occupied Hungary. Other Hollywood films which treated the Church kindly if not sympathetically are: The Shoes of the Fisherman (Anthony Quinn) and The Cardinal (Tom Tryon).

Best Peck film made

[biggmak · 10/10 · 9 December 2005]

"The Scarlet and the Black" is a must see for anyone who likes WW2 era films. It is also one of the greatest films ever made. The two leading actors Gregory Peck and Christopher Plummer make this film even better with superb acting. Also I must admit that it is amusing to see "Captain Von Trapp" (Christopher Plummer "The Sound of Music") the Nazi hater as the chief Nazi of Roam. "The Scarlet and the Black" is a good film to introduce younger children to the true history of the Catholic Church and WW2. Although the Gestapo aren't as violent in the movie, they are still shown realistically as sadistic, hate filled men who followed evil orders. "The Scarlet and the Black" is probably the best film ever produced by Gregory Peck or Christopher Plummer. Sadly it is probably also one of the least known to the general population of the world, even though it tells a story that literally MUST be heard.

If we do not learn from history we are doomed to repeat it.

Great movie, very intense

[ctyankee1 · 28 August 2012]

There are not too many movies I could say I like but this one was great. The acting is really good from all the actors.. The story was very serious, It is a very tense movie. The Nazi's take over Rome and watch everyone.

Col Kappler, a Nazi is in charge of the base in Rome. He commands his men to put a white painted line near the Vatican where those in the Vatican have to stay behind the line and supposedly his soldiers won't cross it.

Gregory Peck plays a Irish Catholic priest who plays Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty. He heads a group of people in Italy that hide people in safe houses from the Nazis. Kappler has the priest followed everywhere to see who his friends are and who is hiding the people. O'Flaherty is aware of this and out smarts the soldiers and dresses up in different disguises to meet those in charge of his group.

Col Kappler despises O'Flaherty because the priest defies him in many ways. Kappler has a wife and two kids that live in Rome and are very spoiled. They are the only people Kappler cares about plus getting praised for his military successes.

Kappler and his soldiers have to leave Rome. There are soldiers coming in to get them out. He has failed and wants O'Flaherty to get his family out. Kappler talks about forgiveness and what the priest believes but the priest does not buy his attempts to get him to save his wife and children and tells him off.

This is a very serious part. Gregory Peck plays a man of strength through God, bravery in really tough times, trustworthy, faithful and full of love for his fellow man.

You have to watch it yourself. The end is very good and has some surprising results.

The Scarlet and the Black

[henry8-3 · 6/10 · 16 July 2021]

True story of Vatican priest Hugh O'Flaherty (Peck) who managed to evade Gestapo in Rome and help thousands of people get to safety. He was pursued relentlessly by the head of the gestapo in Rome, Colonel Kappler (Plummer).

If this wasn't a true story you would never believe it and indeed there are parts of the film which tread too lightly and rather flatly. That said it is often an exciting, extraordinary tale, at its best when deadly serious and particularly in the scenes when Peck and Plummer, who are both very good in this, face off. It inevitably suffers from the stilted composition and photography typical of a TV movie, but overall an enjoyable watch, especially in seeing 2 great actors give fine turns.

Fascinating true story

[phd_travel · 10/10 · 22 August 2015]

This TV movie is based on the true story of an Irish priest who while in the Vatican, helped Allied soldiers and Jewish people to hide and to safety in German occupied Rome. The story is exciting and stranger than fiction in parts as only a true story can be with disguises and assassination attempts. This is a fascinating non battle aspect of WWII showing the help the Vatican provided while trying to maintain neutrality.

Gregory Peck adds a charm and presence to the role so you overlook he is a little old for the main character. Christopher Plummer who can act anything looks the part as the Nazi in charge. He has some cringe worthy bad dialog to deliver. John Gielgud is dignified as Pope Pius XII.

The production is good with on location shooting and grand settings.

This TV movie deserves to be as famous as a major motion picture WWII movie.

"Roight,so" Vs "Ach,so"is what this boils down to as shown on Freeview......

