| Overall Grade: |
C |
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| Story: |
D- |
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| Acting: |
B+ |
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| Direction: |
C- |
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| Visuals: |
A |
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You will feel dirty when you leave the theater
by MarioO (movies profile)
May 9, 2008
3
of
3 people found this review helpful
The acting was good and the visuals were breathtaking, but like Marie Antoinette, the story was empty and the main characters' personality traits were gut-wrenchingly contrived.
Why would a man that is supposed to be a selfless agent of God be portrayed with absolutely no redeeming qualities? I can understand that everyone has faults and even men of the cloth have made mistakes in the past, but it's a travesty to portray a priest as the ridiculously selfish, cowardly, hypocrite that Milos Forman presents.
I don't think it would be possible to produce a more biased film of the time period. I know some will argue that "this is just a movie" and it's not meant to knock the Church or Catholicism. But can anyone seriously argue that the symbolism at the end of the film of the brain-washed, physically/mentally/sexually abused girl and her illogical loyalty to the fallen priest is not supposed to represent our faith today? Granted, I don't think it was meant as a knock on Catholics specifically, but probably a knock on all forms of organized religion.
The acting and visuals were stunning, the message was insulting and ridiculously contrived. Not too subtle or clever especially considering that the message seems to mock the intelligence of so many. |
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