Search - Priest on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Movie Release: 1994 DVD Release: 09/07/1999 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 38 mins Studio: Walt Disney Video Members Wishing: 6 Genres: Drama, Gay & Lesbian Films

A priest is torn between church dogma and his personal beliefs in this British drama. Father Greg (Linus Roache) is a Catholic priest who tends to a parish in Liverpool. Like his superior, Father Matthew (Tom Wilkinson), Father Greg is not dealing well with his vow of celibacy. While Matthew has been discreetly having an affair with his housekeeper, Greg is homosexual, and he occasionally slips out to gay clubs for anonymous encounters with strangers. One night, Father Greg meets a man named Graham (Robert Carlyle) at the bar; when he bumps into him on the street a few days later, he realizes that he's falling in love with him. As Father Greg struggles with his sexual and spiritual identity, he hears a confession from 14-year-old Lisa Unsworth (Christine Tremarco), who tells him that her father has been molesting her. Mr. Unsworth (Robert Pugh) confirms his daughter's allegation during confession, and he tells the priest that he will not stop his incestuous behavior. Should Father Greg violate the seal of the confessional to save Lisa from further abuse? Priest, which opened in America on Good Friday, generated considerable controversy, both with Catholic organizations (who denounced the picture) and the MPAA (the film had to be re-edited to gain an R rating for U.S. release). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Linus Roache - Father Greg
Tom Wilkinson - Father Matthew
Cathy Tyson - Maria Kerrigan
James Ellis - Father Ellerton
Robert Carlyle - Graham

Antonia Bird's controversial drama Priest comes to DVD with a widescreen transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.66:1. The English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital Surround. There are no subtitles, but the soundtrack is closed-captioned. There are no supplemental materials of any consequence, making it difficult to recommend this disc to anyone who is not already a fan of the film. Considering the amount of protest this film generated, a commentary track from the director would have been an interesting addition. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide