Political prisoner 103592R

[Xeno.of.athens]

I haven't seen the film. But I've seen too much of the "Social Gospel" in formal religion.

I have never thought of doing good as "the social gospel". I am not really sure what people mean when they say negative things about "the social gospel". It seems to me that doing good is always a good thing to do. Jesus went about doing good.

Acts 10:38 ESV how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.​

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

By the way the film in question is linked to below, and is freely available to anyone with a YouTube Plus subscription.

I strongly suggest viewing it before offering unequivocal praise of the actions of its Pontifical protagonist.

Needless to say I do not agree with the immense praise heaped upon the fictitious Pope due to a variety of troubling scenes in the film which raise very serious questions of moral theology and political philosophy.

This all being said, the film is highly enjoyable, if at times morally suspect, with a stirring modernist score by Alex North (famed for scoring Spartacus, etc), and also superb supporting roles by the esteemed Sir John Gielgud, among others. But when watching the film, I urge readers to view the contrived moral dilemma with the dispassion appropriate for a melodramatic work of fiction.

I was unable to use the link that you provided. I did find a link that appears to work.

The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968) Anthony Quinn

The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968) Anthony Quinn

ok.ru

Wikipedia reports that the cast is as follows:

Cast​

• Anthony Quinn as Cardinal Kiril Pavlovich Lakota, later Pope Kiril I
• Laurence Olivier as Piotr Ilyich Kamenev
• Oskar Werner as Fr. David Telemond
• David Janssen as George Faber
• Barbara Jefford as Dr. Ruth Faber
• Vittorio De Sica as Cardinal Rinaldi
• Leo McKern as Cardinal Leone
• John Gielgud as Pope Pius XIII
• Burt Kwouk as Chairman Peng
• Frank Finlay as Igor Bounin
• Arnoldo Foà as Gelasio
• Rosemary Dexter as Chiara
• Paul Rogers as Augustinian Prelate
• Clive Revill as Vucovich
• Niall MacGinnis as Capuchin Friar
• Marne Maitland as Cardinal Rahamani
• Isa Miranda as the Marchesa
• Gerald Harper as Brian
• Leopoldo Trieste as Dying Man's Friend
• Peter Copley as English Cardinal

The film is from Metro Goldwin Mayer, a Hollywood based film maker. The cast is international, and the filming is mainly in Rome, I believe. I do not think it is a British film, one could call it an American film, but it would be more accurate to say it is just a film based on a book by an Australian author, Morris West.

 

[RandyPNW]

I have never thought of doing good as "the social gospel". I am not really sure what people mean when they say negative things about "the social gospel". It seems to me that doing good is always a good thing to do. Jesus went about doing good.

Acts 10:38 ESV how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.​

The Social Gospel or "doing good" is doing good with less inspiration from God, or doing good with ulterior purposes. It may indeed be a form of "doing good," but if it is designed to cover up dirty deeds or misdeeds, then it does not reflect an essential "goodness." Rather, it appears to be a deflection away from the evil that is much more dominant.

Sometimes it is a matter of doing something better. Choosing to do the lesser good can be a form of neglect....
Matt 26.11 The poor you will always have with you,[a] but you will not always have me.

Doing good is right, but sometimes the thing done is not really good--it is a form of control and manipulation, which is what the Pharisees did by enforcing burdens to show their authority...
Matt 23.23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

 

[The Liturgist]

I was unable to use the link that you provided. I did find a link that appears to work.

The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968) Anthony Quinn

The Shoes of the Fisherman (1968) Anthony Quinn

ok.ru

Wikipedia reports that the cast is as follows:

Cast​

• Anthony Quinn as Cardinal Kiril Pavlovich Lakota, later Pope Kiril I
• Laurence Olivier as Piotr Ilyich Kamenev
• Oskar Werner as Fr. David Telemond
• David Janssen as George Faber
• Barbara Jefford as Dr. Ruth Faber
• Vittorio De Sica as Cardinal Rinaldi
• Leo McKern as Cardinal Leone
• John Gielgud as Pope Pius XIII
• Burt Kwouk as Chairman Peng
• Frank Finlay as Igor Bounin
• Arnoldo Foà as Gelasio
• Rosemary Dexter as Chiara
• Paul Rogers as Augustinian Prelate
• Clive Revill as Vucovich
• Niall MacGinnis as Capuchin Friar
• Marne Maitland as Cardinal Rahamani
• Isa Miranda as the Marchesa
• Gerald Harper as Brian
• Leopoldo Trieste as Dying Man's Friend
• Peter Copley as English Cardinal

The film is from Metro Goldwin Mayer, a Hollywood based film maker. The cast is international, and the filming is mainly in Rome, I believe. I do not think it is a British film, one could call it an American film, but it would be more accurate to say it is just a film based on a book by an Australian author, Morris West.

Forgive me, I regarded it as British because the cast was predominantly British and the director was British, and at the time MGM produced and distributed a large number of its more intellectually sophisticated films in the UK, with predominantly British casts, or Anglo-American productions, for example, 2001 or the 1974 version of Murder on the Orient Express. But yes, you are correct in that it was an international production.