[ianlouisiana · 6/10 · 4 March 2018]

Last night.I can only imagine from reading other reviews, that the full - length version has rather more substance. Nothing about Col.Kappler gave any indication that he was anything more than a typical Nazi thug. Well,he liked Puccini,but the film world is crowded with opera - loving Nazi officers. He would clearly have loved to have taken the Pope (Sir John Gielgud at his most unctuous and sanctimonious) and smacked him around in the S.S prison in Rome.The Pontiff appeared to be the sort of man who would wash his hands before going to the bathroom,whose nose was permanently beset by a bad smell. I must say I felt a twinge of sympathy for Kappler in this instance. Mr C.Plummer gave his Freeview version of Kappler no humanity until he is absolutely trumped by Mr T.P.Mckenna as Reichsfuhrer Himmler. Mr G.Peck is Monsignor O'Flaherty who is the thickness of a cigarette paper away from being a Stage Oirishman. However most of the time he holds himself in check and is still damnably handsome,although in a scene right at the end just before he is blessed by Sir John we can see that in fact that we are looking at an elderly man whose stunt double had certainly earned his corn. I suspect about half an hour has been cut from the original in order to fit in adverts for incontinence pads and O.A.P.s holidays. Despite that,the remnants of a good movie are visible. The scene in the Colliseum between Kappler and O'Flaherty is very tense with Mr Peck giving his one - man audience a Hellfire and Brimstone sermon and Mr Plummer rather movingly pleading with him to save his family as Rome falls. In the end of course there was no Battle of Rome any more than there was a Battle of Paris. A deal was struck ,the German Army withdrew and the Holy City was spared. The closing titles revealed the fate of both protagonists which would make seeking out a full version of "The Scarlet and The Black" rather pointless. I just wish I'd seen it back in 1983.

Civilian heroes of WW II and the Holocaust

[SimonJack · 10/10 · 12 November 2014]

Many movies have been made about the Holocaust and other Nazi atrocities of World War II. But, only a few films have been made about the heroes of the pogrom. Yet, there were many thousands of non-combatants, civilians and religious, who hid Jews and helped them escape. Many also helped escaped POWs and downed Allied flyers. Poland was especially brutalized by the Nazis. Yet, it alone had more than 4,000 heroes of the Holocaust who have been named Righteous Among the Nations by Yad Vashem, the Israeli Holocaust memorial center in Jerusalem.

Msgr. Hugh O'Flaherty may be the best known among Catholic clergy for his efforts – no doubt in some part due to Gregory Peck playing him in this 1983 movie for TV. The film is loaded with talented actors. O'Flaherty operated out of his office in the Vatican. He organized a network that helped 6,500 Jews and Allied escapees flee the Nazis. His nemesis, played by Christopher Plummer in this film, was SS Col. Herbert Kappler. Other leading roles were John Gielgud as Pope Pius XII and Raf Vallone as Father Vittorio.

This movie is an excellent account of that true story. Only one aspect of the film isn't superb – the musical score. In some dramatic or suspenseful scenes, the music is terrible. Even with that, though, this is an excellent movie. The story is based on a 1983 book by J.P. Gallagher, "The Vatican Pimpernel." A new novel about Fr. O'Flaherty and his WW II rescue network just came out in 2012. "Hide & Seek: The Irish Priest in the Vatican who Defied the Nazi Command" was written by Stephen Walker.

A few other excellent films tell the WW II stories of some clergy who were true heroes. A 1985 movie, "The Assisi Underground," is about a Franciscan Padre, Rufino Niccacci, who organized a massive network to hide Jews and help them escape. Many priests, nuns and lay people helped in this effort. Padre Rufino and Bishop Nicolini were named Righteous Among the Nations after the war by Yad Vashem.

"Au Revoir Les Enfants' is a French movie made in 1987. It tells the story of Father Jacques de Jesus, a Carmelite headmaster of a boy's boarding school in Avon, France. Fr. Jacques hid Jewish boys among the students and put noted Jewish botanist Lucien Weil on the faculty. In 1985, Yad Vashem, honored the priest as one of the "Righteous Among the Nations." This film was made two years later by French filmmaker Louis Malle who had been a student under Fr. Jacques.

In August of 2014, a movie was made about St. Maximillian Kolbe. He was a Polish priest who was sent to Auschwitz. Kolbe asked the commandant to take him in the place of a Jewish man who was to be killed. Kolbe died Aug. 14, 1941. Pope John Paul II canonized him a saint on Oct. 10, 1982, and the Jewish man whose life he saved was at Kolbe's canonization in Rome.

There were many other clergy and religious heroes of WW II. Archbishop Giovanni Ferrofino was an Italian diplomat who helped save 10,000 Jews flee Nazi Europe. Mother Riccarda Beauchamp Hambrough was an English nun who hid 60 Jews in her cloister in Italy. But many stories may never be known, because so many Catholic Priests were killed by the Germans. In Dachau Concentration Camp, 2,600 Catholic priests from 24 different countries were killed. And, between 1939 and 1945, the Nazis killed an estimated 3,000 priests in Poland. Of those, 1,992 died in concentration camps.

