Two major networks are about to unveil their competing biographical treatments of Pope John Paul II, arriving as sober-minded preludes to later, lighter holiday fare.
First, there’s ABC’s TV movie “Have No Fear: The Life of John Paul II” (7 p.m. Thursday on WLS-Ch. 7), followed closely by CBS’ two-part mini-series, “Pope John Paul II” (beginning 8 p.m. Sunday on WBBM-Ch. 2).
The verdict is fairly straightforward. The more star-studded CBS effort (which concludes at 7 p.m. Wednesday) is twice as long and twice as effective.
ABC’s “Have No Fear” is dignified and respectful, and it covers an even wider span of the late pope’s life than the CBS venture. Scenes include two tragedies he endured before reaching adulthood: the deaths of his mother and brother. Even as a boy, he demonstrated the unshakeable faith for which he became so famous.
But the two-hour length of “Have No Fear” just about renders any depth out of the question. Thanks to commercials, the actual airtime is only 88 minutes. The movie is more a series of biographical announcements than penetrating drama. The future pope dabbles in the theater. He vies with the Nazis and becomes a priest. He struggles against the Communists. He rises in the church, survives an assassination attempt and engages in major spiritual and political matters of his day. All these important developments fly by too quickly, too superficially.
As Karol Wojtyla of Poland, and later the pope, Thomas Kretschmann conveys great piety, evocative in scenes capturing the pontiff’s abiding humility, kneeling in prayer at his prie-dieu, lovingly clasping his rosary.
But Kretschmann is better at solemnity than charisma, inadequate at conveying those ineffable personal charms that enabled the late pontiff to be so easily and magically at home with millions worldwide. The pope’s wit, sincerity and natural ease — aspects admittedly hard to capture and convey — are missing here.
Two actors portray the pope in CBS’ “Pope John Paul II”: Jon Voight in his days at the Vatican and Cary Elwes as Wojtyla in his days in Poland, ages 18 to 50. The Elwes portion, which dominates the first half, after a brief, harrowing depiction of the 1981 assassination attempt, is the more successful and interesting, partly because it’s less familiar. Unlike ABC’s abbreviated treatment, this version depicts in some detail Wojtyla’s struggle against the Nazis and his deepening Jewish friendships, so key to his later historic visit to Israel. For all the Nazi horrors, the script achieves moments of sardonic wit. When he tells an actress he’s becoming a priest, she responds, “You’re joking, right?”
Elwes manages both a boyish idealism and an impish political savvy, tools Wojtyla employed even more effectively in thwarting the Communists, who consistently underestimated him, an ongoing source of humor in the movie. There’s an almost idyllic scene of Wojtyla’s early days guiding young people under Communist oppression, outwitting a pair of thugs who try to thwart a kayak outing. This first half provides insight into how his character was formed, how he forged his enormous resolve, how his faith deepened and how he developed a grand empathy for the innocent.
Voight portrays the later pope with subtle, actorly gestures and sensitivity, though his role is more that of a stand-in in a documentary covering such historic episodes as his support of Poland’s Solidarity trade union movement and his appeal to worldwide youth. Still, Voight’s cagey talents and a generally better script manage to capture at least a bit of the pope’s irresistible personality.
Ben Gazzara, Christopher Lee and James Cromwell turn in fine character portrayals as important influences on Wojtyla’s religious life. Probably the toughest competition for both these movies is the unavoidable fact that Pope John Paul II lived in a media age and proved to be such a superstar. The backstage Vatican dialogue is often pro forma set-up for well-known history and doesn’t add much to our understanding.
But there are moments of memorable human interaction in both films, too, as when the pope visits his imprisoned would-be assassin, an act reverberating with his saintly, transcendent vision. It’s left to Kretschmann, near the end of “Have No Fear,” to utter the message fervent in both treatments: “At the evening of our lives, we shall be judged on love.”
———-
sismith@tribune.com
– – –
POPE VS. POPE
“HAVE NO FEAR: THE LIFE OF JOHN PAUL II” on ABC
Length: Two hours
Cast as the pope: Thomas Kretschmann
Memorable scene: As a young priest, visiting Rome, he complains of the isolation of the papacy. “You can’t leave, you can’t meet the people. You’re a captive of the Vatican,” a circumstance he would later change.
“POPE JOHN PAUL II” on CBS
Length: Four hours in two-parts
Cast as the pope: Cary Elwes (as younger Karol Wojtyla) and Jon Voight (as Pope John Paul II)
Memorable scene: On his first visit back home after election as pope, he gazes at the crowd of smiling candlelit faces and tells the Polish people, “Music is in your soul.”
Historical events covered by both movies: Struggles against the Nazis, decision to join the priesthood, battles with the Communists, the defiant 1959 outdoor mass, election as pope, first visit back to Poland in 1979, 1981 assassination attempt, 2000 visit to Israel, assembly at the Vatican to grapple with U.S. pedophilia scandal, John Paul II’s death.
