The Shoes of the Fisherman

"From political prisoner to Pope."

1968 2h 42m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

🥫

43%

ROTTEN

⭐

IMDB

★6.8TMDB · 89🥫43%Rotten Tomatoes★7IMDB · 4,268

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Ukrainian bishop Kiril Lakota, a political prisoner in a Soviet gulag for twenty years, is unexpectedly released and sent to the Vatican, where, upon the sudden death of the Pope, leader of the Catholic Church, he must face a challenging destiny that will put the future of the entire world in his hands.

“From political prisoner to Pope.”

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Cast

Anthony Quinn
Kiril Lakota
Oskar Werner
Fr. David Telemond
David Janssen
George Faber
Vittorio De Sica
Cardinal Rinaldi
Laurence Olivier
Piotr Ilyich Kamenev
Leo McKern
Cardinal Leone
John Gielgud
The Elder Pope
Barbara Jefford
Dr. Ruth Faber

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Michael Anderson
Writers: James Kennaway, John Patrick
Languages: Mandarin, English, Hebrew, Latin, Russian
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Clocks in at 162 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

58 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 5 languages: Mandarin, English, Hebrew, Latin, Russian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Michael Anderson, shot by Erwin Hillier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Alex North. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Ernest Walter shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Anthony Quinn and Oskar Werner and David Janssen carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "From political prisoner to Pope.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Michael Anderson directs. Erwin Hillier behind the camera. Alex North scores. Ernest Walter cuts. A long sit — settle in. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in Mandarin, English, Hebrew, Latin, Russian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Clocks in at 162 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.
258 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 5 languages: Mandarin, English, Hebrew, Latin, Russian.
4Directed by Michael Anderson, shot by Erwin Hillier. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Alex North. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Ernest Walter shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Anthony Quinn and Oskar Werner and David Janssen carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "From political prisoner to Pope.".
9IMDB entry: tt0063599 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 89 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.