The true story of the nineteenth century priest who volunteered to go to the island of Molokai, to console and care for the lepers.The true story of the nineteenth century priest who volunteered to go to the island of Molokai, to console and care for the lepers.The true story of the nineteenth century priest who volunteered to go to the island of Molokai, to console and care for the lepers.
- Awards
- 1 win & 4 nominations
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaLeo McKern's final credited movie role. He makes an uncredited appearance in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001).
- Quotes
Bishop Maigret: Gentlemen, let us at least agree it is a scourge, and those who have it must be isolated. While I am prime minister we will not fail to do this, or Hawaii will become a nation of lepers.
Bishop Maigret: But as long as you isolate them and keep them in a place where they have no relatives, a place which it turned into a living hell, with no law...
Walter Murray Gibson: That is why I have to called you together. We cannot send police to their island. I tried. They resign. Fear of disease, they can't take their families, it's hopeless. They won't go. They won't do it.
Bishop Maigret: Then the natives will continue to hide their sick. And I for one don't blame them.
- Crazy creditsThe opening credits play over a scene of men on horseback with dogs searching a native village for lepers who have been hidden away by their families.
- ConnectionsFeatured in On Borrowed Time (2011)
I can't quite put my finger on what went wrong, although I have read of "dissension" between the director and producers. The cast, crew and financiers appear to be drawn from just about every nation on the face of the planet, and maybe that's one of the problems because the film has no distinctive "feel" to it; it's not a British movie or an Australian movie, or a Belgian movie, although all of those countries are well represented amongst the players and producers. What it so obviously lacked, was anyone strong enough on the production side to stamp some kind of distinctive character and style on it. It feels like a movie made by committee rather than created by artists. A committee may succeed in writing a technical manual, but it's not the way to create a passionate piece of cinema. And that's what it lacks. Passion.
Here we have a film set against stunning natural beauty; an ensemble cast list that reads like a Who's Who? of highly competent English speaking actors, (including Derek Jacobi, Leo McKern, Peter O'Toole, Sam Neill and David Wenham in the lead, with a mop top haircut that Ringo Starr would have envied in 1964); a moving, true story of a man who was obviously a remarkable human being; and more than enough controversy in his dealings with authority to create some real tension in the story. It's an appalling tale of the isolation and virtual abandonment of thousands of sick people from babies to grandparents, who had the misfortune to contract Leprosy at a time when it was still regarded as a biblical plague, and who were left to die alone in misery. That should be more than enough material for a really good movie, yet it's inexcusably dull, dull, dull, and really quite badly filmed. The photography looks "muddy" in shot after shot and some of the dialogue is hard to discern against what appears to be a permanent Force 8 gale.
It might work as an educational tract, (in fact it reminded me of some of the worthy but dire stuff I sat through 30 years ago in my last high school, a convent, when the teachers decided to go all "trendy" and treat us to an educational film) but it doesn't work as a cinematic piece. It would have been dull, even as a TV movie. Australian David Wenham gives an honest, engaging, workmanlike performance as the priest who arrives on Molokai expecting to take confessions and officiate at Mass, but finds himself instead making coffins for children, and trying to scrounge money for beds and medicines from uncaring superiors. Try as he might, he can't lift this one. (Anyone who has also seen Better than Sex will appreciate that he has range, and this movie is now 7 years old in fairness.) The film moves from scene to scene showing him treating the sick, comforting the dying, dragging people out of the surf, building houses etc etc. in an utterly formulaic way which never generates any real passion. He writes letters to HQ, and complains politely, but there is a remarkable lack of tension and drama in his dealings with his superiors. The sick shuffle around Molokai wrapped in rags, and we feel suitably uncomfortable, but it is all so dull. I wanted to be moved and I wasn't. Eventually Father Damien succumbs to Hansen's Disease (Leprosy) himself, literally giving his life for these forgotten people. It's a strong story that should have had audiences weeping in the aisles, but personally I was just glad when it finished. I can't really fault any of the individual performances, (in fact Aden Young was excellent as the young doctor and Sam Neill is always good value), it's just the overall effect that's so second rate.
Given the subject matter, it's really quite sad that such a good tale got such an inferior treatment. I know nothing about Father Damien but I'm sure he deserved better.
- isabelle1955
- Apr 8, 2006
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- Molokai: La historia del Padre Damián
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- €7,436,800 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $182,695
- Runtime1 hour 53 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1