Boobirt Stylish but barely mediocre overall

Cortechba Overrated

Jenna Walter The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Ortiz Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Desertman84 Pius XII: Under the Roman Sky stars James Cromwell in a TV movie based on Vatican documents and testimonies about the secret actions taken by Pope Pius XII during World War II. Alessandra Mastronardi, Marco Froschi and Ettore Bassi co-stars.It is directed by Christian DuguayAfter the German soldiers occupied Rome in 1943,The Fuhrer,Adolph Hitler is ready to implement The Final Solution on the Jewish people.The screenplay features on how Pope Pius managed to save over 10,000 Jews as churches and convents in Rome were used to hide them from the Nazi soldiers.Aside from that,he also convinced high-ranking Nazi officials to cooperate with him by talking to them and touching their conscience about the evil deeds that the ordered to do.Added to that,the Pope did pray a lot and made sure that many bishops and priests fully cooperate with him.But despite all his efforts, thousands were deported to concentration camps such as Auschwitz.Added to that,it also told the story of the Jewish people before and during the German occupation of Rome.Also,we are introduced to many Jewish characters particularly Miriam and Davide,who are in love with each other and how the war affected them in way especially the former after she was captured by the Germans.James Cromwell did a wonderful job in his performance as the Venerable Pope Pius XII.He portrayed the role very as a man with courage and conviction on doing good.He practically saved the movie from average acting from his co-stars particularly the gorgeous Alessandra Mastronardi,who was definitely wooden and uninteresting in her role as Miriam. As for the TV movie,it would have been better if it was central to telling the story of Pope Pius XII and his actions especially to quiet the doubters and critics who have considered this film more of a propaganda and a history revision by the Vatican to cover-up their inaction towards the Jews.I felt that the addition of the love story between Miriam and Davide provided some sort of a distraction to the main story instead of being focused on the Pope himself and his struggles against the Germans especially with regards to the Jews.But nevertheless,I still think that the movie did a wonderful job in providing the viewer information on the great deeds and defense of the late Pope Pius XII inspite of its flaws.

David Orr I give this film 3 stars only because it has a fairly well-dramatized screenplay, even though the story is utterly wrong in the way it portrays what Pius actually DID. There's lots of good (and recent) historical research that exposes Pius's unpious approach to dealing with Hitler. The director and writers of this film should have done some homework.Or maybe that's what they did NOT want to do? Maybe this film is a conscious propaganda effort seeking to whitewash the church's failure to oppose fascism. Pius not only did not oppose Hitler, he was in league with Mussolini! There's new research documenting that, too.All in all, I would say that this film is little more than a feel-good P.R. film for the Catholic Church. Take it for what it is.

Srosxi Quote of Saint Pio: "Pray, hope, and don't worry. Trust in the infinite goodness of almighty God." So, (SPOILER about 15 minutes into the movie). Little has been seen of Pope Pio, and even less has been said. But one of his top guards (of the Vatican) stated about what will keep the German Nazi scum out of the Vatican was only a "white line." Apparently, if he was truly a believer in Jesus Christ, as I would assume all Vatican guards are, he didn't even consider that his God, the almighty, would protect the Vatican.The movie, listed as historical, has serious flaws. The movie was first made in 1957 (I believe), but some young director considered that historical movie needed modifying. So, which history is correct? The same happens to our young children in the United States of America. I was told that Christopher Columbus discovered America. Yet, the town of St. Augustine in what is now Florida, founded by Spain I believe, was established before 1492. Or, perhaps I'm getting history wrong. Was what would become the United States of America actually discovered by nomads from the higher northern portions of the Earth by crossing from Asia to what is now Alaska? History never was my strong suit. And thus, when I see a "biography" about Pope Pio is based on almost everything but the actual Pope, I stay away.I should have not watched the 30 minutes of this TV blasphemy either.God bless the United States of America, and God bless Texas.

Bob Shank In spite of being a 'foreign films' fan, I hadn't been aware of this 2 episode 2010 release until an old girl-friend brought it to my attention on Netflix live streaming. Dragged kicking and screaming into it, I eventually found myself totally captivated with the history and directing. I've always been a James Cromwell follower, even though he often plays the dirty fellow. But in this release he has absolutely nailed-down a reversal in rolls with a deeply-convincing performance. OK, so there were a few lame efforts from less-than-perfect actors, but the intent was right there in your face. And in my humble-but-most-accurate opinion, all parts were sincere and played well into the story. I thought, in my 6 decades of viewing, some of the scenes were 'world class.' Especially near the end, Part 2, with the Pope face-to-face, alone, with the German officer responsible for many of the atrocities). Up until now, I had been totally unaware of this side of the Catholic efforts during WWII in Rome (I'm a Baptist), and was amazed to find myself fascinated with the depicting of it in this most appreciable movie. I think the history of this film, and its depiction, should be viewed by all serious movie fans and historians. It's worth the kicking and screaming.