International intrigue surrounds the choice of a new Pope in the sumptuous version of the Morris L. West bestseller.  The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968) chronicles the unlikely rise of a priest as he travels from the captivity of a labor camp in Siberia to the hallowed halls of the Vatican.

Russian priest Anthony Quinn is suddenly reinstated after spending twenty years in a labor camp as a political prisoner.  He is welcomed to the Vatican as a hero by the ailing Pope (Sir John Gielgud), who dies a short time later.  The council of Cardinals cannot choose a successor until someone nominates Quinn, who is elected because of the wisdom he has cultivated while surviving in captivity without losing his faith. Quinn is a reluctant Pope, whose greatest challenge is averting a nuclear war between Russia and China, threatened because China is suffering a devastating famine and must find food.  There are also a couple of important subplots, one involving the personal life of American reporter David Janssen, the other Quinn’s friendship with radical priest Oskar Werner, who is under investigation for heresy.

While the pageantry of the film is occasionally slow and ponderous (if rather impressive), its drama is quite refined and often profound.  Werner’s defenses of his revolutionary writings are intellectually stimulating and beautifully acted.  While the scenes of Janssen’s adulterous life are poor, his narrative commentary regarding the Pope’s death and Vatican procedures are excellent.  Quinn’s reluctance to even be considered for the Papacy is completely believable and his leadership once he takes the role is gentle but firm.  Leo McKern is first-rate as the Cardinal upon whom he learns to depend, despite their differences.

This 1968 production seems a bit dated now, but it was actually ahead of its time, for author West foresaw the future rather plainly.  It wasn’t long after this that a Polish priest with a similar name ascended to the Papacy and helped end the Cold War.

The film’s conclusion is idealistic and rather mishandled in dramatic terms, but history has proven that on the worldwide stage, anything can happen.  And in this case, it’s an inspiring message of hope.  My rating:  ✰ ✰ ✰.  (7:4).