IMDb RATING
6.5/10
1.9K
YOUR RATING
Two boys try to drive a strict priest mad with their confessed sins at a boarding school in England.Two boys try to drive a strict priest mad with their confessed sins at a boarding school in England.Two boys try to drive a strict priest mad with their confessed sins at a boarding school in England.
David Bradley
- Arthur
- (as Dai Bradley)
- Director
- Writers
- Anthony Shaffer
- Richard O'Keefe(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaRichard Burton turned down an offer to play King Lear on stage in Canada in order to make this movie.
- GoofsIn the tennis match, a close shot of Benjie shows him serving whilst standing in the right service court (which would be illegal) but the long shot shows him serving from the baseline (legal). The score is 30-all, so he should be serving from the right side of the baseline, but is shown serving from the left side.
- Quotes
Benjie: What I told you before as a joke, I made happen. I killed him.
Father Goddard: I do not believe you!
Benjie: You must Father. What would be the point of playing the same joke twice?
Featured review
Richard Burton. What a ham.
Richard Burton can be a great actor. He can also be over the top, histrionic and downright awful, and not just in movies where he's only turned up for the paycheck. He's also (or maybe it's his agent) a poor judge of material.
At first sight, this movie has the appearance of just another movie where priests or parsons or pastors simply don't understand or are shocked by bad things. After 2000 years of Original Sin and church leaders hearing confessions, and the fact that when tragedies happen or shameful things, believers turn first to their holy men, you'd think they'd all be jaded or nuts by this time! No one, I'd suggest, understands evil better (and i'm a writer, not a preacher, so there).
But when schoolboys start yanking Richard Burton's priestly chain (no spoilers from me) . . . Anyway, eventually all heck breaks loose.
Boy, did this movie take its time. Anthony Shaffer's a well regarded playwright and he has churned out some good stuff, but here he's lost his sense of pacing. You can pace gradually to the inexorable and still be good, but here . . . !
And as a writer I've often said "write what you know" should be "write what you understand." And though I'm no Catholic I suggest Mr. Shaffer needs a closer understanding of Catholicism and its sacrament of the Confession. I think it's goofy but I understand it's intricacies.
There's a very good story hidden here but for once Mr. Shaffer failed to see it. Maybe I'll do it. Watch this space for updates.
At first sight, this movie has the appearance of just another movie where priests or parsons or pastors simply don't understand or are shocked by bad things. After 2000 years of Original Sin and church leaders hearing confessions, and the fact that when tragedies happen or shameful things, believers turn first to their holy men, you'd think they'd all be jaded or nuts by this time! No one, I'd suggest, understands evil better (and i'm a writer, not a preacher, so there).
But when schoolboys start yanking Richard Burton's priestly chain (no spoilers from me) . . . Anyway, eventually all heck breaks loose.
Boy, did this movie take its time. Anthony Shaffer's a well regarded playwright and he has churned out some good stuff, but here he's lost his sense of pacing. You can pace gradually to the inexorable and still be good, but here . . . !
And as a writer I've often said "write what you know" should be "write what you understand." And though I'm no Catholic I suggest Mr. Shaffer needs a closer understanding of Catholicism and its sacrament of the Confession. I think it's goofy but I understand it's intricacies.
There's a very good story hidden here but for once Mr. Shaffer failed to see it. Maybe I'll do it. Watch this space for updates.
helpful•00
- aramis-112-804880
- Jan 3, 2024
Details
- Runtime1 hour 35 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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