It is entirely possible. He's still watchable. //]]>. I thought it was alright. His book, Eugne de Mazenod: A Saint for Today, is available on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and LeoninePublishers.com. Source for information on The Rosary Murders: VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever dictionary. The plot is excellent there are some amazing twists, albeit a slightly probability defying m.o. 105m/C VHS . It's actually at its most interesting in the conflict between Charles Durning and Sutherland surrounding church orthodoxy and a more liberal approach. Let's just see it for what it is a whodunit where priests and nuns are the victims of a serial killer who leaves a black rosary on their dead bodies. This story did not appear anywhere until 2002 when it was mentioned in a 2002 article in a Pittsburgh newspaper(a really good article; I recommend it). window.__mirage2 = {petok:"dDBoq3WEvyGgx30SM_suJO16ehSvQTu9tn0_uz4CzPo-86400-0"}; His interests include: Following hockey and Minnesota sports teams, Batman, detective stories, community theater, and improv. I should point out the movie has some strengths - for one thing, it does get you curious enough to want to find out how it will be wrapped up - but all the same the movie ends up being a somewhat unsatisfying viewing experience. On January 13, 1978 Ted Bundy broke into the Chi Omega Sorority House on the campus of Florida State University and went on a rampage. 1h 41m Synopsis. All Rights Reserved. They go out for a drink one evening and suddenly it's the next day over coffee at a nearby greasy spoon. Sutherland, usually very good, doesn't really fit the role perfectly and the ending feels a little forced, trying to tie all the loose ends up. However, Bundy did not request him specifically, and it is not known if Bundy knew Father Kerr was at the scene of the crime that night. Can range from abrupt to almost hilariously poorly timed. Father Koesler (Sutherland) must betray the confessional to stop him. 7. James Stewart was a second son of Lord Ochiltree [S]. Father Koesler is no Rabbi David Small. At least he did construct a subtle, startlingly dreary atmosphere and the music score etches out a placidly haunting vibe. William Kienzle wrote at least 20 mysteries featuring Father Bob Koessler. A killer of Detroit clergy confesses to a priest (Donald Sutherland), who turns sleuth because he cannot tell the police. Oh boy, this should be a good whodunit! During their visit, Father Kerr asked Bundy why he did not kill the survivor. His imagination has always been over-active, and his love for story telling continues to bloom. He listens as the killer talks about how the church let his sixteen year-old daughter die. It read well, kept my interest and was pretty well written. Can You Match These Saints to Their Weird Patronages? Co-Written by Elmore Leonard. This film is not as bad as some of the comments might have painted it. Book Review: The Rosary Girls by Richard Montanari #bookreview. It's full of old hoary clichs about the Catholic Church; full of unnecessary filler-type sub-plots; the main plot centres around a series of truly preposterous killings in which the names of the victims are related to the 10 Commandments (although in some cases, the link is pretty tenuous); the dialogue is awful (Elmore Leonard really had an off-day with this one); and the acting atrocious. (*1/2). Report this film. The next mention was a third-hand account on a blog in 2009. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. Copyright 2006 - 2023 by CIStems, Inc., d.b.a. Sign In. Nabors is the cocksure, dogma-spouting counterpoint to Koesler's struggle with self-doubt and church doctrine. Encyclopedia.com. So, as you can guess, Koesler is a very troubled man. Synopsis: priests and nuns are his targets. Detroit, Michigan, USA Technical Specs. Tv shows. best sustainable website design . The original trailer in high definition of The Rosary Murders directed by Fred Walton and starring Donald Sutherland, Charles Durning, Belinda Bauer. We are in the business of saving souls, not lives. Get this album or track at: 2:29. "The Rosary Murders" uses the very familiar plot of a priest getting a confession from a criminal, but because the priest is bound by the seal of the confessional, he can't inform the police about what he knows. Spoiler Alert Link to Spoiler Alert. It is a set-up that is pure Hitchcock in its subtly implied minimalism. Koesler is taking confession when he realises that the man he is talking to is the killer. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. R Genre. I mean, really. . Someone is going around murdering priests and nuns, as it later turns out using the coincidence of their names matching the ten commandments (sometimes with a bit of a stretch. Donald Sutherland with short hair = bad movie. I couldn't be Bobby Laurels son and not know that. Still makes me laugh to this day. Walton favours a bloodless approach and the film is often more spookier than a dozen others that do not. The unlawful killing of another human being without justification or excuse. He killed two girls and only one girl in the house was left unscathed. A slow-boil thriller that has some great moments but kinda fizzles overall. A great premise but ultimately a bit of a snooze. No expression so you had no idea where the film was going. Koesler helps the police find how the killer was able to gain access to the seminary. Free. However, I did make an effort to mention the names of the victims. The Rosary Murders was named one of the top twenty-five mysteries of the twentieth century in spring 2000 by the Chicago Sun-Times. Awesome read! This book is one of some twenty-four crime novels featuring Father Robert Koesler. Joseph Somer gives a fine performance as the police detective who knows that Father Koesler (Sutherland) knows something but also realizes he cannot compel him to share the knowledge. 29:05. I also believe that all of the blog posts that state a mysterious force stopped Ted Bundy that night should be deleted. Get help and learn more about the design. So the author build up the story but then the ending was flat. Man works in the deadliest. Director Fred Walton, Screenplay Fred Walton & Elmore Leonard, Based on the Novel by William Kienzle, Producer Robert G. Laurel, Photography David Golia, Music Bobby Laurel & Don Sebesky, Special Effects Rick Josephson. However, the more credible sources on this story relate that she had fallen asleep. I was never bored during any of the times I watched this film. However, because it did not appear in his story, he assumes he was not told about it. BAd script and slow paced but still very watchable, Moody, austere Catholic serial killer drama, Would Have Been Better in a More Talented Director's Hands. I had found this story on a less-than-credible blog, so I decided to find a legitimate source to verify the story. We ought to be giving more attention to the victims of horrendous crimes and not those who perpetrate those crimes. But this flaw will not diminish your enjoyment of the film, as there is enough action to keep the murder mystery fan happy. The Rosary Murders deals with a lot of complex issues in the Catholic church, someone might argue the plot of this film is absurd, but it's not. Some are splendid; some are average. But the premise was interesting and I am looking forward to book 2 very soon. But this book was a nice little mystery. Donald Sutherland Charles Durning Josef Sommer. Before leaving for college, she had promised her mother and/or grandmother that she would pray the rosary before bed every night even if she fell asleep doing so. It was also made into a movie, with Donald Sutherland in the role of Father Koesler. Two stalwart figure heads; an impressive Donald Sutherland and equally so Charles Durning are engagingly strong. The director is Fred Walton whose line of genre films both . In his early days of academia, no teachers ever told him he was a talented writer; they only gave him grades. The classic film about a Detroit cop who goes to Beverly Hills, California to solve a crime. Detroit is plagued by a series of murders of priests and nuns, with each victim found holding a black rosary. Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. They do not look kindly upon people of Faith. I realized later that this was the first book to a series of many books. He is bound by the church law to not betray that trust despite the fact that more people will be killed. A priest is called to the confessional from his quarters in the church. The murderer leaves behind a rosary. The Rosary Murders is a 1987 American mystery crime film directed by Fred Walton and starring Donald Sutherland, Charles Durning, Belinda Bauer, and Josef Sommer.Its plot follows a series of gruesome murders occurring within a Detroit Roman Catholic parish. Then, after he was arrested, Ted Bundy asked Father Kerr to be his spiritual advisor in prison. Like any series, they vary a LOT in quality. priest, confession [criminal], serial-killer, investigation, killing, nun, amateur, detective, investigator, murder, victim. A priest is conflicted following a string of murders which target fellow priests and nuns in this dark mystery drama. Sutherland knows who the killer is after the killer tells him during confession. Midsomer Murders - S21E05 - January 06, 2020 || Midsomer Murders (01/06/2020) Part 02. Learn more. But even Donald Sutherland and Charles Durning couldn't save this film. NEW LINE CINEMA (NEW LINE); New Line Cinema; Virgin Vision Location. Being that I am from Michigan this peaked my interest. That is plausible, but what I cannot accept is the assertion that a mysterious force prevented him from continuing his rampage. A small glimpse by Douglas A. Lessnau, this contains a song my Father wrote for my . [CDATA[ He killed two girls and only one girl in the house was left unscathed. This inspired him to pursue writing and now he writes full-time. Subplot with a potential romantic interest for Sutherland is the worst. I have yet to find an exception to this rule. First time seeing this thanks to Kino's new bluray. The fact that you could allow people to be killed because of some religious notion is just silly to me. I wanted to enjoy this more than I did. 