It is easy to criticize the actions of others using the clarity of hindsight but realistically Nazis were humans and given the correct conditioning almost any human could be a Nazi. This is a story about one of the few who refused to capitulate and paid a price for it.
Some people here have complained about the film being catholic propaganda, something tells me they complain not when they view other propaganda but it is instead the fact that this film portrays some members of the church in a positive light that instead incites a reaction of anger. I don't know what is more hilarious, the fact that they themselves are ignorant of history or that they themselves would be goose-stepping in line to protect their well being. One says that the referenced event (the sending of non Aryan Christians to camps) does not occur for another 3 months. He acts as if this was the first injustice the Nazis ever bore down on anybody. From the beginning of their rule the Nazis destroyed all those that opposed them, yes the more noble thing to do would be to speak out but if by speaking out you only get people killed that doesn't make it the easy thing, or the right thing to do.
As for the critics of Pope Pius XII, I wish you would learn some history before looking for someone to scapegoat for the convenient ignorance that prevailed throughout Europe and in America to the horrors the Nazis were committing. As someone of Jewish descent I myself can say that the catholic chruch personally helped members of my extended family. Also in 1941 the Times praised Pius XII as "the only ruler left on the continent of Europe who dares to raise his voice at all". Albert Einstien too praised the catholic effort "Six million of my co-religionists have been murdered by the Nazis, but there could have been many more victims, had it not been for the efficacious intervention of Pius XII" At his funeral the prime minister of Isreal stated "When fearful martyrdom came to our people in the decade of Nazi terror, the voice of the Pope was raised for the victims." An Isreali diplomat has credit the catholic church and Pope Pius with saving more than two times the number of Jews that the allies saved. On October 20th 1939 Pius XII released a encyclical letter condemning fascism nazism and communism. On Christmas, 1942 Pius XII became the first international figure to publicly condemn the holocaust. Could the church could have done more? Possibly, but then again so could every other country and organization on the face of the globe. Trying to demonize the catholic church for its supposed "inaction" is ridiculous. Some people however would rather believe that the catholic church was an evil institution allied with the Nazis (a group which sought to abolish them) rather than an organization which tried to guide its people and save lives throughout Europe.
this film is not a propaganda movie, there were catholics who cared about the fate of the jews and there were catholics (like this film also shows) who were under the thumb of the Nazis. There is no way you can say this is a propaganda film. Yes there are some events that are not based directly on fact but there were men of the same conviction who performed similar feats and stood up in the face of the same fate.
That being said the lead actor was extremely emotive and the sparse dialog in the film helped to portray the bleakness of his situation. He is faced with a choice no man wants to make and uses his faith and his conscience to reach the right decision
Some people here have complained about the film being catholic propaganda, something tells me they complain not when they view other propaganda but it is instead the fact that this film portrays some members of the church in a positive light that instead incites a reaction of anger. I don't know what is more hilarious, the fact that they themselves are ignorant of history or that they themselves would be goose-stepping in line to protect their well being. One says that the referenced event (the sending of non Aryan Christians to camps) does not occur for another 3 months. He acts as if this was the first injustice the Nazis ever bore down on anybody. From the beginning of their rule the Nazis destroyed all those that opposed them, yes the more noble thing to do would be to speak out but if by speaking out you only get people killed that doesn't make it the easy thing, or the right thing to do.
As for the critics of Pope Pius XII, I wish you would learn some history before looking for someone to scapegoat for the convenient ignorance that prevailed throughout Europe and in America to the horrors the Nazis were committing. As someone of Jewish descent I myself can say that the catholic chruch personally helped members of my extended family. Also in 1941 the Times praised Pius XII as "the only ruler left on the continent of Europe who dares to raise his voice at all". Albert Einstien too praised the catholic effort "Six million of my co-religionists have been murdered by the Nazis, but there could have been many more victims, had it not been for the efficacious intervention of Pius XII" At his funeral the prime minister of Isreal stated "When fearful martyrdom came to our people in the decade of Nazi terror, the voice of the Pope was raised for the victims." An Isreali diplomat has credit the catholic church and Pope Pius with saving more than two times the number of Jews that the allies saved. On October 20th 1939 Pius XII released a encyclical letter condemning fascism nazism and communism. On Christmas, 1942 Pius XII became the first international figure to publicly condemn the holocaust. Could the church could have done more? Possibly, but then again so could every other country and organization on the face of the globe. Trying to demonize the catholic church for its supposed "inaction" is ridiculous. Some people however would rather believe that the catholic church was an evil institution allied with the Nazis (a group which sought to abolish them) rather than an organization which tried to guide its people and save lives throughout Europe.
this film is not a propaganda movie, there were catholics who cared about the fate of the jews and there were catholics (like this film also shows) who were under the thumb of the Nazis. There is no way you can say this is a propaganda film. Yes there are some events that are not based directly on fact but there were men of the same conviction who performed similar feats and stood up in the face of the same fate.
That being said the lead actor was extremely emotive and the sparse dialog in the film helped to portray the bleakness of his situation. He is faced with a choice no man wants to make and uses his faith and his conscience to reach the right decision