The Shoes of the Fisherman
| The Shoes of the Fisherman | |
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Theatrical release poster by Howard Terpning
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| Directed by | Michael Anderson |
| Produced by | George Englund |
| Screenplay by |
John Patrick James Kennaway |
| Based on |
The Shoes of the Fisherman by Morris West |
| Starring |
Laurence Olivier Anthony Quinn Oskar Werner David Janssen Vittorio De Sica Leo McKern John Gielgud |
| Music by | Alex North |
| Cinematography | Erwin Hillier |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
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Release date
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Running time
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162 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $6.7 million |
The Shoes of the Fisherman is a 1968 American drama film based on the 1963 novel of the same name by the Australian novelist Morris West. Shot in Rome, the motion picture was directed by Michael Anderson and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Set during the height of the Cold War, The Shoes of the Fisherman opens as protagonist Kiril Pavlovich Lakota (Anthony Quinn), the Metropolitan Archbishop of Lviv (or Lvov as it is spelled in the movie adaptation), is unexpectedly set free after twenty years in a Siberian labour camp by his former jailer, Piotr Ilyich Kamenev (Laurence Olivier), now the premier of the Soviet Union.
He is sent to Rome, where the elderly fictional Pope (John Gielgud) makes him a Cardinal in the title of St. Athanasius. Lakota is reluctant, begging to be given "a simple mission with simple people," but the Pope insists that he kneel and receive the scarlet zucchetto that designates the rank of cardinal.
When the Pontiff suddenly collapses and dies, the process of a papal conclave begins, and Cardinal Lakota participates as one of the electors. During the sede vacante, two cardinals in particular, Cardinal Leone (Leo McKern) and Cardinal Rinaldi (Vittorio De Sica) are shown to be papabili (candidates). After seven deadlocked ballots, Lakota is unexpectedly elected Pope as a compromise candidate (suggested by Cardinal Rinaldi) by acclamation after the cardinals, unable to decide between the leading candidates, interview him and are impressed by his ideas and his humility. Lakota takes the name of Pope Kiril. Meanwhile, the world is on the brink of nuclear war due to a Chinese-Soviet feud made worse by a famine caused by trade restrictions brought against China by the United States.
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Wikipedia