2 TV movies about Pope John Paul 2

In the months following the death of John Paul, television studios rushed to be the first to produce a film about his life. There was also the inflated hype over a bio-pic by Mel Gibson, after rumors were circulated that he had sent a crew to film the funeral.

The first film to be completed was actually an Italian movie, produced by Taudue Films, entitled "Karol: a Man who became Pope." Directed by Giacomo Battiato, it told the story of Karol Wojtyla's younger years under Nazi occupation, then as a priest and bishop. The film ends with his election to the papacy, actually using TV footage of the real pope's speech to the people of Rome. The movie had been started before his death, and completed shortly after.

The second TV movie I came across was a film, simply titled "Pope John Paul II,"(available on DVD from CBS, $50) starring Jon Voight and Cary Elwes (as the older and younger Wojtyla, respectively.) This film spanned his entire life, starting at roughly the same time period as "Karol."

Following the death of John Paul, the makers of "Karol" decided to complete the story and film his papacy, in a movie called "Karol: the Pope, the Man."(The complete miniseries is available in Canada on DVD August 4th for about $30.) Taking up where the previous film left off, it documents his struggle against communism (he visited Poland twice before its collapse, and once immediately after,) as well as pivotal moments of his papacy (such as the assassination attempt.) The film also documents several other prominent Catholics and their relations with John Paul, including Archbishop Oscar Romero, Polish priest and martyr Jerzy Popieluszko, and Mother Teresa, in subplots intertwined with the main story.

The "Karol" miniseries is undoubtably the finer of the two films. Perhaps its greatest strength is the believability of Piotr Adamczyk, a 34-year-old Polish actor who carries the role of Pope John Paul to perfection. Unlike the "other" film, this one actor (who presumably didn't expect to make an entire second film under old-age makeup) makes Karol endearing, courageous, funny - he simply brings to life this Pope we all had a connection with. You feel you've known the guy your whole life.

Where the Voight film supercedes "Karol" is in its attention to historical details. For instance, the writers of "Karol" found it necessary to invent a main character, one Father Tomasz Zaleski, who I think is a composite character. In the words of George Weigel, he was "a complete invention;" also doctored were details surrounding his close friend Hania, as well as a Jewish childhood friend (this film seems to confuse Jerzy Kluger with Roman, another Jew who meets Karol in Rome after two decades apart.) But in the greater scheme of things, this is all nitpicking.

Both films take a positive view of John Paul and his papacy; neither tries to take potshots at him for his socially "conservative" views - the heads at CBS must have really had to hold their noses greenlighting the script - and nobody tried to put words in his mouth about this or that. Interesting in both films is John Paul's battle against abortion - in "Karol" he is confronted by a (Canadian, of course) woman who wants the church to liberalize its stance on contraception to help AIDS sufferers; his response is both encouraging and paternal, explaining the Church's position in a compassionate manner but without any wishy-washiness; in "Pope John Paul," the film's response is a short excerpt from "Letter to Women," showing his love and concern for the dignity of women and how respect for life and motherhood is ultimately wrapped up with a genuine respect for women.

Also of note is the films' treatment of Cardinal Ratzinger. In "John Paul," Ratzinger's appointment as head of the CDF is explained as a help to "bringing the Church into the new millenium of peace and love" (I cringed at the line, but it's a very interesting comment on the filmmakers' view of the CDF.) Ratzinger (played for some reason by a Polish actor, but who looks impeccably like Pope Benedict) is by John Paul's side for the remainder of the movie, and is never portayed as anything less than a well- respected Cardinal.
That was "John Paul." For some reason, "karol" doesn't mention him at all. Whether this is a comment on his character, or because the film cannot cram much more into its 3-hour run time, I don't know- but even a simple mention of Ratzinger could have been possible without needing much explanation, especially considering their close friendship. The only time we see him is during a wordless montage of real footage from JP2's funeral.

Both films are worth watching. Indeed, perhaps the best reason to watch them is for the acting. Christopher Lee plays the role of Cardinal Wyzynski in "John Paul II"; his work is rivalled by the actor from "Karol" in the same role. James Cromwell plays a memorable Cardinal Sapieha (a character not mentioned in "karol") and Voight is nearly as good as Piotr Adamczyk in the role of John Paul II. Another fine performance is that of Hristo Shopov, an unfamiliar name but very familiar face -- he played Pilate in The Passion of the Christ. In "Karol," he portrays Julian Kordek, the communist who harasses Cardinals Wyzynski and Wojtyla, and the only man who knew the potential of "the proletariat priest who lacks organizational and leadership skills."

In short - if you haven't already - I encourage you to watch the films. Thumbs up especially for "Karol."

And to Mel Gibson: we're waiting for that movie!