Absolution (1978)

★ 6.4 1h 35m IMDb

At a Catholic boys' school, domineering disciplinarian Father Goddard rules over his pupils with an iron hand. When one of his teenage charges confesses to murder, the dogmatic but deeply repressed Goddard finds his faith challenged and his life spiralling dangerously out of control.

Absolution

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Cast

Richard Burton
Richard Burton as Father Goddard Died 1984 · Pontrhydyfen, Wales, UK Richard Burton CBE (born Richard Walter Jenkins Jr.; 10 November 1925 – 5 August 1984) was a Welsh actor. Noted for his mellifluous baritone voice, Burton established himself as a formidable Shakespea...
Dominic Guard
Dominic Guard as Benjamin 'Benjie' Stanfield Age 69 · London, UK Dominic Guard is an English child psychotherapist and author, formerly an actor..
David Bradley
David Bradley as Arthur Dyson Age 72 · Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England, UK Born to a miner father and a seamstress mother in Barnsley, South Yorkshire in 1953, David Bradley is best known for playing Billy Casper in Ken Loach's 1969 film, Kes. Prior to this starring role, Br...
Billy Connolly
Billy Connolly as Blakey Age 83 · Anderston, Glasgow, Scotland, UK Billy Connolly (born November 24, 1942) is a Scottish comedian, musician, presenter and actor. He is sometimes known, especially in his native Scotland, by the nickname The Big Yin (The Big One). His...
Andrew Keir
Andrew Keir as Headmaster Died 1997 · Shotts, Lanarkshire, Scotland, UK Andrew Keir (né Buggy, 3 April 1926 – 5 October 1997) was a Scottish actor who appeared in a number of films made by Hammer Film Productions in the 1960s. He was also active in television, and especia...
Willoughby Gray
Willoughby Gray as Brigadier Walsh Died 1993 · London, England, UK From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Willoughby Gray (5 November 1916 – 13 February 1993) was an English actor of stage and screen born in London. (Though several sources suggest he was born in Abe...

Audience Reviews

talisencrw 8/10 Mar 04, 2016
I saw this in horrific conditions from the moderately intriguing and extremely entertaining 'Drive-In Movie Classics' pack of 50 films on 12 double-sided DVDs. Ten minutes were cut from the film and it was pan-and-scan--specifically spliced to get it to fit into a two-hour TV-spot with commercials. Still, it was an exceptional work, and I'm extremely curious for two reasons--why it was shelved for 10 years from U.S. release (until Burton was dead for four years), and why it seems to have fallen to public domain. It has a strong script, very good direction, Burton's performance is masterful (in fact, one of the best I have seen from him) and the supporting cast of both unknown youths and Billy Connolly is downright impressive. The film deserves a much better fate...Absolution itself, methinks. ;)
CinemaSerf 7/10 Apr 04, 2022
I wonder what it must have been like for Dominic Guard to play this really pretty manipulative role opposite Richard Burton. Whatever nerves or awe he may have felt is very well disguised, though, as he turns in a super performance as the young student "Benjie". His teacher - "Fr. Goddard" (Burton) is a man of profound faith and little tolerance of, or interest in, his students. The former alights on a plan to torment the latter by making a false confession - safe in the knowledge that this confession must be taken to the grave. The priest believes, investigates and discovers it is a practical joke. Soon, though, he is being subjected, regularly, to more equally heinous confessions and after discovering that there is truth to one of them, he slowly he begins to lose the plot. The pace builds well, the performances from the two and from David Bradley's slightly OCD "Arthur" giving us quite a sense of tension, and the last few scenes offer us a pretty brutal and unexpected series of twists. Burton is immersed in the role, and though maybe a little hammy towards the end manages to work well with the two younger actors to create quite a tense drama. The narrative also opens up to scrutiny the concept of "blind faith" - however well intentioned, and encourages thoughts on the pros and cons of any form of religion-based eduction.
Wuchak 6/10 Jun 24, 2022
_**Burgeoning iniquities underneath the surface at a boys’ religious school**_

A strict schoolmaster at a Catholic boarding school in England named Goddard (Richard Burton) favors one student, Benjie Stanfield (Dominic Guard), but seems to loathe his awkward misfit ‘friend,’ Arthur Dyson (Dai Bradley). Meanwhile Benjie befriends a vagrant hippie (Billy Connolly), a relationship of which Goddard disapproves. Havoc ensues.

"Absolution" (1978) is a psychological drama/mystery with some thrills in the last act scripted by the screenwriter of “The Wicker Man” (1973). It’s the inverse of “Picnic at Hanging Rock” (1975), just with an unambiguous climax. (Dominic Guard, incidentally, appeared in that film as well). The setting naturally brings to mind “Dead Poets Society” (1989), but “Absolution” lacks its inspirational heart and addresses darker ideas.

Speaking of which, the underlying psychological and spiritual themes are fascinating, which makes the film conducive to repeat viewings. At first glance, it juxtaposes the potential confines of religion with the seeming liberties of bohemianism and Benjie is stuck in between. But there’s more, way more. Like the fact that carnal hatred engenders wrath, not to mention glaring favoritism. Likewise, a rigid spirit of legalism naturally spawns rebellion. Then there’s the tidbit about how a dubious religious rule can backfire on the faithful.

Sharon Duce (Louella) plays the sole female character of any note, but she only appears in one sequence (she would incidentally marry Dominic Guard and have two kids with him). As such, this is a decidedly male-oriented story, which is a shortcoming of the movie, for me at least.

Also, the convoluted details revealed in the last act could’ve been better elucidated. Actually, this subplot of the story needed tweaked because certain bits seem quite implausible (unless I missed something). In any case, the end needed a little more… finesse.

The film runs 1 hour, 35 minutes, and was shot at Ellesmere College, near Ellesmere, England, which is about a 2-hour drive northwest of London (many of the students of Ellesmere appeared in this movie as extras). Interiors of the school and (I presume) the forest scenes were shot at Pinewood Studios, which is just west of London.

GRADE: B-

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