Romero

Rating:
Summary: THE ROAD IS NARROW, AND DOWN THE MIDDLE
Review: The most unlikely of heroes, Romero, with owlish glasses and demeanor, is reluctantly thrust into a role much like Thomas More almost five centuries earlier.

20th century El Salvador, like 16th century England, is enduring bloodshed and havoc. Insurgent Communist rebels compete with paramilitary squads and the oligarchy for control of the tiny Central American nation. Priests and the flock they lead are caught in the middle. Those who cry for justice are photographed and marked for extinction because they speak the language of Marxism.

Archbishop Romero recognizes that Marxists and the ruling oligarchy are merely obverse sides of the same coin-- ideologies who rule by force contrary to the the rule of God.

He is equally harsh with Communist sympathizers as he is with the paramilitary squads who rape, torture and execute advocates of justice and human rights.

Like a nail driven into wood, Romero meets each new situation, bewildered at first, but rising to the occasion with increasing faith, anger and determination.

In one scene, he arrives at a church which has been turned into an army barracks. He announces that he has come to remove the Blessed Sacrament. A belligerent soldier responds by unloading a round of bullets into the tabernacle and shatters the crucifix hanging above the altar. Romero stands transfixed, astonished at the utter desecration, then leaves. He pauses outside where a crowd has gathered, unsure as he himself is what he will do next.

Suddenly, collecting the courage to face the evil that expelled him, he wheels around. He brushes past the insolent soldier and stoops to gather the consecrated wafers in trembling hands. The soldier fires another round above Romero's head. Undeterred by the gunfire, the intimidation, and the soldier who shoves Romero with his boot, he completes his work then exits.

But he isn't finished. He returns yet again to restore the church to its rightful owner--the people of God. The soldiers in their turn stare blandly at the audacity of this meek soldier of God who dares to stand up to their jackbooted authority and in his turn expel evil.

Archbishop Romero fights every battle his Redeemer once fought: the apathy of the elite, the treachery of those in power, and betrayal within his own ranks. One of his own priests reveals that he carries a weapon. Romero angrily and loudly denounces him because "You lose God just as the others have!" Another parishioner denounces Romero for betraying their class by "forcing" her baby to be baptized along with "all those indians."

This video should stand next to A Man For All Seasons. Raul Julia, like Paul Scofield, has memorably portrayed one of the Church's most celebrated martyrs. Julia carries a heavy load, but the entire cast contributes

Rating:
Summary: One of the most profound and important movies of our time.
Review: This has to be one of the most powerful, important, and underrated movies of all time. I have heard a previous reviewer state that this movie is good but not as good as "Missing" or Oliver Stone's "Salvador". I have to disagree. I thought Romero was obviously better than Missing and it really gives Salvador a run for its dinero. Oliver Stone's excellent Salvador was a great movie and ironically, one of the best, BEST parts of the movie was when the Romero in "Salvador" gave his last speech, similar, but a little different to the one Raul Julia makes in Romero. The speech in Salvador was also done in Spanish, maybe that added to the passion and reality, I don't know, but that speech in both films is one of the most meaningful,powerful, and courageous political speeches every in my opinion.

One reason I really like Romero was how he started out at the beginning; not wanting to make any trouble, quiet and polite. Kind of like.... Most Americans! We could see ourselves as Romero, outraged by the injustice of the time. If there is ONE criticism to make of the film, is that it I wish it could really put more emphasis on the U.S. involvement in Salvador and how Reagan's boys were knee-deep in assisting the most reactionary, and violent regime in South America. Thats maybe where "Salvador" eeks ahead of Romero, the fact that they really put emphasis on how the media blindly followed Reagan's neo-conservative or fascist, take your pick, policies in Salvador and how huge the American military involvement was in setting up the terror.

All in all, a great, great film that needs to be watched by all. It is a shame that the masses are fed the usual nonsense movies by Hollywood, the only semi-serious movies we see now adays, are Mel Gibson-type military Gung-Ho characters that glorify war, violence militarization, and blind love of country and not nearly enough powerful, brave movies that look critically upon the powerful interests that rule this nation. Romero is certainly one of the latter.

Rating:
Summary: A Moving Spritual Drama
Review: This is an outstanding movie that portrays someone who advocated justice and non-violence. Raul Julia is outstanding for showing Romero as someone who despite his human weakness does not yield to the pressure around him. This is an outstanding movie

Rating:
Summary: A must see video.......
Review: This is not the type of video you rent for a one time viewing, you have to own it so you can watch it several times and share with friends. The story is simple. A scholarly, non political priest is surprisingly named the arch bishop of el salvador("A nice compromise choice"). Eventually he realizes that he must take a stand against this violence and oppression, as a result he is loved by the salvadoran people and it also leads to his assasination.

One must understand the political situation to better appreciate this movie. El salvador was on the brink of civil war and the sandanista takeover in nicaragua brought panic to the military and wealthy landholders as they feared the same thing happening in el salvador. It was only with the military assistance from the united states that kept el salvador from falling to revolutionaries. What makes this movie so special is that it goes beyond the superficial political issue of that time of whether the US should be aiding the military. It's mans inhumanity to man and it is all our responsibility to fight against it. Romero is against all violence including that initiated by the revolutionaries.

