TRUE CONFESSIONS

US, 1981, 108 minutes,Colour.
Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Charles Durning, Ed Flanders, Cyril Cusack, Burgess Meredith.
Directed by Ulu Grosbard.

True Confessions is often grim viewing but it is one of the best dramatic portrayals of a diocesan priest trying to do his work, combine loyalty to the Church with covering potential scandals, combine administrative work and deal-doing with pastoral ministry. It is a long way from the problems of Barry Fitzgerald and Bing Crosby in Going My Way although there is only five years or so difference in the settings of the two films.

The screenplay is by husband and wife John Gregory Dunne and Joan Didion from Dunne's novel which in turn is based on an incident used in James Ellroy’s Who is the Black Dahlia. Stage director, Ulu Grosbard, has not directed many movies; they include The Subject Was Roses, Straight Time, The Deep End of the Ocean.

The recreation of atmosphere in Los Angeles and in the Church (with Cyril Cusack as an imposing and enigmatic archbishop) is strong. The central performances of Robert De Niro and Robert Duvall as the priest and detective respectively make the proceedings and their dramatic impact credible. De Niro is able to show us the struggle between clerical ambition and vocation. (De Niro was to be a controversial priest again in 1994's Sleepers.) A companion film released at the same time which shows failure in vocation rather than success is the rather over-melodramatic Monsignor with Christopher Reeve.

This is not 'nice' material but is real and challenging.

1. Interesting and entertaining drama? Crime drama? Religious drama? A piece of Americana? The '40s and the study of crime and detection, religion? Relevance to the '80s and subsequent times?

2. The insights and skill of John Gregory Dunne and his novel? Adaptation for the screen? The possibilities of the novel's subtleties being transferred to the screen? The focus on characters, situations, parallels? The importance of the parallel of the two brothers: religion, detection? Their relationship to Los Angeles society?

3. The re-creation of Los Angeles of the '40s? The city, its personalities? The Church and its officials, parish priests, hospitals? The precincts and their investigations? Big building and lawyers? Brothels, syndicated crime? The pornography trade? The background of police investigation and church and ritual? Administration in both areas? Goodness and evil in both places? Location photography, atmosphere of the times?

4. The portrait of American society? Individual Americans? The American dream and focus on success, career, money, respectability? Surface values and interior evil? The cracks on the respectable surface? Exposure? Change? The exposes of previous decades and the repetitions in subsequent decades? The importance of Watergate and its revelations influencing this kind of film?

5. The strength of the performances? The two stars and their styles, presence, skills? Comparisons and contrasts? Robert Duvall typecast? Robert de Niro against typecasting? The screenplay's parallels between the two, contrasts? The framework: Des Spellacy in the visit by Tom? The insight and forgiveness at the end? Des's death? Tom's salvation?

6. The importance of the framework for structure and for the passing of time? The two men and their age, illness, talking? The meaning of their lives? The placing of the flashback and the return? Audience sympathies and understanding? The flashback as a mutual confession and absolution? The apportioning of blame, the nature of salvation?

7. The Catholic background of the film? Audience knowledge of the Church, hierarchy, administration? The role of the priest? As minister for people, as administrator of churches and monies? Builder of schools etc.? The Cardinal and his control of the diocese? Committees? The ordinary priest within such administration? The theological background of the film: concepts of sin, serious sin, evil, salvation and damnation? Repentance and purgation of sin? The importance of such knowledge? how well did the film fill it in? The dramatic aspects of such theological ideas worked out in plot? The final significance of the desert and the graves in the desert?

8. The title and the focus on confession, the Church, ritual, practice? The visualising of particular confessions? Theology of the sacrament? The penitent and the need to confess? The requirements of confession? Repentance necessary for absolution? Change of heart? The psychological value of confessing? Spiritual value? Reconciliation with the Church, with God? Atonement and being at rights? Amending one's life? The role of the confessor, in standing in for God and absolving in his name? As a human sinful being who has a mandate to absolve? Who uses human judgment to assess repentance? The importance of hearing, judging, forgiving? The importance of the inviolable seal of confession? The symbol of need? Tom confessing in the confessional to Des? Des confessing to Tom? The significance of Des confessing to Monsignor Fargo and Fargo's spiritual direction? Des being able to be humble in confession? Amsterdam confessing to Des and being refused absolution? The efficacy or not of confession? The dramatic symbols of the confessions in the film? Especially Amsterdam's and Tom's reaction?

