PRIEST

UK, 1994, 105 minutes, Colour.
Linus Roache, Tom Wilkinson, Cathy Tyson, Robert Carlyle.
Directed by Antonia Bird.

Priest is a BBC film production written by Jimmy Mc Govern, Catholic writer from Liverpool (Crackers, Backbeat). He has an intimate knowledge of the Catholic Church and church practice and ministry in the '90s - and the detail of the film is authentic.

The film shows priestly life and ministry in a poor parish in Liverpool. The focus is also on questions of priestly celibacy. Tom Wilkinson portrays a priest who worked in South America, learnt that he had to have a woman there in order to have status. On his return to Liverpool, he is in relationship with his housekeeper (played by Cathy Tyson). She does not want him to leave the priesthood and then blame her if the marriage failed. However, the central focus is on a newly-ordained priest played by Linus Roache. He is more conservative, clerically garbed, has a rather old theology (especially of Christology and Jesus' human and divine knowledge). He is also conservative in politics and enjoys clerical garb. He is quite critical of his parish priest. However, he wants to work with the poor. He suffers a crisis of conscience about the seal of confession when the question of incest is raised by a young girl. Her father, who comes to confession, is particularly vicious. The mother, when she finds out about the situation and learns that the priest knew about it, attacks him in church and expresses a loss of faith in the church.

In his crisis, his own loneliness and sexuality emerge. He goes to a gay bar, picks up a man and they start a relationship. The film raises questions of clerical celibacy, regulation, loneliness as well as sexual orientation. The bishop is rather unsympathetically (if rather realistically) portrayed.

The film is frank in its dealing with the controversial questions, sometimes explicitly, but not exploitative. It shows a much broader picture of Catholic life, especially the Catholic community. It shows the stances of those more sympathetic and the hard-line traditional Catholics. The film offers some striking sequences, provokes the mind as well as the emotions. It also ends with images of forgiveness and reconciliation.

1.The impact of the film? British? Universal?

2.The atmosphere of Liverpool: streets, churches, the Mersey, hospitals, bishops' houses? Authentic? The bike-ride scenes and the panoramas of the city? The city as a character and as an atmosphere? Musical score, religious hymns, range of songs (Carousel etc)?

3.The title, audience expectations, the traditions of the Catholic priest (and the way priests have been portrayed in the movies)? The changes of the Second Vatican Council? The celibacy crisis of the '80s and '90s? The issues for Catholics, for non-Catholics? Each of the priests dramatising the themes: Matthew and the married clergy, Greg and homosexuality, Fr Ellison and the vocation to celibacy but being treated badly by church authorities, the bishop and his autocratic style?

4.The authenticity of the dialogue, the presentation of Catholic life, language and vocabulary, prayer, liturgy, ministry? The style of the film and its attention to detail?

5.The controversial issues - real issues, not spoken about in the past, the priest as sacred and more than human, the humanising of the clergy, the need for a humane and compassionate understanding for priests and their temptations, sins and failures, needs? Indication of the future of Catholic clergy?

6.The opening with Fr Ellison sitting in the church, his looking at the statues, traditional icons and images, sitting, angry, taking down the crucifix, marching through the streets, the kids following him (echoes of a Liverpool Via Dolorosa)? In the bus, the bishop seeing him coming and his charging the bishop's house and hurling the crucifix through the window? The symbol of the angry and badly treated priest? His retirement - and being a cup of tea? Angry not at the fact of his retirement but at the way that it was done? Greg's visit to him later, his advice, memories about his own vocation and wanting to leave, his mother's vocation, her death and its being too late, not able to do anything else, his call to celibacy but not to certainty?

7.Greg, 29, newly ordained, the few years of priestly experience, his conservative stances, his reliance on clerical dress and clerical manner, his stiff and prim style, the arrival at the presbytery in the taxi with Matthew, his initial reaction to the housekeeper? His sermon about the scapegoating of society for all its ills? Matthew's criticism? His own criticisms of Matthew's sermons - as left-wing political speeches? His discussions with Matthew, the contrasts of the pastoral style and the new idealistic priest? Life in the presbytery, the meals, his discovery of Matthew's relationship? The shock, the disapproval, the dialogue between the two about the issues?

8.His stances about Matthew, his criticisms of the housekeeper, her overhearing and making a declaration about her stance, not wanting to marry Matthew and making him leave for her sake? Matthew's wanting to be in ministry? His explanation about Latin America, the woman, leaving her in South America? Greg's apology to the housekeeper? His wanting to do ministry - the humorous sequences of his visit to the housing estate, the door shut in his face, spat on, ignored, the woman fighting with her husband and swearing? His being welcomed by the Jehovah Witnesses? His confession experience with the children in church, helping the children, the girls, the stuttering boy? The hospital and his running down the corridor trying to anoint the ill man? Yet his not relating with the family? Going to his lonely room, crucifix, prayer? His gym work and his friendship with Charlie - and the long theological talks about Jesus and his knowledge and Judas as being the real redeemer?

