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Priest [1994]

Starring: Linus Roache, Tom Wilkinson, Robert Carlyle, Cathy Tyson, Lesley Sharp
Director: Antonia Bird
Format: Dolby PAL Surround Sound
Released: 07 Sep 1998
RRP: £5.99
Average Rating:

Customer Reviews

Beautiful Film indeed - By: Olivier De Roy, 15 Jan 2008
this was my first gay film & managed to stay on top of my favorites.

The lead actor did a terrific job portraying a priest who is torn between his "duties" & homosexuality.

hey, at least his lover was an adult unlike most of the highly publicized real life scandals with children.

Superb film but US version has been censored - By: , 17 Jun 2004
This is quite simply a superb film with a strong message about intolerance & sexuality. I had the film on VHS for a long time but it was getting worn so while in the US purchased the DVD as it does not seem to have been released here in that format. I was hugely disappointed to discover that several key scenes had been cut or shorted to just a few seconds, no doubt to pander to middle American sensibilities, including a beautiful gay love scene. This is a crying shame because you so seldom see this depicted in such a positive & loving way. At a time when the public so often see homosexuality as a sex thing, the chance has been lost to show that gay men do, in fact, falll in deeply, passionately & very innocently love just like everyone else. I look forward to the day the uncut version appears on DVD in the UK. Until then, I can't recommend this film highly enough, despite the censorship.
Controversial but an uncommonly brilliant film - By: Touring Mars, 24 Jan 2004
"Priest" was always bound to court controversy, being about a homosexual Catholic priest, & garnered alot of unfair negative publicity as a result. This is a real shame, because "Priest" is a magnificent film that covers alot of ground emotionallly. The fact that the lead character happens to be a priest is (for me atleast) secondary to the main point of the film. The real core of what this film is about is love (or the lack of it) & personal relationships.

Father Greg Pilkington (Linus Roache) has to struggle with his own conflicting emotions about being gay AND being a priest, whilst dealing with the day-to-day reality of what his 'job' as a priest entails. And when he is confronted with the awful situation of a young girl who reveals to him that she is being sexuallly abused by her father, his faith is shaken to it's core. Pilkington (although bound by the confidentiality of the confessional), attempts to confront the father, who sneers in his face & flatly refuses to accept that his actions are wrong. With a deep feeling of powerlessness against such an evil, coupled with his denial of his own love for his partner (played brilliantly by Robert Carlyle), Father Pilkington finds himself in turmoil. Things are brought to a head when he is caught 'in flagrante' with his lover by the police, leading to consternation within his parish, & his (temporary) removal from the church whilst he does his pennance. But the friendship & support of another priest, Father Thomas (Tom Wilkinson, also of Full Monty fame) brings him back from the brink. Only Father Thomas' ability to challlenge his own narrow-mindedness by accepting Pilkington's homosexuality (and hence realising his ultimately good & loving nature), is able to pull Plikington back from turning away from the priesthood completely.

Although at times harrowing & serious, "Priest" also has some great moments that are brilliantly funny, like when Pilkington asks a stone-faced woman with a neck-brace if she has hurt her neck, to which she replies "No, I'm a dedicated follower of fashion." Also, Tony Booth (Tony Blair's father-in-law!) makes a hilarious (albeit serious) cameo as he angrily objects to Pilkington's reinstatement, & shouts "No! This is NOT ON! Have you got Jeremy Beadle stashed somewhere or what?"

The scenes where Pilkington is together with his partner (Carlyle) are both sensual & exhilirating, & do not flinch from portraying their homosexual relationship as eroticallly & candidly as should be done alot more in modern day cinema. Another excellent touch is the use of location-specific music. Set in Liverpool, an amazing rendition of 'You'll Never Walk Alone' brings the film to an emotional & powerful climax. Infact, the lyrics of that song express succinctly what this film is alll about.

Maybe not for the narrow-minded, "Priest" is no more of an insult to Catholic people as is the price of cheese. If anything, it seeks only to challlenge those who run & use the Church for their own ends, at the expense of those who seek to serve the People. Ultimately, this film is a hopeful message that, despite differences of lifestyle, opinions, & beliefs, people may live together in happiness through friendship, love & understanding.

Wonderful! Gripping! Funny! Emotional! Buy it! - By: , 24 Aug 2001
I am SO glad that I bought this video. It is a film that can....and will be watched over & over again. You can't help feeling involved in the story. I had my expectations that the story was going to be solely about the sexuality of the priest, but it's not. Yes it plays a large part of the film, but a lot of it is struggle with the morals & ethics of being a priest, & his being accepted by the community, when he is "outed".

I urge you to buy this video.

A ground breaking, shocking piece of cinematography - By: , 29 May 2001
If ever a film should have won awards, then it is this one. Every scene has meaning, with plot & sub plot intermingling to keep the audience glued to the screen. Never before (except with Ken Loach's films) has grittiness been so well mixed with romance & clear cynicism. Linus Roache gives a superb portrayal of a man, plagued by guilt borne out of unrealistic societal expectation of modern day priests. Faced with the constraints & traditionalism of the Catholic church, he crumbles under his own desires & self-loathing. The dilemmas facing modern day priesthood are explored without patronising any of the characters involved. This is a must see film.