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    Amen.

    Reviewed by
    pietroantoni@

    If any of the older viewing public can remember a film called " Z " by the amazing 2 time Oscar Winner Costa-Gavras, you will be in for a very cerebral, 'thriller' in AMEN, a treat in the sense of an incredibly fine film from the 1990's, 1992, I believe is the exact date. This film based on a 1962 HOLOCAUST drama that played both on Broadway and in London's West End is superb for many reasons. The unbelievable plot had me hooked within 10 minutes or less in this 2 hour and 10 minute film. It is not an easy film as it not only deals with subject matter we know well, the Holocaust, but add to this, an incredible amount of detail concerning the CATHOLIC CHURCH. THE DETAIL YOU WILL HAVE TO DISCOVER FOR YOURSELF! VERY FACTUAL HISTORY comes into play as the fairly aristocratic Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli was elected Pope as Pius XII just as World War II was erupting in 1939, the worst of times to be the Vicar of Christ. THIS HAS ALREADY OCCURRED AS THE FEATURE BEGINS, The Holocaust and the Catholic Church with Pius XII as the Spiritual leader of a billion Catholics was a problem during the war, and it STILL IS VERY MUCH a huge problem in 2015. THIS AGAIN HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE MOVIE BUT PIUS XII HAD REQUESTED THAT HE NOT BE BURIED CLOSE-BY OTHER POPES. HE FELT HE SHOULD BE IN A MORE REMOTE, ISOLATED AREA in the catacombs under Saint Peter's Basilica in the VATICAN STATE. Pius was always stricken with what he did or did not do for the Jews during WW II, something that haunted him his whole life. I believe strongly that my above statement, WHICH PLAYS NO PART IN THE FILM as it ends in 1945 is something very telling about a Pope that might not have done enough for the Jews of Europe. THIS BACKGROUND INFORMATION IS ALMOST VITAL TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF THE FILM, ESPECIALLY IF NOT CATHOLIC, SO I OFFER IT AS SUCH!

    Not only are we dealing with a factual film of events between 1939-1945, all taking place in Germany, Italy and other European nations, but we are dealing with events one cannot shake off too easily. As a Catholic, I am dumbfounded by the events of the film. I can't say anything without giving away the plot, but what I will say is that I was horrified much of the time. The Costa-Gavras film is so good I'm in constant amazement at the mere mention of the film, that AMEN did not become A SMASH HIT LIKE " Z." First off the principal protagonists, MATHIEU KASSOVITZ as a JESUIT PRIEST and ULRICH TUKUR, a likable German are astonishingly convincing in roles that could have been over-played and thus ruined. I came to have great admiration for both actors and the men they were portraying. Their predicaments are agonizing, trying to do the right thing. The supporting cast from Germans of all rank to the Pope and Cardinals of the Vatican played it all with great conviction, enough to shock me senseless a good deal of the time. I must repeat. This is not an easy film to watch.

    Director Costa-Gavras who usually writes his own scripts has a dandy one in AMEN. I know Germans well and I am Italian so let me say that nothing was out of order in this script especially as relating to character. Mr. Gavras has the perfect eye of a very great director. Along with his cinematographer, they present a film shot with serious consistency, a photographic essay that is representative of the over-all mood and dread of the film. The art and set decoration will both amaze you for its stunning beauty and then bring you to the depths of despair as we witness the worst events of world history. C-G's ability in juxtaposing it all is nigh perfection. He creates a film that becomes personal for each and everyone of us no matter our faith or religious beliefs. We actually feel ashamed for what is happening on film before our very eyes. That is the power of this director. A quick word on a comment made in a critique which is quite erroneous, the reviewer calling this the first film about Jews without Jews. This is absurd as Costa-Gavras swings open the door to reveal the plight of JEWS IN SEVERAL COUNTRIES! I will agree that Costa-Gavras does not allow us to penetrate that usual hellish world, to witness the atrocities against the Jews, but JEWS are, nonetheless. Represented though NOT as major/central characters.

    When dealing with historical fact in film, one is usually able to tell when history starts leaning more toward the fictional. This is not the case in AMEN. I have a very good grasp of WW II history but more importantly of CHURCH HISTORY including the 1939 to 1945 period. I found it almost impossible to decipher the fiction as all events were so historically correct. This all leads to the problem as to who should be taking the burden, blame or responsibility for what occurred some 70 years ago. This would be an exercise in futility as there is enough blame to span the entire European Continent. Add to this that key players of that era are now long gone and buried. This does not suggest that I would be unable to finger out several, many individuals but again what good would it do so many years later. Besides, I am hardly worthy to pass any judgement, to perform such a dastardly deed, though, believe me, it would be easy to do. Christ, the First Vicar of the Church is the only one in a capacity to understand exactly where the fault lies. And of this late date, 2015, I'm secure in my thinking that He has already parceled out the blame for this deliberate evil.

    Watching AMEN becomes a torturous and most sorrowful event as a few individuals try everything within their power to convince and persuade individuals and groups who have no interest in what they have to say even with documented irrefutable evidence. They struggle both physically and mentally. One might call them NAIVE IDEALISTS, who can't seem to grasp the fact that our world is a very dark place, that most just don't give a damn as to the abominations heaped on certain groups. It's all very tragic, sorrowfully tragic. When all seems, at last, somehow at an end we are hit with a tragic event regarding a leading figure, one that deeply hurts to the core. But that isn't all. In a twist I could never predict, a final Vatican scene becomes terrifying. I never expected this film to move me as it did because on my first viewing I hadn't the vaguest idea it would be touching on a specific set of facts and events of which I have long had knowledge, as far back as Grad School.

    I would like my final remark to hark back to the entire role of Pope Pius XII. THESE ARE PERSONAL THOUGHTS AND QUERIES, nothing to do with the film, yet matters that still resonate about Christ's representative on Earth. There's no question that Pius XII was a controversial figure. Indeed some will look at his life with one set of eyes while an entirely different group will only see the antithesis. This particular fact is neither here nor there. However, what is most telling is the difficulty the Church has had since Pius's death in 1958 to understand him as a saintly figure and thus proceed once and for all with his canonization. It still hasn't happened. Now with Pope John-Paul II, I believe any thinking Catholic is mystified why he did not act more strongly on matters of which he was fully aware such as pedophilia, illegal money within the Vatican, refusing to address the question of priests and marriage, priests and sex and many other issues. Yet Pope Benedict XVI rushed him to Sainthood in a matter of years. It's all very disturbing and smacks of something not quite right in my mid.

    10
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    pietroantoni@  15.1.2015 age: 36-49 14,540 reviews

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