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This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

Gripping story with well-crafted characters

A Major Disappointment

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

For 7 years I have researched Pope Pius XII's record during WWII, concentrating on the 1943-1944 period of German occupation of Rome. I have translated little-known documents in six foreign languages as well as English. I used that background to write a novella, "Silent Rescue," about what the Pope really did to help rescue the Jews during the Nazi occupation of Rome ("Silent Rescue," volume 1, on Kindle). Then I wrote a long book to show the research behind the novella ("Silent Rescue," volume 2, also on Kindle). The TV movie, "Sotto il Cielo di Roma," is well-intended and shows that the Pope would have made a public protest against the roundup of the Jews, as he threatened to do in the letter that he had Bishop Hudal send to General Stahel. But it is more complicated than that.The Pope and General Stahel had learned from the tragic example of the Dutch bishops in 1942, that such a protest would only provoke Hitler to kill even more Jews. The movie accurately shows the Pope burning his fiery protest against the Nazi extermination of the Jews as a result in 1942. There were three witnesses in the room to that action.What the TV movie leaves out is the fact that General Harster (absent from the TV movie) had been in charge of annihilating all the Dutch Jews in that reprisal in 1942. When the Nazis occupied Rome, Harster was also in charge of carrying out the Final Solution in Italy, to round up the Jews in Rome. It would have been entirely in character for Harster to carry out a savage reprisal if the Pope had made a public denouncement of the Nazi roundup of the Jews, like the Dutch bishops.The Pope had Bishop Hudal send a letter to General Stahel, threatening to make a public outcry anyway unless the roundup in Rome was ended. This alarmed General Stahel, who was aware of General Harster's role in the situation. He told Fr. Pfeiffer that it would be counter productive for the Pope to make any public protest. Instead General Stahel went over Harster's head and got Himmler to call off the roundup. But General Harster wanted revenge, so he met with General Wolff a few days later in Rome, and within a week General Stahel was fired. It cost Stahel his job and he ended up on the front lines in Russia. The Pope had learned his lesson – don't do as the Dutch bishops! 84% of Dutch Jews were killed. 84% of Italian Jews were rescued.

Its very good its Based on Vatican documents and personal testimonies used for the beatification of Pope Pius XII, this epic film stars acclaimed actor James Cromwell in a powerful movie about the great, often hidden struggle waged by the Pope and many others with him to save the Jews from the Nazis during WWII. After the Nazi's take over Rome in 1943, Hitler's plan to kidnap the Pope is revealed as the Nazis make an all-out attempt to silence the one authority figure in Italy standing strong against them. Everything comes together with great intensity in this dramatic story that retraces history from the documents and the testimonies of witnesses that was not fully known til now. Pope Pius XII told senior bishops that should he be arrested by the Nazis, his resignation would become effective immediately, paving the way for a successor, according to documents in the Vatican's Secret Archives.A lot of people believe the lies of Hitler's pope. Pope Pius XII saved more Jews than anyone else in ww2 860,000 Jews he saved. According to Israeli archives, papal relief programs saved at least 860,000 Jews, more than any other agency or organization. His Holiness Pope Pius XII also allowed the Vatican diplomatic corps, which were protected by diplomatic immunity, to carry messages between the allied powers. Vatican Information Services also sent over 5 million messages for soldiers. Thousands of nun's priest were killed in ww2 helping the Jews. 3 000 000 Polish Catholics were holocaust victims. the catholic church did its best to help Jews and anyone else in ww2 . When Pope Pius XII died on October 9, 1958, Golda Meir, then Israeli delegate to the United Nations, sent official condolences: "When fearful martyrdom came to our people in the decade of Nazi terror, the voice of the pope was raised for the victims. The life of our times was enriched by a voice speaking out on the great moral truths above the tumult of daily conflict. We mourn a great servant of peace." After the war the Chief Rabbi of Israel thanked Pius XII for what he had done. The Chief Rabbi of Rome went one step further. He became a Catholic. He took the name Eugenio. Pope Pius XII name before he was pope. The people of Israel will never forget what His Holiness and his illustrious delegates, inspired by the eternal principles of religion, which form the very foundation of true civilization, are doing for our unfortunate brothers and sisters in the most tragic hour of our history, which is living proof of Divine Providence in this world. (Rabbi Isaac Herzog, chief rabbi of the British Mandate of Palestine, March 1945) During the Nazi occupation of Rome, 3,000 Jews found refuge at one time at the pope's summer residence at Castle Gandolfo. Amazingly, Castle Gandolfo is never mentioned or discussed in the anti-papal writings of many of the pope's critics. Yet at no other site in Nazi-occupied Europe were as many Jews saved and sheltered for as long a period as at Castle Gandolfo during the Nazi occupation of Rome. Kosher food was provided for the Jews hidden there, where, as George Weigel has noted, Jewish children were born in the private apartments of Pius XII, which became a temporary obstetrical ward. (Rabbi David Dalin, Ph.D., July 29, 2005 interview with Dr. Thomas E. Woods) dpexecute in his review he said Hitler was a life-long practicing member of the Catholic church till the day he died. That is a lie he left the catholic church in his teens.The Nazis frequently met with the Catholic church and had agreements with them. that is a lie.The Nazis killed Several thousand of nuns and priests.

