Paul VI: The Pope in the Tempest (2008)

After productions about Pope John Paul II and John XXIII, Paul VI: The Pope in the Tempest is the third of these pontifical mini-series I've watched. While the first two were international co-productions Paul VI appears to be just an Italian mini-series, no big stars and not even dubbed into English. A reason the very long named Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini didn't get the more lavish treatment of his associates soon became clear, and was really hit home in one of the DVD's special features. A discussion on the life and career of the late pontiff between an EWTN host and a Catholic scholar showed the latter (at lest) not very impressed with his subject. Said scholar makes a comment that Paul may not have been the best suited vicar of Christ on Earth for his period, when the host asks if he's saying that the Holy Spirit didn't work in his election, the scholar says that maybe Paul was meant to serve as a negative example. Whoa, harsh. In the LDS tradition I come from that kind of quasi official denigration of the Lords Anointed wouldn't pass muster, so I was a little shocked by it.

The acting thesis of the film seemed to be that Paul really tried, unfortunately he was not that successful. The period of his pontificate from 1963 to 1978 was not seen as a very positive time for the Catholic Church. Vatican II was not an easy going process and its ultimate reception mixed among the faithful. Church attendance was down, there were fewer priests, and some of the remaining priests were getting more politically radical, typically in a leftist sense. While Montini had a strong background in teaching, the Vatican diplomatic corps, and diocese work, Paul could not translate those success into larger vitality for the Church as a whole, though he did try. This film, like the other mini-series, are interesting primers on their pontificates, basically collections of 'greatest hits'. A guilty pleasure of these films is the sometimes simplistic writing (less hagiographic in this case then the others), containing many scenes of characters reacting to important historical events and 'cameo' appearances by notable Catholics, including Mother Teresa and the future John Paul II. An odd, but mildly intriguing production. **1/2