Priest (1994)

Director:

Antonia Bird

Writer:

Jimmy McGovern (writer)

Release Date:

24 March 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

In a world of rituals, in a place of secrets, a man must choose between keeping the faith and exposing the truth.

Plot:

Father Greg Pilkington (Linus Roache) is torn between his call as a conservative Catholic priest and his secret life as a homosexual with a gay lover...

Plot Keywords:

Male Rear Nudity | Nun | Bare Butt | Male Nudity | Altar Boy

Awards:

3 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Linus Roache	...	Father Greg Pilkington
Tom Wilkinson	...	Father Matthew Thomas
Robert Carlyle	...	Graham
Cathy Tyson	...	Maria Kerrigan
Lesley Sharp	...	Mrs. Unsworth
Robert Pugh	...	Mr. Unsworth
James Ellis	...	Father Ellerton
Christine Tremarco	...	Lisa Unsworth
Paul Barber	...	Charlie
Rio Fanning	...	Bishop
Jim R. Coleman	...	Funeral director
Bill Dean	...	Altar boy
Gilly Coman	...	Ellie Molloy
Fred Pearson	...	Patrick
Jimmy Gallagher	...	Mick Molloy

MPAA:

Rated R for depiction of mature themes involving sexuality.

Runtime:

105 min | Argentina:98 min | USA:98 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:12 | South Korea:18 | Argentina:18 | Australia:MA | Finland:K-16 | Germany:12 (w) | Hong Kong:III | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Blundellsands, Merseyside, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

Director Antonia Bird cut a scene of Linus Roache's bare buttocks to ensure only an R rating in the USA.

Goofs:

Continuity: Father Greg holds up a communion wafer which is smooth. The scene cuts to Graham and then back to Father Greg, and the wafer has a diagonal line across it.

Quotes:

Father Greg Pilkington: And how would you feel if someone robbed your car?
Boy Car Thief: I haven't got one.
Father Greg Pilkington: Well, suppose you did.
Boy Car Thief: I'd get a weed-on.
Father Greg Pilkington: Exactly. I'd get a... weed-on too.
Boy Car Thief: You haven't got a car.
Father Greg Pilkington: Well, what about Father Matthew?
Boy Car Thief: No one would wanna rob his car, would they?
Father Greg Pilkington: Because he's a priest?
Boy Car Thief: Because it's crap!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Italiensk for begyndere (2000)

Soundtrack:

AY PALOMA

Should be embraced by the church.

I just caught this movie on cable, and found it to be one of the most touching I've seen. I'm Roman Catholic, and unless you are the type to blindly follow the tenants of your faith without question, you will likely find the questions raised by this film familiar. It really makes no difference whether the Priest is gay or straight, as human beings, they are undoubtedly often caught between the desire to respond to normal human needs and the requirements of the church. And while the Catholic church provides the setting, much of what the older priest says in his sermon regarding what God finds worthy of His attention can be applied to most any religion, as can the discussion near the end between the angry parishioners and the younger priest upon his return from exile. There are some very emotional moments in the film, not the least of which is the ending. As Catholics, we tend to forget that priests are human beings. This movie shows us that they are. I will warn you that, if you tend to cringe at the portrayal of gay attraction (as I do), you WILL find yourself doing so at various points in this film ("Brokeback Mountain" has nothing on "Priest"), but nothing is ever presented in poor taste or gratuitously, in my opinion. A film definitely worth viewing.

On a side note, I counted at least 5 performers in "Priest" that also appear in "The Full Monty." Guess they needed to do something a bit lighter after this one.