9.Lisa and confession, the seal of confession, talking about the incest? Greg and his trying to handle the situation? It drawing on his profound compassion? His working with the mother in the presbytery? The discussions with Matthew? Trying to give a hint - and the principal ringing back about Lisa's lunch being stolen? His urging Lisa to talk to her father? Her father and his brutal attack in the confessional, his talk about incest, his self-delusions, amorality? Warning Greg off? Greg in the classroom, discussing the records, Lisa's fit, going home with her? The danger in the house and his feeling desperate? Ringing the phone number of Social Services but hanging up? The growing desperation?

10.His own personal loneliness, the decision to change clothes, to cycle to the gay club? (A background of going to such clubs or this the first time?) The drink, seeing Graham, going home with him, the sexual encounter (and the way that it was explicitly shown)? His motivation? Needs? Affection, love? His leaving, loneliness? The after-effect of the sexual experience, not being able to tell Matthew? His meeting Greg in the street and Greg learning his identity? His phoning him?
11.Greg at the meeting, the discussions about the housing area, social concern? His personal desperation? The decision to leave early? His going to his room, the desperation of the prayer, the blasphemous-sounding touches in his response to Jesus on the crucifix, as a man, as suffering? His Gethsemane? The irony of his praying for the miracle, his not believing it would happen? Yet his leaving the meeting becoming the occasion for the mother to go home and discover the truth? And yet her return to the church, her reviling him?

12.Matthew and his management of the parish, his attitude towards home visits, seeing the futility of the visits? His relationship with people, the lively liturgies? The music? The relationship with the housekeeper, the sexual needs, the background of Latin America and his talking about having a woman (and Greg asking him where she was now)? The vocation to the priesthood? The role of the vow of celibacy and its relationship to vocation or not?

13.Greg and the relationship with Graham, the meetings with Graham, Graham coming to communion, Greg petrified and rendered immobile? Matthew's puzzle? Greg and his looking at other men? The irony of his workouts with the trainer, showering, their discussions about Judas? The trainer and his later anger and Greg's joking that he was not attractive? The walks on the beach, the sharing of needs and anxieties with Graham? In the car, the arrest? His going before the policeman, the interrogation? His pleading guilty? His not telling Matthew?

14.The priests at the table, the housekeeper, the newspaper and the news? Matthew's reaction? Greg and his not being able to respond to the invitation to celebrate Mass? The decision to take the tablets? The desperation? In hospital?

15.The portrait of the bishop, the old priest interviewing him at the beginning of the film? His visits to the church and listening to the sermons? Conservative? His going to the hospital, his wanting to get rid of Greg? Bringing the flowers and the grapes? Telling him to piss off from his diocese? The contrast with the picture of the bishop's house, the silver service for the afternoon tea? A caricature or not?

16.The old priest in the country, his housekeeper and her sternness? The priest as reclusive, his severity with Greg, talking to him in Latin? The stipend for each Mass said? The curfew? His chaperoning Greg with Matthew's visits and his potential for scandal? The irony of the housekeeper? Her hostility towards meat, her apron? Her smile at the tilts by Greg at the parish priest?

17.Matthew's visit to Greg, their long discussions about vocation, choice, homosexuality? Their comparisons with the various priests? The bonding, the drinking together, pretending to misbehave to scandalise the parish priest? The arguments about each patronising the other?

18.Lisa and her family, the discovery of the truth, the mother and her anger, her coming to rebuke Greg in the church? The Catholic family and their hostile reaction to Greg in the sacristy and at Mass? The acolyte and his not wanting to serve? The prayers of the faithful? Maria and her support?

19.The final Mass, Greg wanting to leave? The people leaving? The parishioners and their hostility? The exchange of Gospel texts, the woman taken in adultery? The parishioners and their lacking compassion? Matthew's introduction, the plea for forgiveness and welcome? The ordinary Catholics and their inability to understand or offer compassion to Greg?

20.The people not coming to Greg for communion, Lisa at the end of the line, her coming over, the forgiveness, the embrace? The reconciliation and forgiveness in community? Greg and his apology to the parish for not living up to his ideal?

21.Theological themes of faith, temptation and sin, vows, integrity? Forgiveness and reconciliation? Within the context of the sacraments?

22.The persuasiveness of the screenplay about the vow of celibacy, the imposition on all priests, the possibility of option, the possibility of married priests? The quality of their ministry?

23.Homosexual issues, gay priests, the obligations of celibacy and vows? Greg still having to face these questions?

24.The title of the film, the focus on ministry, ministry needs, gospel values?