Pius XII: Under the Roman Sky stars James Cromwell in a TV movie based on Vatican documents and testimonies about the secret actions taken by Pope Pius XII during World War II. Alessandra Mastronardi, Marco Froschi and Ettore Bassi co-stars.It is directed by Christian DuguayAfter the German soldiers occupied Rome in 1943,The Fuhrer,Adolph Hitler is ready to implement The Final Solution on the Jewish people.The screenplay features on how Pope Pius managed to save over 10,000 Jews as churches and convents in Rome were used to hide them from the Nazi soldiers.Aside from that,he also convinced high-ranking Nazi officials to cooperate with him by talking to them and touching their conscience about the evil deeds that the ordered to do.Added to that,the Pope did pray a lot and made sure that many bishops and priests fully cooperate with him.But despite all his efforts, thousands were deported to concentration camps such as Auschwitz.Added to that,it also told the story of the Jewish people before and during the German occupation of Rome.Also,we are introduced to many Jewish characters particularly Miriam and Davide,who are in love with each other and how the war affected them in way especially the former after she was captured by the Germans.James Cromwell did a wonderful job in his performance as the Venerable Pope Pius XII.He portrayed the role very as a man with courage and conviction on doing good.He practically saved the movie from average acting from his co-stars particularly the gorgeous Alessandra Mastronardi,who was definitely wooden and uninteresting in her role as Miriam. As for the TV movie,it would have been better if it was central to telling the story of Pope Pius XII and his actions especially to quiet the doubters and critics who have considered this film more of a propaganda and a history revision by the Vatican to cover-up their inaction towards the Jews.I felt that the addition of the love story between Miriam and Davide provided some sort of a distraction to the main story instead of being focused on the Pope himself and his struggles against the Germans especially with regards to the Jews.But nevertheless,I still think that the movie did a wonderful job in providing the viewer information on the great deeds and defense of the late Pope Pius XII inspite of its flaws.

OK, where to begin! Talk about milking it and over dramatizing, this film is trying really really hard. The lead actress is so hard to watch and listen to, she's pretty and I guess that's why she was cast, her acting is shallow, wooden, nothing draws me into her character, it feels like she's just saying her lines, but does not embody her character. Maybe with time she'll grow as an actress, that's always the hope. Of course the director must take responsibility in the casting as he has final say and seems intent on casting cute peeps rather then real actors, though many of the actors were fine. Cromwell is always excellent. I can see why they only produced two episodes. The subject matter is always interesting, well mostly,