'The Rosary Murders' (R) By Rita Kempley Washington Post Staff Writer September 26, 1987 Donald Sutherland still seems to be suffering from his brush with the Body Snatchers in his role as the . I contacted Bill Zlatos, the Pittsburgh reporter who wrote the profile on Monsignor William Kerr, who said he probably would have used the mysterious force part of the story if he had heard it from Monsignor Kerr. The Rosary Murders. After a black rosary is found at the scene on the body of those who have been murdered, Father Robert Koesler (Donald Sutherland) hears a confession for the crimes from the other end of a partition. It was the first of 24 books written by Kienzle, and the only one adapted to the screen, and it's easy to see why. Streaming on Roku. He does this in most of his films. Watch in SD. Some scenes are startling the cold chill that comes in the moment that Donald Sutherland returns to his room to find the flower pinned to his dartboard; or the scene where he stands by the grave reciting the names of the victims and is joined by the whispered voice coming out of the darkness; and the jump that rattles the whole theatre as a tense Sutherland opens a door only to find a cupboard, laughs it off and then opens another door to find the killer standing there. Donald Sutherland (Father Robert Koesler), Belinda Bauer (Pat Lennon), Charles Durning (Father Ted Neighbours), Josef Sommer (Lieutenant Koznicki). Donald Sutherland still seems to be suffering from his brush with the Body Snatchers in his role as the bland, befuddled and barely audible Father Bob Koesler, a parish priest turned detective in "The Rosary Murders." Not only does she spend much of the CBS drama's finale worr It does the Faith no good if false stories are being circulated to promote the Faith. I'm not catholic, but I know pastors aren't like that, and I thought by reputation Protestant pastors often come across as a flakier lot on average. behind the killers choice of victims. A priest is torn between confidentiality and justice when a serial killer confesses that he's murdered priests and nuns, leaving rosaries as clues. However, the date of retrieval is often important. He attacked four girls, killing two, Margaret Bowman and Lisa Levy, and leaving Kathy Kleiner and Karen Chandler severely injured. Donald Sutherland, Charles Durning, Josef Sommer Directed by: Fred Walton. This will allow for a more in-depth discussion of the topic. Explores the dark connection between guilt, sex, and Catholicism. Donald Sutherland is a priest who becomes entangled in a series of murders where someone is offing nuns and priests. In this film, which Fred Walton has directed and co-written with Elmore Leonard, Donald Sutherland stars as a liberal priest who gets involved in a . Share. And for all those musical savants, yes I am aware the music to \"In Your Eyes\" is an arrangement based on Brahms. 05/21/2022. Ted Bundy did attack the Chi Omega Sorority House on January 15, 1978. Films Depicting NASA and the Space Program, Films That Make Dubious Claims to Being Based on True Stories, Coming of Age Stories in Fantastic Cinema, Films About Cryogenics and Suspended Animation, Disturbed Psychology as Portrayed on Film. As slow-burns go, Fred Walton's mysterious catholic-bounded thriller takes the cake with its minimal and sombre treatment. | Nabors: Charles Durning. Say the "Glory Be". If he did say that, we still should not believe the mysterious force part of the story simply because Bundy said it. New Phim Vit Nam Vision. Warning: This post contains big spoilers for Evil's Season 1 finale.. Evil's Kristen Bouchard has had a hell of a week.. Not only does she spend much of the CBS drama's finale worried that a . Father Koesler (Sutherland) must betray the confessional to stop him. If Bundy did Monsignor Kerr about a mysterious force, it should be assumed he did so simply to mess with him. I'm pretty sure Elmore Leonard slumbered his way through the source material's adaptation. Even after the deranged individual responsible for these crimes confesses in church, the priest remains determined to find out who he is and why he is leaving a black rosary wrapped around the hand of each victim. This presents a moral quandary for Father Koesler: does he remain silent after being forced to absolve a killer for his heinous sins, or does he turn his back on his sworn duty as a priest and reveal what he knows about the killer to the authorities? The Rosary Murders is an extraordinarily good thriller. 24 Feb. 2023 . 'Evil' Finale Recap: Season 1, Episode 13 [Spoiler] Is . It was little seen when it came out and sadly its profile has not substantially changed since then, although it is eminently deservous of much greater recognition. 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