Hollywood has an obvious fascination with members of the cloth.
Over the years, dozens of films have been made about those in the clergy, depicting them as everything from fatherly figures (Bing Crosby in “Going My Way”) to rocking rebels (Whoopi Goldberg in “Sister Act”) to downright despicable leeches (Christopher Reeve in “Monsignor”).
What follows is a few of the films, now available on video, that have brought the clergy to the silver screen:
“Sister Act” (1992): Whoopi Goldberg plays a Nevada lounge singer who witnesses a mob hit conducted by her gangster boyfriend (Harvey Keitel). A police detective, played by Bill Nunn, shields Goldberg in a witness protection program, disguising her as a nun in an inner city convent.
Goldberg brings life to the convent’s staidly old parish run by a staunch Mother Superior (Maggie Smith). The parish, in turn, brings Goldberg a sense of security she’s never had.
“Nuns on the Run” (1990): A couple of years before “Sister Act,” Monty Python member Eric Idle was also using a habit and a convent as a refuge. Idle and British comedian Robbie Coltrane play inept mobsters who bungle a con job and decide to hide in a convent in this funny film from director Jonathan Lyn (“My Cousin Vinny”).
“The Pope Must Diet” (1991): Coltrane returned the following year to don a priest outfit in this flat satire, originally known as “The Pope Must Die.” The portly British comedian plays a smalltown parish priest who is mistakenly chosen as the next pope. The film is saddled with inane and scatological Roman Catholic humor, including the obligatory mobster and prostitute jokes.
“The Missionary” (1982): Python member Michael Palin wrote and starred in this subtle and stylish comedy about a turn-of-the-century minister who reluctantly chooses to run a home for London’s prostitutes. A funny film that is sure to please Monty Python fans.
“Monsignor” (1982): Christopher Reeve stars in this soap opera about an overly ambitious young Vatican priest who is willing to seduce young nuns and break bread with the Mafia to get ahead. A plodding film that fails to shock or titillate.
“Last Rites” (1988): Another holy soaper. Tom Berenger plays a virtuous young priest and son of a Mafia leader who hides dancer Daphne Zuniga in the church after she witnesses a mob hit. To make things more complicated, Berenger falls in love with the girl and runs afoul of the mob. A unexciting drama that is fairly predictable.
“Rosary Murders” (1987): Donald Sutherland is a Detroit priest who hears the confession of a murderer who is killing the local clergy. The secret must remain with Sutherland, even though his life is in danger. This interesting little murder mystery, scripted by Elmore Leonard, also stars Charles Durning and Belinda Bauer.
“True Confessions” (1981): Despite the presence of Robert De Niro and Robert Duvall, this film about a powerful Catholic priest (De Niro) and his tough cop brother (Duvall) is somewhat tedious and disappointing. The plot revolves around a late 1940s Los Angeles murder that Duvall traces back to De Niro’s parish.
“Mass Appeal” (1984): In this adaptation of the Broadway comedy-drama, Jack Lemmon plays a priest who finds his religious foundations being shaken by young seminarian Zeljko Ivanek. An entertaining film that questions the value of religion but doesn’t make too strong of a point.
“Nasty Habits” (1977): An interesting and curious little film that parodies Watergate by setting a similar scandal in a Philadelphia convent. Glenda Jackson, Anne Meara, Geraldine Page and Anne Jackson star as nuns up to no good in this fairly funny film by director Michael Lindsay-Hogg (“Brideshead Revisited”)
“Going My Way” (1944): This Academy Award winner stars Bing Crosby as Father O’Malley, a laid-back priest who works miracles in a old New York parish. Directed and written by Leo McCarey, this delightful film also stars Barry Fitzgerald as Bing’s crusty old pastor and Gene Lockhart.
“Two Mules For Sister Sara” (1970): Shirley MacLaine stars as a prostitute who tries to avoid trouble in the Old West by disguising herself as a nun. Clint Eastwood plays the drifter who eventually wises up to her scheme in this enjoyable but rough Western.
