Talk About Movies

Little Notes
Letters

Confessions
Roamin' Catholic
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Contents © 1999
by Jim Holman.
All rights reserved.

True Confessions

Nudity, language, and adult situations. (Though the film is not for all viewers, the harsher elements are in keeping with the story.)

Ernie: The point of the story was to draw a line between being political and being politically ambitious. The old priest, Burgess Meredith, tells the young monsignor played by De Niro, "You like power." The monsignor responds with, "These things have to be done." Meredith answers, "So you always say." De Niro's a little confused by that, but I think he realizes Meredith's meaning later on.

Matthew: He realizes that the world is too much with him. I like that, right at the beginning, he knew what grape scissors were, and he recognized the champagne he was drinking. It was clear he was very comfortable in the world.

* * * *

Matthew: Duvall's bitterness is that he used to be a bag man, but now he's a straight cop and he's in exile. He's not living the comfortable life of his partner, who's on the take. And he's not beloved by his mom like his brother the monsignor. He's bitter towards his brother, who's held up as a holy man and a great guy, but who's working with the same man he used to be a bag man for.

Ernie: In a more subtle way, the monsignor was on the take.

* * * *

Ernie: I've never liked De Niro better.