IMDb RATING
6.5/10
1.9K
YOUR RATING
Two boys try to drive a strict priest mad with their confessed sins at a boarding school in England.Two boys try to drive a strict priest mad with their confessed sins at a boarding school in England.Two boys try to drive a strict priest mad with their confessed sins at a boarding school in England.
David Bradley
- Arthur
- (as Dai Bradley)
- Director
- Writers
- Anthony Shaffer
- Richard O'Keefe(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaRichard Burton turned down an offer to play King Lear on stage in Canada in order to make this movie.
- GoofsIn the tennis match, a close shot of Benjie shows him serving whilst standing in the right service court (which would be illegal) but the long shot shows him serving from the baseline (legal). The score is 30-all, so he should be serving from the right side of the baseline, but is shown serving from the left side.
- Quotes
Benjie: What I told you before as a joke, I made happen. I killed him.
Father Goddard: I do not believe you!
Benjie: You must Father. What would be the point of playing the same joke twice?
Featured review
Exciting thriller!
Richard Burton plays a priest in Absolution. I know, his real-life persona was very un-priest-like, but that's why it's called acting! I mean, Frank Sinatra played a very convincing priest in The Miracle of the Bells, and he was just as un-saintly as Richard Burton in real life. Anyway, Burton gives a great performance as a man of the cloth. He's conflicted and pained, and when he even hears about a sin, you can see him struggling not to take it as a personal insult.
He's a teacher and mentor in a boys' Catholic school, and during one of his lessons, the boys ask about the rules during confession. If someone confesses to a crime, will the priest turn him into the police? Burton answers, almost directly into the camera for the audience's benefit, that the priest is bound to silence and can't call the police if he's told of a crime. Then, surprise! One of his students confesses a murder.
Granted, if this movie had been made today, it would be a lot more gruesome, and probably have a few more twists and turns. But it was made in 1978, and so if you watch it, keep that in mind. There are a couple of violent scenes, but nothing overly graphic. And I thought it was thrilling, with enough twists and turns to keep me on the edge of my seat. It's a lot of fun to watch a manipulative, snot-nosed student take Burton to the brink of insanity!
He's a teacher and mentor in a boys' Catholic school, and during one of his lessons, the boys ask about the rules during confession. If someone confesses to a crime, will the priest turn him into the police? Burton answers, almost directly into the camera for the audience's benefit, that the priest is bound to silence and can't call the police if he's told of a crime. Then, surprise! One of his students confesses a murder.
Granted, if this movie had been made today, it would be a lot more gruesome, and probably have a few more twists and turns. But it was made in 1978, and so if you watch it, keep that in mind. There are a couple of violent scenes, but nothing overly graphic. And I thought it was thrilling, with enough twists and turns to keep me on the edge of my seat. It's a lot of fun to watch a manipulative, snot-nosed student take Burton to the brink of insanity!
helpful•31
- HotToastyRag
- Jul 20, 2017
Details
- Runtime1 hour 35 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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