Hard to believe that this was a made-for-TV; I watched it in Italy at its first showing, where it attracted a huge Italian audience. Even if you are not a Catholic, or have little knowledge of Italian, the film's production values are outstanding; beautiful photography and evocation of the Italian countryside; outstanding performance from the film's star, who achieves an uncanny resemblence to the real Padre Pio. Over-long in its made-for-TV form, but some of the film's longeurs could be cut to bring it down to a normal length for a cinema release, which must come in Italy following the film's huge TV success. One to watch out for if it comes your way.
