When in Rome (1952)
Directed by Clarence Brown
Genres - Action, Adventure, Drama, Crime |
Sub-Genres - Psychological Drama |
Release Date - May 11, 1952 (USA - Unknown), May 11, 1952 (USA) |
Run Time - 78 min. |
Countries - United States |
MPAA Rating - NR
Share on
Synopsis by Hal Erickson
During the Vatican Holy Year of 1950, confidence trickster Joe Brewster (Paul Douglas) disguises himself as a priest and heads to the Holy City. It is Brewster's intention to use his faux clerical garb to evade arrest by the American authorities. But through the influence of American priest Father John (Van Johnson), Brewster experiences an epiphany and changes his ways. Reverent to a fault, When in Rome could have been insufferably saccharine, but the no-nonsense performances of Paul Douglas and Van Johnson carry the day. Enhancing the film is producer-director Clarence Brown's decision -- thankfully approved by the MGM front office -- to lens much of the story on location in Rome and Vatican City.
Characteristics
Themes
Keywords
criminal, America, bad-guy-turns-good, cathedral, change-of-heart, companion, convict, disguise, escaped-convict, faith, friendship, holy, lawyer, monastery, on-the-run, pilgrimage, police, priest, prison, reform [improve], reformed-criminal, religion, robbery, sacred, tourist, transformation, traveling
