A massive 214 min.TV-production about the life of Padre Pio (Sergio Castellitto), a man canonized by the late Pope John Paul II, Padre Pio Miracle Man (2000) is the latest offering from US-based No Shame Films. With a script covering the life of Padre Pio from his teen years to his encounter with Pope John Paul II to his death in 1968 film director Carlo Carlei successfully recreates the image of a man whose followers believe was a saint.

Francesco Forgione, who will eventually change his name to Padre Pio, was born in the small village of Pietralcina, Italy on May 25, 1887. Receiving the stigmata at a very early age Padre Pio was often doubted by the Catholic Church as were his miracle deeds witnessed by those who sought his help (the film places heavy emphasis on the requested by the Church "confession" aiming to dispel the mystery surrounding the Italian friar). In fact, relying on Padre Pio's archived recollections Carlo Carlei's film is assembled as a collage of flashbacks highlighting different fragments of the Italian friar's life.

I must admit that I approached Padre Pio Miracle Man knowing very little about the history behind it. Aside from Sergio Castellitto's involvement (which is not surprising at all given the fact that he was also part of Marco Bellocchio's vehemently criticized by the Catholic Church L'Ora Di Religione a.k.a The Religion Hour) and the name of Carlo Carlei whose earlier made-for-TV project about the life of Enzo Ferrari I own in my library Padre Pio Miracle Man is a film I did not have much information about. I am however delighted to report that this is a production that exceeded even my most optimistic expectations. Why? From Sergio Castellitto's marvelous performance as well as the notable cameos by Jurgen Prochnow (Das Boot) and Pietro Biondi (The Embalmer), to the utterly impressive cinematography (pay very close attention to the use of color in this film), to the magnificent score by Paolo Buonvino who was the main man behind another favorite of mine – Gabriele Muccino's Ricordati Di Me – Padre Pio Miracle Man is one perfectly executed film both in terms of style and substance.

Indeed Sergio Castellitto's performance deserves a special mention as I can hardly imagine Padre Pio Miracle Man as effective as it is without the Italian actor's contribution. The manner in which he manages to transport the audience back and forth throughout Padre Pio's life while simultaneously allowing plenty of flexibility for his character elevate Carlo Carlei's film into something that would appeal to a substantially large number of viewers. Quite frankly even if you have the slightest of interests in religion you will find Padre Pio Miracle Man to be an enormously rewarding experience highlighting the life of a poor Italian friar whose deeds transformed him into a myth.

Awards/ Recognition:

In 2001 Padre Pio Miracle Man won the Audience Award at the Los Angeles Italian Film Awards.

How Does the Film Look?

Padre Pio Miracle Man (as well as the recently released St. Francis) appears to be a budget release which No Shame Films are introducing to the market together with their spectacular Valerio Zurlini boxset. Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.66:1 but not enhanced for widescreen TV's the film offers excellent degree of contrast, very good color gradation, and a rather impressive crispness. I had to do a bit of research to find out why No Shame have not provided us with an anamorphic transfer (I had some harsh words to spare for their Uno Bianca release) and it seems that such print may not be present at this point. Nevertheless considering how impressive this release looks without the anamorphic enhancement one could not but wonder "what if".

How Does the DVD Sound?

There are two audio options on this release: the original Italian DD mono track and a Spanish DD mono track with very well-done optional English subtitles. The audio presentation is nearly flawless as I did not detect any drop outs or sound distortions that might affect your viewing experience (though I must note that the soundtrack has some very strange audio effects especially when Satan appears that sound as if there is an undesired distortion, very intriguing effect, no doubt about that).

Extras:

Aside from the gallery of stills which is the only supplemental material on this DVD No Shame Films have once again provided a splendid booklet with plenty of information about Padre Pio's life (particularly his canonization), Carlo Carlei's career, and Sergio Castellitto's bio. In addition, there is also a lovely interview with Sergio Castellitto in which he describes his preparation about this made for TV production.

Final Words:

I am yet to see a film with Sergio Castellitto where he isn't fabulous!! From Bella Martha (2001) to L'Ora Di Religione (2002) to Ferrari (2003) and Non Ti Muovere (2004) I liked them all. Now I have an excellent new addition for my library: Padre Pio Miracle Man. Though I must admit that I'd much rather have No Shame focus their efforts on bringing to America more classic Italian cinema from the 40s and 50s as well as finally opening their vaults full of Italian erotic comedies (No Shame's catalog has so many of them…how long do we need to wait) I am once again grateful that they keep bringing films no one else would have considered distributing. Well done, indeed!! RECOMMENDED.