This movie is powerful and violent. It has to be violent to tell the story but what is depicted in this movie is mild compared to what really happened there. The quality of the production is mediocre and it's obviously a low budget affair. Many of the same extras and tertiary characters appear regardless of where the scene supposedly takes place(aquilares or san salvador). The acting is solid but not spectacular. It is raul julia's romero who steals the show with an oscar caliber performance. The fact that the movie was produced by a religious order of the catholic church(the paulists) is a plus. The most moving scene is when romero and the people of aquilares take back the local cathedral from the military by courageously walking into the church and beginning a mass. The people got the courage to do this when romero risks his life to gather the blessed sacrament(consecrated communion hosts) from the church alter. Another powerful moment is when like jesus in the garden of gethsemene, romero painfully prays at the grave of his fallen friend contemplating his imminent death. "Take me i'm yours" he says. I doubt if such scenes would ever make their way into a hollywood production but they should because romero was a catholic bishop. There is also a paternalistic view that the church alone can help these people which is something of a negative. There is also an attempt to demonstrate all the various views of the situation. In addition to the church, the military and the guerillas one sees the views of the aristocracy, the government and the indifferent. Violence affects all in this film not just the poor or the church. That's not the case in other films about this period like oliver stone's "salvador" which goes so far as to depict the guerillas as if they were freedom fighting hippies.

Over all this is a great movie. I would recommend it to any adult but catholics especially will find it moving.

...................socks

Rating:
Summary: A "Must See" for Those Concerned About Social Injustice
Review: This is one of the most inspiring movies that I have seen. This picture shows Archbishop Oscar Romero's gradual transformation from the government's puppet to the people's hero. I recommend this movie to those who are concerned about man's inhumanity to man. It is an eye opener for those who are not convinced that atrocities are still committed so close to our nation. Most of the events in this film takes place in El Salvador between 1979-1980. This movie was rated PG-13 because of some graphic content. Parents should definitely watch this movie before their children, and exercise appropriate discretion. While this picture carries a powerful positive message, it is not for the squeamish or those who may get depressed pondering the fate of victims of brutality. However, if you like this film as much as I did you should check out "The Mission".

Rating:
Summary: One of the Most Powerful Films You'll Ever See
Review: This is, as other reviewers have noted, a beautiful story told very well. It is also a horrifying story of the evil that men can do. Finally, and most profoundly, it is a tale of the power of God to change the lives of men, making saints out of a mild bishop and many of his flock.

I very much doubt that a person could remain unmoved by this film. But the movie, great as it is, is not just a well-crafted appeal to sentimentality; the story of this man and his people is a call to action.

Rating:
Summary: From spiritual cypher, to heroic symbol
Review: Though a worthy effort, Romero doesn't reach the intense feel of a Missing or Salvador. There's a pervasive sense of horror and fear in these latter largely missing from Romero despite laudable efforts at conveying the same rawness of police state terror. Perhaps the staging is a little too tidy or the death squads too ordinary to reach the same level of abject dread.

Nonetheless there is much to praise in Romero. Raul Julia's transformation from meek upper-class toady to passionate spokesman for the masses is eloquently understated, and no less powerful. I especially like the way the filmakers portrayed elements of the elite, humanising them and giving them a chance to speak, even as their death squad hirelings carry out the bloody dirty work. Perhaps the movie's high point is Romero's pivotal refusal to continue baptism privileges for the well-bred, thus affirming his new spiritual loyalty, but also sealing his earthly doom. It's a quietly powerful and revealing moment.

I wish the producers had showed more candor in implicating the US's role in the repression. Except for Romero's plea to stop arming the military and the presence of a thuggish American advisor (he looks North American but is not identified), there is no mention of repression's ultimate sponsor. Yet the US was waist deep in these events, as Reagan's boys in the basement undercut every Congressional effort to moderate support. Principled films such as Romero need to be fearlessly historical in putting such facts before the American public, pleasant or not. Even so, Romero is a moving portrayal of one man's evolution from spiritual cypher to heroic symbol, and poses a challenge to conscionable people everywhere.

Rating:
Summary: Where the sacred *is* political
Review: Through this imperfect movie, I learned to love a saint.

The movie depicts Oscar Arturo Romero from his new appointment as El Salvador's archbishop until his murder while saying Mass in 1980. Between those endpoints Romero experiences the poverty of his people and their suffering at the hands of the military government. More and more, he takes an active role in opposing the brutalization of his people, opposing also his bishops who preferred to deal with purely spiritual matters. But Romero's vision of the gospel doesn't let him off so easy. To live as a follower of Jesus means encountering the Cross. Romero comes to see that avoiding "politics" means abandoning the poor and oppressed to their tormentors.

Raul Julia does a creditable, if somewhat plodding job of portraying the Archbishop. Julia doesn't quite get down to the interior fire that drove Romero to a date with martyrdom. Romero's real speeches are fiery and poetic, qualities that Julia's Romero does not seem able to capture.

In spite of its shortcomings, "Romero" delivers a stirring portrait of a man who risked all, opposing his institution's placidity in the face of evil, challenging its reluctance to engage the world as well as his sacrificing own inclination to live quietly.

Rating:
Summary: A MUST SEE!
Review: Very inspiring! This Archbishop is destine for Sainthood

Rating:
Summary: Stunning... inspirational.
Review: When I first viewed Romero, it was in Catholic gradeschool. While the profound message really didn't sink in at the time, it left a deep impact permanantly etched in my psyche. This true story revolves around Archbishop Oscar Romero and his involvement with the struggle in El Salvador for the liberation of the people. Raul Julia does a fantastic job in recreating the drama that I'm sure existed in those tumultous times. Oscar Romero, in large part due to this movie, is a personal hero of my own offering inspiration and consideration of the priesthood as a vocation in my own life. Much of what happened in El Salvador is a by product of misguided US policies of supporting anti-communist dictatorships, and this movie helps portray that. Don't get me wrong, communism in and of itself is evil and a failed ideology, but many policies regarding Latin America were as well.