| Saving Grace | |
|---|---|
 Video release poster | |
| Directed by | Robert M. Young |
| Written by | Robert M. Young Richard Kramer David S. Ward (as Joaquin Montana) Tom Conti |
| Based on | "Saving Grace" by Celia Gittelson |
| Produced by | Herbert F. Solow |
| Starring | Tom Conti Fernando Rey Erland Josephson Giancarlo Giannini Donald Hewlett Edward James Olmos Patricia Mauceri Marta Zoffoli |
| Cinematography | Reynaldo Villalobos |
| Edited by | Peter Zinner |
| Music by | William Goldstein |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 112 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $18,209 |
Saving Grace is a 1986comedy-drama film directed byRobert M. Young, produced by Herbert F. Solow, and starringTom Conti,Giancarlo Giannini andEdward James Olmos. It is based on the eponymous novel by Celia Gittelson withscreenplay byRichard Kramer andDavid S. Ward under a different name.
It was the last film to be distributed byEmbassy Pictures.
The film gained notoriety after the election of a realPope Leo XIV - whose baptism name is also Robert, as the movie's Leo XIV.[1]
Cardinal Bellini has been electedPope Leo XIV. A year after his election, the youthful Pope longs to be involved in ordinary people's lives again, as he was when he was apriest. During an audience, the Pope communicates with a young deaf mute girl whose village has no priest. Accidentally locked out of the Vatican, the Pope travels to Montepetra, a small impoverished and demoralized village, his identity concealed by his beard growth. He realizes that the people need to rebuild a dilapidatedaqueduct but, more importantly, that they must regain their community spirit and self-sufficiency. Without expertise and, initially, only the help of some street-wise orphans, he starts construction. All this is watched skeptically by a mysterious neighbour and opposed by local thugs led by Ciolino whose ill-gotten gains depend on the village remaining overly dependent on outsiders.
The movie was shot in Italy: in the cities ofRome,Mantua and the ghost town ofCraco.[2]
Saving Grace premiered in the United States on May 2, 1986, and in the Philippines on April 11, 1987.[3]
The film received mixed to positive reviews. Walter Goodman ofThe New York Times said, "There's no more engaging actor around than Tom Conti, but not even he, with the assistance of such notables of international moviedom as Giancarlo Giannini, Erland Josephson and Fernando Rey, can liftSaving Grace out of its slough of sentiment."[4]Time Out wrote: "Despite a plot veiled in about as much mystery as an uncracked soft-boiled egg,Saving Grace does retain a certain Disneyesque charm as an innocent modern fable".[5]Variety andTV Guide appreciated the cast and the direction, but expressed criticism about Conti's appearance considered too young for the part.TV Guide defined the movie as "a small but well-told parable that is perfect for family viewing".[6]
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