Video places Pope second

A new video of an old film about a familiar pope is now available for rental or purchase. While not a triumph, the movie has enough positive points about it for you to consider watching it.

"From A Far Country" takes its title from John Paul II's description of his origins when he was elected pope in 1978 and became a permanent resident of Vatican City.

The movie stars Sam Neill of "Jurassic Park" fame, but he doesn't play the Pope -- and therein lies part of the problem with the film. Neill plays another Polish priest, a friend of the young Karol Wojtyla. Wojtyla, who would become John Paul, is presented in the movie as a sort of secondary and distant character, one who is seen only in profile and behind confessional screens, as if he were a secret agent or Jesus in "The Robe" or "Ben Hur."

Meanwhile, as he lies in a coma (behind another screen) or disappears for large chunks of the action, the story of Poland under Nazi occupation and Soviet control is told through other characters: an actress, a partisan who later becomes an anti-communist activist, a POW who joins the priesthood.

Inserted into the drama are newsreel scenes and commentary by a narrator, who explains what was happening to Wojtyla at various points during the action. We also see news footage of John Paul when he returned to his native land in triumph to visit Krakow.

But missing from the movie are some of the most memorable moments of his life as pope; that's because it was filmed in the early '80s and has sat somewhere for nearly 20 years. Therefore, we don't know anything from this drama about his assassination, the fall of communism or his many trips around the world. Those are very glaring omissions.

The two-hour movie does contain a story from the Pope's childhood that makes for a nice prologue; but it misleads viewers into thinking that they are going to see a biography of the future pontiff. It becomes instead a disjointed series of scenes that leapfrog through 50 years of history.

Along the way, we get two minutes about Father Maximilian Kolbe here and four minutes about the Holocaust there. The overall effect, as a result, is a stitched-together memory book with the protagonist absent.

What recommends "From A Far Country" are its re-creations of Polish life, from an Easter festival of the 1920s to the workers' defiance of communism in the 1970s. It provides solid background material about the Pope's early years and explains somewhat how his philosophies originated. Unrated, the movie is suitable for older teens and adults, but the violent scenes of World War II and concentration camps are too strong for younger children.

Check with your local video store about renting or buying "From A Far Country." It might be something schools, religious education classes and adult study groups would like to view and discuss as part of their Lenten activities.

(03-05-98) [[In-content Ad]]