This film begins in 1943 with the Germans occupying Rome after the Italian surrender to the allies who are slowly advancing from the south. It's during this time that many of the allied prisoners taken by the Italians are released which results in many of them heading to room to petition the Vatican for safe refuge. Naturally, the Germans desperately want to recapture these escaped prisoners-of-war and because of that the SS Head of Police for Rome "Lieutenant Colonel Herbert Kappler" (Christopher Plummer) has a meeting with "Pope Pius XII" (John Gielgud) to essentially inform him that a white line is being painted around St. Peter's Square to mark the limit Vatican control. For his part, although Pope Pius XII needs to remain neutral in the eyes of the world, he doesn't disapprove when one of his subjects named "Monsignor Hugh O'Flanerty" (Gregory Peck) actively participates in assisting the prisoners-of-war escape German captivity. Needless to say, this infuriates Lieutenant Colonel Kappler and he does everything he can to carry out his mission fully realizing the consequences to his career should he fail in his mission to recapture these POW's. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a pretty good made-for-television movie which was based on a true story. That said, having no prior knowledge of this event, my attention remained focused from start-to-finish and I was pleasantly surprised at the way it ended. Admittedly, this film may not appeal to all viewers, but I enjoyed it and I have rated it accordingly. Above average.
Review of The Scarlet and the Black
