By Carol Glatz
Catholic News Service
VATICAN CITY – The latest Hollywood movie on exorcism is a reminder that the devil truly exists and wants to prevail, said the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano.
The Rite, starring Anthony Hopkins – who said during publicity for the movie that he believes in God – as a priest and veteran exorcist, is an “honest and respectful” film that may even end up being “a kind of publicity promoting the priesthood,” said an article in the newspaper on 13 March.
The movie was released in Italy on 11 March.
Despite several “forgivable flaws” and the usual stereotypes, “The Rite is able to stay sufficiently credible,” especially in its portrayal of the characters’ doubts and convictions, the newspaper said.
In the film, “the Church is not portrayed by people who thunder anathemas or dispense dogmatic certainties, presented invariably as being mean, irritating and unbearable,” the newspaper said, but instead priests are portrayed in a positive light. The film’s main message comes when Hopkins’ character says, “Choosing not to believe in the devil won’t protect you from him,” the Vatican newspaper said.
“The devil exists whether one believes in him or not, and he subtly works to have the upper hand,” the article said.
Unfortunately, the film’s interpretation of demonic possession leans excessively toward the genre of a horror movie, “seeing how that pays off at the box office,” it said. Such a limited focus overlooks “the objectivity of a reality – possession – which is already in and of itself bloodcurdling,” it said.
But the Vatican newspaper said the story shows how a young seminarian who is steeped in cynicism and doubt over God’s existence overcame those obstacles and rediscovered faith.
The movie shows that evil does not prevail and the film gives witness to the power of faith, it said.
The Rite was based on the book, The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist, which in turn was based on Father Gary Thomas’ training as an exorcist. He is a priest of the Diocese of San Jose, California, and pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Saratoga, California.
The film was classified by CNS as A-III – adults – for incest and suicide themes, some gruesome imagery, incidental irreverence, a couple of uses of profanity and a few rough and crude terms.
The book The Rite: The Making of a Modern Exorcist, on which the movie is based, is available from The Record Bookshop.