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The Shoes of the Fisherman

Play trailer Poster for The Shoes of the Fisherman G Released Nov 14, 1968 2h 37m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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43% Tomatometer 7 Reviews 74% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
After spending decades in a Siberian Gulag labor camp, Roman Catholic priest Kiril Lakota (Anthony Quinn) is set free by Russian leader Piotr Ilyich Kamenev (Sir Laurence Olivier) at the height of the Cold War, when Russia and China are locked in a tense conflict. Following the death of the pope (Sir John Gielgud), Lakota ends up on the global stage when he is chosen to be his successor. As the pope, the humble Lakota becomes a compassionate advocate for ending world hunger and poverty.
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The Shoes of the Fisherman

Critics Reviews

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Steven D. Greydanus Decent Films A curious, at times almost prescient anticipation of the reign of John Paul II, filtered partly through the lens of the Silly Sixties. Rated: B Apr 12, 2006 Full Review Renata Adler New York Times Unless you have read the novel by Morris West on which the film is based, the first two hours are unintelligible. May 9, 2005 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews Critics have comically dubbed it Zorba the Pope. Rated: C+ May 28, 2009 Full Review Urban Cinefile Critics Urban Cinefile Settle back and let this old fashioned but entirely enjoyable epic (from Aussie writer Morris West's novel) take you on a journey that is in many ways every bit as relevant today as it was then Jul 19, 2008 Full Review Emanuel Levy EmanuelLevy.Com All-star cast, headed by Anthony Quinn, Olivier and Gielgud, can't help Anderson's poor transfern of Morris West's bestseller, an international political thriller about a Russian survivor of the gulag who becomes pope; best thing is Alex North's score. Rated: B- Aug 23, 2006 Full Review Philip Martin Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Rated: 3/5 May 15, 2006 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Jose B The film was bound to be "A Superproduccion" but achieving its goals only halfway. It has an Alex North score, great cast, (Anthony Quinn fine as usual), but it looks very outdated indeed. There are two parts, being the first part better than the second. This is clearly a film of Producer rather than Director and it can be entertaining to watch on a rainy weekend.. If you don't anything better to watch. Nice photography and "small roles" by outstanding actors but very forgettable indeed. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 09/07/24 Full Review Kay D One of the few films to deal with conclave and voting in of a new Pope, I have a soft spot for this film. It does have a tenancy to meander a bit, but at its core, it tells the story of a man navigating a changing world. In many ways, it is a lens reflecting our own world back to us. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 04/09/23 Full Review steve d The cast made it an interesting watch. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Amazing that at the height of the VN war Hollywood was presenting this stuff. Two Commie leaders, a Russian (Stalin?) and a Chinese (Mao?) are presented al levelheaded guys determined to prevent war and end starvation. Meanwhile. by 68 Moscow/Beiging had murdered about 150 million worldwide and a lot of it through starvation (see Holodomor,Leap Forward). And the Church is the 'rich' bogeyman who caused it all. No wonder we are where we are today. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member It is a 50 year old movie, but I enjoyed it. If only all Popes cared about the world rather than the church. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Audience Member Brilliant story even though the telling and the cinematography is now dated. The viewer must keep the movie in context of the 1960s when the film was released. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Shoes of the Fisherman

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Cast & Crew

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Michael Anderson

Director

Anthony Quinn

Kiril Lakota

Laurence Olivier

Piotr Ilyich Kamenev

Oskar Werner

Fr. David Telemond

David Janssen

George Faber

Vittorio De Sica

Cardinal Rinaldi

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The Shoes of the Fisherman

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Movie Info

Synopsis After spending decades in a Siberian Gulag labor camp, Roman Catholic priest Kiril Lakota (Anthony Quinn) is set free by Russian leader Piotr Ilyich Kamenev (Sir Laurence Olivier) at the height of the Cold War, when Russia and China are locked in a tense conflict. Following the death of the pope (Sir John Gielgud), Lakota ends up on the global stage when he is chosen to be his successor. As the pope, the humble Lakota becomes a compassionate advocate for ending world hunger and poverty.
Director
Michael Anderson
Producer
George Englund
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Rating
G
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 14, 1968, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 21, 2016
Runtime
2h 37m
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