Pope John Paul II (1984 film)

Pope John Paul II is a 1984 American biopic drama TV movie based on the life of Karol Wojtya, from his early days as an activist in Poland to his installation as Pope John Paul II. Written by Christopher Knopf and directed by Herbert Wise, the film stars Albert Finney, Caroline Bliss, Brian Cox, and John Forgeham. The film marks both Albert Finneys American television debut and the first script Finney had ever turned down upon initial reading.

Once Karol Wojtya was installed as Pope, executive producer Alvin Cooperman made his decision to create the film project, and with the assistance of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, sought Vatican approval and cooperation. After reviewing the script, the Vatican welcomed the project.British actor Michael Compton portrayed Karol Wojtya from agesthrough 26, and Albert Finney portrayed Wojtya fromyears old, up to the time the former bishop was installed as Pope John Paul II. Finney had initially declined the role upon first reading the script, as he felt playing the role of someone so highprofile would be unnerving, but after rereading the script, he accepted. Deciding that thenpolitical problems in Poland would make shooting there problematical, producer Alvin Cooperman received permission to shoot in Yugoslavia, using Zagreb to represent Krakw. Three days before major filming was to commence, the Yugoslavian government rescinded permission and confiscated location footage that had already been shot. The production company was told they were not welcome due to the scripts antiCommunist overtones as set by Wojtyas disagreements with the Communist regime while he was a priest, cardinal and bishop. The project was subsequently filmed at locations in Austria, as well as in Italy in Caprarola and Rome. ........

Source: Wikipedia