The Devil's Advocate (1977 film)
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| The Devil's Advocate | |
|---|---|
| File:The Devil's Advocate (1977 film).jpg | |
| Directed by | Guy Green |
| Produced by | Lutz Hengst, Helmut Jedele |
| Written by | Morris West, based on his novel The Devil's Advocate |
| Starring | John Mills Paola Pitagora Stéphane Audran Jason Miller Leigh Lawson Daniel Massey Raf Vallone Patrick Mower Timothy West |
| Music by | Bert Grund |
| Cinematography | Billy Williams |
|
Release dates
|
27 October 1977 |
|
Running time
|
104 minutes |
| Country | West Germany |
| Language | English |
The Devil's Advocate, originally released as Des Teufels Advokat, is a 1977 West German English-language film, directed by Guy Green (his final theatrical film) and based on the novel of the same name by the Australian writer Morris West.
It stars John Mills, Paola Pitagora, Stéphane Audran, Leigh Lawson, Jason Miller and Daniel Massey. The film is set in Italy but was filmed predominantly in West Germany.
Contents
Plot
In 1958, the Catholic Church is investigating the case of a mysterious individual, Giacomo Nerone (Leigh Lawson), who is said to have performed miracles in a remote village in southern Italy (Scontrone), before being executed by Italian Communist partisans in 1944. The process involves a "Devil's advocate", who is tasked with discovering any details about the subject's life that would indicate their canonisation would be inappropriate.
Monsignor Blaise Meredith (John Mills) is given this responsibility, shortly after he learns he has terminal cancer. Meredith discovers that Nerone was actually a British soldier named James Black, who had become detached from the British Army during WW2 and was hiding in this village, where he began a relationship with a local woman.
The film touches on homosexuality in the priesthood, persecution of Jews and other sensitive topics.
Cast
- John Mills - Monsignor Blaise Meredith
- Stéphane Audran - Anne, Contessa di Sanctis
- Jason Miller - Dr Aldo Meyer
- Paola Pitagora - Nina Sanduzzi
- Leigh Lawson - James Black aka Giacomo Nerone
- Timothy West - Father Anselmo
- Patrick Mower - Il Lupo
- Raf Vallone - Bishop Aurelio
- Daniel Massey - Nicholas Black
- Romolo Valli - Cardinal Marotta[1][2]
Production
Morris West wrote the screenplay from his novel of the same name.
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