Romero (film)
| Romero | |
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| Directed by | John Duigan |
| Produced by | Fr. Ellwood (Bud) Kieser |
| Written by | John Sacret Young |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Gabriel Yared |
| Cinematography | Geoff Burton |
| Edited by | Frans Vanderburg |
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
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Release date
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Running time
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102 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3,500,000 |
| Box office | $1,316,495 |
Romero is a 1989 American biopic depicting the story of Salvadoran Archbishop Óscar Romero, who organized peaceful protests against the violent military regime, eventually at the cost of his own life. The film stars Raúl Juliá as Oscar Romero, Richard Jordan as Romero's close friend and fellow martyred priest, Rutilio Grande, as well as actors Ana Alicia and Harold Gould. Although the film depicts true events, there are some fictional characters.
During the 1977 El Salvadoran presidential election, public unrest is at an all-time high over fears of election fraud. In the midst of a guerrilla uprising, the military regime sends death squads to detain, torture and kill anyone who speaks out against its human rights record. The military also prevents average citizens from getting to polls; soldiers are shown blocking a bus bringing people to town on election day. When the people decide to walk, the military shoots up their vans so that they have no transportation for the return journey. The Vatican elevates conservative yet reserved Oscar Arnulfo Romero (Raul Julia) to the position of Archbishop of San Salvador, hoping that with he will not get involved in the military dispute. Although apolitical, Romero is afraid of the government's increasing hostility. He initially refrains from stirring anti-government sentiments, but progressively, as he spends more time in his post, he sees evidence of deception, oppression, and systemic murder, after which he cannot support the government in good conscience and speaks out. After the assassination of Father Rutilio Grande (Richard Jordan), an outspoken Jesuit advocate for the poor and close friend of Father Romero's, Romero begins to take a stand against the government's policies, prompting the death squads to begin targeting priests.
After failing to rescue a pro-government hostage of the guerrillas in a botched ransom, Romero discovers that his friend Father Osuna (Alejandro Bracho), a militant critic of the ruling regime, has been captured and tortured. After securing his release, Romero instigates a boycott of the president elect's inauguration, defying him by taking Mass in a church the military has taken over as a barracks. He later attempts to secure the release of a soldier taken hostage by Osuna and the guerrillas, but is arrested in the process. Osuna is subsequently tortured to death. Undeterred, Romero rejects the violent methods of the guerrillas, but is nonetheless assassinated while holding Mass. In the last scene it freezes to take a moment to state Archbishop Romero was murdered on March 24, 1980. "He had spoken the disturbing truth. Many chose not to listen. As a result, between 1980 and 1989 more than 60,000 Salvadorians were killed. But the struggle for peace and freedom, justice and dignity goes on."
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