MASS APPEAL

US, 1984, 99 minutes, Colour.
Jack Lemmon, Zeljko Ivanek, Charles Durning, Louise Latham.
Directed by Glenn Jordan.

Mass Appeal is a screen adaptation by Bill C. Davis of his successful stage play. The film is also a star vehicle for Jack Lemmon as Father Tim Farley. He is well supported by Zeljko Ivanek as the young deacon.


Charles Durning is very good as the overbearing head of the seminary. Louise Latham gives a sympathetic performance as the housekeeper. The score by Bill Conti blends ecclesiastical melodies with a contemporary score. Direction is by Glenn Jordan, best known for his telemovies including In The Matter of Karen Ann Quinlan, Les Miserables.

A young jogger, Mark Dolson, asks questions during the dialogue sermon of parish priest, Fr Farley. In fact, he is a seminarian almost at the end of his training. The staff find him abrasive. When two seminarians are suddenly expelled for a friendship judged to be too close, he angrily attacks Monsignor Burke, the seminary rector.

Fr Farley pleads for fairness for Mark. Monsignor Burke asks him to take on the deacon in his parish to train him for a month and test his suitability for priesthood. Coached by Fr Farley for his first sermon, Mark falls back into his aggressive style and alienates the parishioners.

However, Fr Farley likes Mark's passion and tries to help him to a greater maturity. The young man has an effect on Fr Farley who is dependent on his parishioners liking him, who drinks too much and uses white lies to get out of doing what he doesn't want to do. They talk frankly to each other about their lives and their families.

Fr Farley gives Mark another chance at a sermon which is more heartfelt and is well received by the congregation. It annoys Monsignor Burke who expels Mark from the seminary. A drunken Fr Farley tells Monsignor Burke off and, while he tries to get support from the parishioners, he fails. Mark and Fr Farley talk things through. Fr Farley speaks with great feeling about his own priesthood at Mass and in support of Mark against Monsignor Burke. He enlists the people's support for Mark.

Mass Appeal was a popular play of the early 1980s. Written by Bill C. Davis, it rang true echoing the changes in the American church after the Second Vatican Council. The film presents a picture of the Catholic Church in the United States in the 1970s and 1980s. It highlights the changes in the church since the Second Vatican Council, different styles of liturgy, seminary training, relationship with the laity. It also highlights the atmosphere of bureaucracy, the pressures (even to personal blackmail) for administration and decision making and in a greater openness in many clergy. The focus is on the challenge to a passionate young deacon for conforming with the established church. There is also the challenge to the priest who relies on his popularity with his parishioners to take a stance on principle.

The movie's dialogue as well as the representation of a priest's life is authentic. The issues are serious, the writing is often humorous and employs Jack Lemmon's skills and comic timing. The film is entertaining on a surface level. It is also a film of meaning and depth below the surface with the clashes between the more authoritarian, ecclesiastical clergy and the younger, sometimes brasher, seminarians and priests.

Jack Lemmon has been able to assume a wide range of both comic and serious roles during a long career. His portrayal of Fr Farley is realistic and credible. He is a good man with painful memories of family clashes. He has fought the dislike of his congregation to win them over. He has, in mid-life, settled into a wisecracking, benign and, sometimes alcoholic, parish priest. He is matched by the intensity and singlemindedness of Zeljko Ivanek's portrayal of Mark Dolson.

Charles Durning is the bullying rector and Louise Latham brings some light relief as everybody's picture of a nice but anxious housekeeper.

1. An interesting drama? Entertaining comedy? Strong delineation of characters? Portrait of the Catholic Church in America? Power struggles? Principle? Impact for American audiences? Elsewhere?

2. The retaining of the strong dialogue, opening out of scenes?

3. The American city, the world of the Catholic Church: church, presbytery, seminary? The focus on a particular world?

4. The impact for Catholic audiences? Non Catholic? Non-religious? For Catholic audiences, authentic, familiar?

5. The authentic atmosphere of the film and its searching for accuracy: details of church life, liturgy, the priesthood, clerical language, Catholic references, contemporary issues, controversies, seminary life? Behaviour and struggles? Comparisons with films about clergy of earlier decades? The 1980s and changes in the Catholic Church? Contemporary issues of freedom, principle, truth, morality? Particular questions as the ordination of women?

