Director Paul Cox's latest effort concerns, as the title makes clear, the true story of the famous priest who devoted himself to the desperate leper colony located on the Hawaiian island of Molokai in the 1870s.
Eschewing stylization and populating the film with a stellar array of well-known actors in supporting roles, Cox has produced a straightforward, moving and informative docudrama.
A natural for the festival circuit -- it played Montreal and Toronto this year -- "Molokai" boasts a stellar cast, but its commercial prospects are less certain.
Filmed where the actual story took place, the film begins with Father Damien's (David Wenham) assignment to Molokai Island, where an isolated leper colony has been established. Damien is a dedicated Flemish priest who clearly has taken to his calling with a passion.
Although his higher-ups in the Catholic Church are not exactly fully committed to the cause, Damien embraces his new assignment with a messianic fervor. His repeated entreaties for money and supplies are a major thorn in the sides of the Church and the beleaguered prime minister (Sam Neill), especially when they result in negative publicity.
It isn't long before Damien's methods produce results. The island is visited by royalty, Princess Liliukalani (Kate Ceberano), who, in one of the film's more outlandish scenes (even if it may be true), serenades the lepers with a pretty song. More importantly, Damien is joined by the practical-minded Brother Dutton (Tom Wilkinson) and a group of nuns led by the dedicated Mother Marianne (Alice Krige).
Unfortunately, Damien's absolute faith has tragic results; ignoring the repeated warnings to avoid physical contact with the lepers, he eventually contracts the disease.
Screenwriter John Briley, an Oscar winner for "Gandhi", has produced a similarly straightforward effort here and, though there are few surprises or exceptional moments, the film has no-nonsense directness.
The best scenes involve Damien's encounters with an erudite white Protestant patient (Peter O'Toole), a former medical worker who humorously resists the priest's efforts to save his soul. Also well-written are the scenes depicting the Church officials' frustrated reactions to Damien's belligerency.
In the title role, Australian actor Wenham delivers a compellingly idiosyncratic performance that interestingly conveys Damien's religious fervor with an almost distracted quality; it is a courageously offbeat turn that almost certainly couldn't have been provided by a traditional leading man. Excellent cameos are provided by O'Toole, Derek Jacobi, Neill, Leo McKern, Wilkinson and Kris Kristofferson, who demonstrates that accents are not exactly his forte.
Nino Martinetti's photography well captures the natural beauty of the Hawaiian settings, and the full horrors of the physical ravages of the disease are conveyed through endless close-ups spotlighting the film's state-of-the-art makeup effects.
MOLOKAI: THE STORY
OF FATHER DAMIEN
Motion International
Director: Paul Cox
Screenplay: John Briley
Producers: Tharsi Vanhuysse, Grietje Lammertyn, Era Films, Kineapolis Group
Photography: Nino Martinetti
Editors: Ludo Troch, John Scott
Music: Wim Mertens
Color/stereo
Cast:
Father Damien: David Wenham
Prime Minister Gibson: Sam Neill
Princess Liliukalani: Kate Ceberano
Williamson: Peter O'Toole
Bishop Maigret: Leo McKern
Father Leonor Fousnel: Derek Jacobi
Rudolph Meyer: Kris Kristofferson
Mother Marianne: Alice Krige
Brother Dutton: Tom Wilkinson
Running time -- 113 minuntes
No MPAA rating...
Eschewing stylization and populating the film with a stellar array of well-known actors in supporting roles, Cox has produced a straightforward, moving and informative docudrama.
A natural for the festival circuit -- it played Montreal and Toronto this year -- "Molokai" boasts a stellar cast, but its commercial prospects are less certain.
Filmed where the actual story took place, the film begins with Father Damien's (David Wenham) assignment to Molokai Island, where an isolated leper colony has been established. Damien is a dedicated Flemish priest who clearly has taken to his calling with a passion.
Although his higher-ups in the Catholic Church are not exactly fully committed to the cause, Damien embraces his new assignment with a messianic fervor. His repeated entreaties for money and supplies are a major thorn in the sides of the Church and the beleaguered prime minister (Sam Neill), especially when they result in negative publicity.
It isn't long before Damien's methods produce results. The island is visited by royalty, Princess Liliukalani (Kate Ceberano), who, in one of the film's more outlandish scenes (even if it may be true), serenades the lepers with a pretty song. More importantly, Damien is joined by the practical-minded Brother Dutton (Tom Wilkinson) and a group of nuns led by the dedicated Mother Marianne (Alice Krige).
Unfortunately, Damien's absolute faith has tragic results; ignoring the repeated warnings to avoid physical contact with the lepers, he eventually contracts the disease.
Screenwriter John Briley, an Oscar winner for "Gandhi", has produced a similarly straightforward effort here and, though there are few surprises or exceptional moments, the film has no-nonsense directness.
The best scenes involve Damien's encounters with an erudite white Protestant patient (Peter O'Toole), a former medical worker who humorously resists the priest's efforts to save his soul. Also well-written are the scenes depicting the Church officials' frustrated reactions to Damien's belligerency.
In the title role, Australian actor Wenham delivers a compellingly idiosyncratic performance that interestingly conveys Damien's religious fervor with an almost distracted quality; it is a courageously offbeat turn that almost certainly couldn't have been provided by a traditional leading man. Excellent cameos are provided by O'Toole, Derek Jacobi, Neill, Leo McKern, Wilkinson and Kris Kristofferson, who demonstrates that accents are not exactly his forte.
Nino Martinetti's photography well captures the natural beauty of the Hawaiian settings, and the full horrors of the physical ravages of the disease are conveyed through endless close-ups spotlighting the film's state-of-the-art makeup effects.
MOLOKAI: THE STORY
OF FATHER DAMIEN
Motion International
Director: Paul Cox
Screenplay: John Briley
Producers: Tharsi Vanhuysse, Grietje Lammertyn, Era Films, Kineapolis Group
Photography: Nino Martinetti
Editors: Ludo Troch, John Scott
Music: Wim Mertens
Color/stereo
Cast:
Father Damien: David Wenham
Prime Minister Gibson: Sam Neill
Princess Liliukalani: Kate Ceberano
Williamson: Peter O'Toole
Bishop Maigret: Leo McKern
Father Leonor Fousnel: Derek Jacobi
Rudolph Meyer: Kris Kristofferson
Mother Marianne: Alice Krige
Brother Dutton: Tom Wilkinson
Running time -- 113 minuntes
No MPAA rating...
- 11/8/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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