Pope Apparently Screened New Film on John Paul II

Pope to screen film on John Paul II tonight
Vatican, Nov. 16 (CWNews.com)

Vatican, Nov. 16 (CWNews.com) - Pope Benedict XVI will attend a preview of the film John Paul lI, by the Canadian director Ken Harrison, at the Vatican's Paul VI auditorium Thursday night.

The film, which will be shown as a 2-part television production, stars Jon Voight as the late Pontiff, with the British actor Cary Elwes playing the Pope in his younger days. It will be shown on the Italian Raiuno network November 27 and 28, and on the American CBS network on December 4 and 6.

"I leave the experts the job of judging the film from an artistic point of view," said Archbishop Stanislas Dziwisz, the longtime secretary to the late Pope John Paul. But the Polish archbishop told the Italian magazine Famiglia Cristiana that everyone involved in the production "undoubtedly had a great love for John Paul II." Archbishop Dziwisz said the producers and cast were "very respectful of the truth," and worked diligently to provide an accurate account.

John Paul II was filmed on locations in Poland and Italy. The movie follows the story of the Polish pontiff from his youth through the time of his death. An impressive supporting cast includes Christophe Lee, Chiara conti, Ben Gazzara, James Cromwell, Vittoria Belevedere, and Daniele Pecci. Pope Benedict has already seen one film about his predecessor: Karol, A Man Who Became Pope, by Giacomo Battiato, which was screened at the Vatican on May 19 and played on Italian television. That film was the first of a 2-part series about the Polish Pontiff; the second part, with the Polish actor Piotr Adamczyk in the lead, is currently in production and scheduled for release in April 2006.

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