6. The musical score, hymns, the religious style, mood?


7. The quality of Jack Lemmon's performance? As a man, as a priest? Effective and moving? Portrait of a man: serious, quips and smart style? The opening Mass, dialogue sermons, his showmanship? The question of women's ordination, inviting questions, his flip answers? Reliance on the church's teaching? The reaction to mark's interruptions? Mark’s direct challenge to his own views? His relationship with his parishioners? Being in the parish ten years, friends, gifts of wine, visits? Margaret and her help in the presbytery, understanding his moods? Monsignor Burke and friendship, exercise of power and authority, the trip to Yugoslavia with his sister, the photos, his pretending to be interested, opting out of meals? His not telling the truth but Monsignor Burke challenging him to do this finally? His responsibilities as a consultor for the seminary? Going to meetings? Talking with the seminarians, the problem case and the homosexual relationship? The possibility of the seminarians keeping their vows? Meeting Mark at the seminary? The treatment of the two seminarians and their being dismissed? Mark's anger at the authorities, the review of his case? His defence of Mark? Monsignor Burke, holding it over him and making him take on Mark as apprentice? The interview with Mark in the car? Trying to make an appointment? The practice homily? Mark and his antagonism towards the parishioners, their coats and blue rinse? The insistence on the use of 'We'? Mark's sermon and his anger, Tim's response, searching for the reason of his anger? His listening to Mark's life story, his family, leaving home? The story about the fish and their being boiled, the catfish? Mark's desire to suffer and to help? Setting up the sermon, the cards and reactions? Margaret and her siding with Mark? Tom, and the clergy and their listening to the homilies, complaints? The importance of the sick call, Tim's compassion, his cliches? His discussion with Mark about what priests should say and not say? His theory about grief and people feeling sad? The talk in the park, the anger and memories of his mother, her remarriage, his cutting his mother off and not answering her letters? Her death without a reconciliation? Monsignor Burke insisting Mark visit him, the discussion about the background of his life, sexual experimentation? Mark's return, Tim's sense that he had failed? The confrontation with Tom about Mark's leaving? His decision to speak to the parishioners about Mark, the Mass and his failure, his turning his protest into a flip ending? His telling white lies, avoiding the truth, avoiding visits from parishioners in need (telling the people they had come on the wrong day)? Ills drinking, his anger at Monsignor Burke? Mark packing? The Mass, his inability to go, on, change, his appeal to the parishioners? A stance on principle? His age, experience, his work as a pastor, his sermons and series, his popularity and his relying on it, his remembering of the initial hostilities? His being challenged and failing? Failure and change?

8. The parishes and the church, the parishioners? Their reaction to liturgy, sermons? Their dismay at Mark's sermon? Complaints and reports? The parish priest and his adaptation to them? The highlighting of the need for change? (And the working within the traditional model and, the need to change within that model?)

9. Mark and his running, going to the church, questions about women's ordination, challenging Tim for his own personal viewpoint? At the seminary, the reaction of the staff about his courses, questioning? His wanting to be a priest? Leaving home? his wanderings, sexual experimentation, his decision for celibacy, for commitment? His being seen as passionate? His angry intrusion and abusing Monsignor Burke about the two seminarians being dismissed after discovering their empty rooms? His criticism of Monsignor Burke as a homophobic autocrat? His own social work? The diaconate day, his sister and her affair and his advice? His being entrusted to Father Farley? His resistance? Going? The sermon practice, the hints about coughs? His sermon and their coughs, his anger? His being challenged about his disdain for the parishioners? The story about the fish and it being a symbol of his attitude towards people, seeing them as victimisers? His need for compassion? The varied responses, people who saw the point? People who stayed with the story? The sick call and his discussion with Tim about compassion and being silent? His hearing Tim's story about his mother? His talking about his own past? The visit to Monsignor Burke, his bluntness, his satisfaction with the visit and then, realising the failure? His response to Tim's failure at the sermon? Tim being drunk, trying to save him from Monsignor Burke? His decision to move to another seminary? His response to Tim at the end? A future in the priesthood? The type of priest he would be?

10. The world of seminaries, changing style, background of seminarians, enclosed and open, homosexual relationships, vows of celibacy? Authorities and bureaucracy? The virtue of loyalty? ?Manipulation? Justice for seminarians, for orders. for dismissal?

11. Monsignor Burke as a Monsignor, Rector of the seminary, his being an ecclesiastical type? Mark's criticism of him as a homophobic autocrat? His sister and the travels? Photos? Running the seminary, the board, decision-making, minimal consultation? His listening to the sermons? His anger, his hold over Tim? His threatening to move him? Tim's response to him? His being the villain of the film?

12. Margaret and her work as housekeeper, stances, disappointment in Tim? Final support?

13. The parishioners and their reaction to the sermons? their comments afterwards, their power over Tim, his reliance on popularity, reports to authorities?

14. The background of Catholic families, in the parish, the Dalsons, Tim's regret about his own family?

15. The film's presentation of priesthood, the tradition about the male priesthood, questions about ordination of women, change in the church, change in the traditional mode? The film as a mirror of the Catholic Church in the '80s?