THE SHOES OF THE FISHERMAN

 My heart didn't exactly leap for joy when I saw that Michael Anderson was the director of "The Shoes of the Fisherman". At best, Anderson was a reasonable jobbing director whose main claim to fame was that he helmed that elephantine Oscar winner "Around the World in 80 Days", (and I felt I was there for everyone of them), as well as "The Bum Dusters", sorry "The Dam Busters", (you can tell I'm not a fan), and yet his fairly epic screen version of Morris West's novel actually works. Of course, with a more incisive and intelligent director it could have been something really special but even with Anderson at the controls it's a smart, hugely entertaining and ultimately moving picture with a good all-star cast all acquitting themselves admirably, (Anthony Quinn is excellent as the reluctant Pope and there's great work, too, from Vittorio De Sica, Leo McKern and especially Oskar Werner as various members of the clergy.

In case you don't know, the fisherman in question was Saint Peter, acknowledged to be the first pope and all subsequent popes are said to walk in the shoes of the fisherman. West's book is about the first Russian pope who does something very radical in order to both feed the world's poor and prevent World War Three. Of course, with a topic as topical and as controversial as this the book was a huge bestseller and the film version did make money. It's not a great film, (it's actually overly simplistic), and Anderson was never a subtle enough director to add depth though the scenes dealing with the Conclave of Cardinals and the election of the new pope have a documentary-like brilliance rare in a major feature film. Ultimately, this handsome looking film does exactly what it says on the tin and for that alone we should be more than thankful.