An interesting aspect of "The Scarlet and the Black" is the portrayal of Pope Pius XII as cautious about the church making overt steps to save Jews. That may be a fair and accurate depiction. The Pope wouldn't want to give the Nazis cause to invade the Vatican and imprison more clergy. In recent years, some critics have said Pius didn't help the Jews, or do enough to help them. But, post-war books and statements by escapees and Jewish leaders praised Pius for his discreet aid to Jews. When Pius died in 1958, the chief Rabbi of Rome, Elio Toaff, said "Jews will always remember what the Catholic Church did for them by order of the Pope during the Second World War."

Indeed, in the early years of the war, Pope Pius was one of the few world leaders who took on Hitler and the Nazis. The New York Times, on Christmas Day 1941, carried an editorial that praised his efforts. "The voice of Pius XII is a lonely voice in the silence and darkness enveloping Europe this Christmas." The following year, Christmas of 1942, The Times again praised Pius in an editorial: "This Christmas more than ever he is a lonely voice crying out of the silence of a continent."

Since then, The Times has admitted to criticism that it hid news coverage or played down reports about the Holocaust during the war. Between 1939 and 1945, the paper ran 23,000 front-page stories. Of those, 11,500 were about the war. Only 26 were about the Holocaust. Most mentions of death camps, Nazi atrocities or persecution of the Jews were buried inside the paper. In 1996, The Times said that criticism of its reporting of the holocaust is valid. An irony in this is that during World War II, the owner and publisher of The New York Times was Arthur Hays Sulzberger, a Jew.

Neutrality and brutality ..............

[merklekranz · 6/10 · 13 February 2011]

Gregory Peck as Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty and Christopher Plummer as Colonial Kappler, head of the gestapo, play a magnificent cat and mouse game, walking the thin tightrope of Vatican neutrality during the 1943 Nazi occupation of Rome. Peck and Plummer are excellent. The film gets better the longer you watch, which brings me to my major criticism of "The Scarlet and the Black". The film is about 30 minutes too long, noticeably dragging due to redundant scenes of hide and seek. Ennio Morricone's score is another issue, as it is far from memorable. The movie is entertaining and informative, but flawed by it's excessive length of 2.5 plus hours. - MERK

A unique movie

[Soledad-2 · 10/10 · 21 November 2000]

This is one of my favorite movies and I consider it a true classic. A good friend of mine gave it to me as a birthday present this last July. I have watched several times and enjoy it very much. If you want to buy it, go to amazon.com. They have it and their prices are fantastic. Don't wait any longer and see The Scarlet and the Black today. It's a gem.

Whitewash or True Grit?; You Be the Judge - The Scarlet and the Black

[arthur_tafero · 6/10 · 19 August 2023]

Gregory Peck gives one of his last hurrah roles as a fighting Irish priest in the Vatican during the German occupation of Rome. He does alright, despite falling in and out of an obviously mediocre imitation of an Irish brogue. His costar, Christopher Plummer, does an admirable job as a despicable Nazi SS officer. The Seven Hills of Rome are alive with the sound of Gunfire. Too bad Julie Andrews didn't play his wife in this film. John Gielgud makes a great Pope; I believe he would have done a better job that Pius in that position. The film ambles on a bit too long with a few too many subplots, and would have been better with a tighter script. However, even though we find the complete sugar-coating of the Vatican during the war to be a bit unbelievable, it does show the Vatican and the Catholic Church in a favorable light. Peck fighting off two Nazi spies at his age is a bit much to take, but if we suspend disbelief (not only in this scene, but several others) then the film is entertaining. Better than average TV movie.

Great cast in a pedestrian TV flick

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 21 August 2020]

An excellent ensemble cast of seasoned performers, many Oscar winners among them, elevated this otherwise rather pedestrian WW2 story about a leading Vatican figure rescuing Allies from the Nazis. It's very much a SCHINDLER'S LIST kind of tale with the same kind of gravitas, although it's let down somewhat by the bland, TV-movie stylings. I watched the shorted version missing about an hour's length but even that felt long-winded and almost aimless at times. Still, the sight of Plummer, Peck and Gielgud interacting is worth something, and there are plenty of other old-timers appearing in supporting roles.