Cheap Romero (DVD) (Raul Julia, Richard Jordan) (John Duigan) Price

Related Products

Customer Reviews of Romero

Romero
Esta pelicula es la historía de un conflicto socíal en El Salvador y de la transformación del Arzobispo Oscar Romero (Raul Julia) de un padre pasivo a un defensor de su iglesia y la gente. A él no le gusta hacer cambios pero eventos con asesinatos y mentir le hicieron sus ojos abrir. Esta película no es para los débiles. Tiene la violencia y mutilación de la gente de El Salvador. También es una buena película en que muestra a los estado unideses la opresión de la guerra en un país pobre y las víctimas del cambío socíal. Los pobres quieren justicia y liberación pero los ricos tienen control a los pobres luchan con sus voces y los ricos con las armas. Todos vendrán a apreciar los varios temas y lecciones conectados con la fuerza dentro de la iglesia y con la gente con esperanza y coraje contra los militares y el gobierno. Por ejemplo cuando Romero protegió la iglesia y los sacramentos destruidos por los soldados. Romero regresa con la gente y todos rezan. Un conflicto entre los pobres y los ricos era que, los ricos piensan que la iglesia es solamente para ellos pero la iglesia es para todos y especialmente ellos estan perdido. Los padres resuelven los problemas con palabras y no oidan. Con amor ellos ayudan a la gente perdido. No soy catolíca pero creo que en el poder de Dios y la unión de la gente pueden conquistar todo. Tuve mucha emoción cuando miré esta película y no me gustó el sufrimiento de la gente.

---

Powerful Story of Conversion to the Poor
Oscar Romero, Archbishop of El Salvador, had the courage to live the teaching of Jesus, even though this meant alienating the rich and powerful who oppressed, tortured, murdered, and defrauded the poor of that nation. He stood in the pulpit of the national cathedral and urged soldiers to obey their Lord and disobey commands of oppression. He paid for this, taking a bullet to the heart while blessing the wine during mass.

This movie portrays the story of a quiet, bookish man who stood in the gap between the machine of dehumanizing globalization and the children of Jesus. We watch him wrestle with discovering an authentic Christian response to the injustices and oppression prevalent in El Salvador. We see him reprimand all those who would practice violence, whether as military authority, rebels, or institutionalized violence that robs people of their humanity and ability to feed their families.

The movie was filmed in Mexico, not Hollywood. Raul Julia deserved an Oscar for his performance as Romero. Mexican extras bring a feeling of authenticity that could not have been realized in Hollywood. The telling manages to avoid most of the "splatter" depictions of violence that most box office draws include, and by so doing, makes the violence even more heinous.

This is a powerful story, whether you are Christian or Pagan, Marxist or Capitalist. It is superbly told. This is the story of a person finding his authentic place in the midst of a struggle for justice.

(If you'd like to discuss this review or video in more depth, please click on the "about me" link above and drop me an email. Thanks!)

---

THE ROAD IS NARROW, AND DOWN THE MIDDLE
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