The Shoes of the Fisherman

Play trailer

The Shoes of the Fisherman

G

Released Nov 14, 1968

2h 37m

Drama

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

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

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 It has an Alex North score, great cast, (Anthony Quinn fine as usual), but it looks very outdated indeed.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

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

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

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

The Subject Was Roses

100%

74%

The Subject Was Roses

Watchlist

Hell in the Pacific

67%

83%

Hell in the Pacific

Watchlist

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich

17%

92%

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich

Watchlist

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

100%

85%

The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter

Watchlist

Change of Habit

10%

64%

Change of Habit

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

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

Most Popular at Home Now