9. The irony of True Confessions and its popular romantic magazine style? Audience expectations? Ironies? lifestyle? Clerical dress, contacts, fashionable restaurants etc.?

10. The contrast with Fargo and his going out into the desert? The example of Fargo for Des? The presence of his mother in the old people's home? The nuns? The formalities and spiritual payoff for Amsterdam as the Catholic Layman of the Year? Des and the exposure, the court case, his retirement to the desert and imitating of Monsignor Fargo? His pastoral ministry in the desert, the people's response to him and words to Tom at the opening of the film? The seeming loneliness of his illness, death, burial? His salvation according to the principles of the Gospel? The film's accuracy of the Church? The film's portrait of the Church, strengths and weaknesses?

11. The law and its administration? The background of American police work, justice? The range of police presented? Honesty? Police on the take and the intricacies of corruption? Tom and the background of his being on the take from Amsterdam? The ugly aspects of police work? The examination of corpses, forensic evidence? The locales for investigation from brothels, porno film studios? The capacities for investigation? Tom as being part of this world? The comparison with the world of the church? The personal involvement of Tom and its repercussions on him?

12. The background of American big business, money deals? Corruption? Tainting the law and the church? The American philosophy of success and respectability? Amsterdam and the opening, the wedding, the presence of the Cardinal, using the church? Blackmail? The church fighting back and its worldly tactics? The Chancellor of the Archdiocese and his know-how and diplomacy, expensive meals, the award for the Catholic Layman of the Year to silence Amsterdam? Amsterdam's revenge by dragging the church into the courts? The interlocking of power worlds?

13. The portrait of Des? Robert de Niro's presence and performance? The wedding, the discussion of business, his guiding of the Cardinal? His efficiency in his work? The Mexican fiesta, the visit to Monsignor Fargo and the sacking of him from his post? The visit to the brothel, the dead priest and the arranging of the burial? The business lunches? The going to Confession and the influence of Monsignor Fargo? His hearing confessions: Tom, Amsterdam's? His visit to his mother? Golf? Sequences of him at home, the room, the isolation and loneliness of the celibate priest? His idea for the Catholic Layman of the Year? The background of his being with the group that picked up the murdered girl? The criticisms of him, Dan Campion trying to involve him? His encounter with him in the sacristy? Tom's warning? The publicity and his having to go to court? The consequence of his decisions and the publicity, his retirement to the desert, imitating Monsignor Fargo, finding a spiritual peace? The portrait of a priest in a diocese, involved in administration. interest in financial transactions, the best deals for the church? His spiritual leadership and the compromising of this for administration? The crisis as his means of redemption?

14. Robert Duvall's style as Tom? The contrast with Des? His friendship with Frank Crotty and their working together? The discovery of the dead priest? Friendship with Brenda? The discovery of the murdered girl and the ugly violence? The corpse, the autopsy? The background of his work for Amsterdam and his hostility towards him? Trying to communicate what had happened to des? The discoveries about Standard? The discussion with the murdered girl's parents ?and her poems, her notebook and the phone numbers? The background of pornography? The girls and the interrogation? His growing anger, memories? The research? The discovery of the warehouse?

15. The world of Los Angeles vice and corruption? The portrait of Brenda, the priest at the brothel? The money-carrying? The pornography films and Standard's methods, violence, the films themselves, his murdering the girl? His death? The wealthy businessmen and their pickups?

16. Charles Durning's performance as Amsterdam? The opening of the film with the echoes of The Godfather, the presence of the Cardinal, his building of the Catholic schools? His daughter, his dancing? His jovial manner? His business friends? The various pressures for the Cardinal to make decisions? The antagonism of Des? The plot about the Catholic Layman of the Year? The truth and audience antagonism towards him about the dead girl? The confession and his hostility? The collapse of his empire through Tom Spellacy?

17. Campion and the other wealthy men? The truth? Their fears? Their belonging to the Knights of Columbus etc.?

18. The film as satisfying drama? A picture of two upholders of the law: civil, ecclesiastical? Success and failure? Corruption? The meaning of spiritual redemption? The film's pessimism, optimism?