When in Rome (1952 film)
Encyclopedia
When in Rome is a film starring Van Johnson
, Paul Douglas
, and Joseph Calleia
. The film was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
, and was based on a story by Robert Buckner
, Dorothy Kingsley
, and Charles Schnee
. When in Rome was one of the last films directed by famed MGM director Clarence Brown
.
visiting Rome, Italy for the 1950 Holy Year. Along the way, a con man named Joe Brewster (Douglas), who is wanted by American authorities, steals Halligan's clothing and his identity in the hopes of evading arrest.
The Italian police soon find the real Fr. Halligan, the police chief (Calleia) assures him that they will find and arrest Brewster. Halligan soon manages to track down Brewster on his own. The two men begin to develop a friendship of sorts and Brewster eventually makes his first confession
in many years to Fr. Halligan. The two then make their way through the streets of Rome and the Vatican
, visiting all the major basilicas as part of a pilgrimage
. Halligan helps Brewster evade arrest long enough to complete his pilgrimage, while doing so they come across a monastery where the men never talk to anyone except to a superior. Brewster finds himself drawn to the place during his brief visit.
After visiting the monastery, Halligan and Brewster become separated. Halligan convinces the police to allow Brewster to complete his pilgrimage, at which point he is taken into custody. Halligan pleads with the police chief to release Brewster, and is convinced that Brewster is reformed. Then the news comes that Brewster had somehow escaped again, which leaves Halligan unsure of himself and his abilities.
Later retracing his steps, Halligan comes to the same monastery that he and Brewster had visited earlier. To his surprise he finds Brewster now living there as a monk
. He asks the abbot if he believes that Brewster is sincere, the abbot thinks Brewster is, and that Brewster told him his whole story. Brewster, using a pen and paper to communicate, tells Halligan that while in prison
he was in a place that was all past, and instead he wants to be in a place that is all future. He further asks Halligan when the next Holy Year will take place, Halligan responds that it would take place in 25 years. When Brewster asks if he'll visit then, Halligan assures him that he will.
Van Johnson
Van Johnson was an American film and television actor and dancer who was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios during and after World War II....
, Paul Douglas
Paul Douglas (actor)
Paul Douglas was an American actor, born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as Paul Douglas Fleischer.-Career:...
, and Joseph Calleia
Joseph Calleia
Joseph Calleia was a Maltese born American singer, composer, screenwriter and actor, both on Broadway and in film...
. The film was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
, and was based on a story by Robert Buckner
Robert Buckner
Robert Buckner was a film screenwriter, producer and short story writer.He wrote the screenplays for films including Knute Rockne All American...
, Dorothy Kingsley
Dorothy Kingsley
Dorothy Kingsley was an American screenwriter, who worked extensively in film, radio and television.-Biography:...
, and Charles Schnee
Charles Schnee
Charles Schnee gave up law to become a screenwriter in the mid-1940s, crafting scripts for the classic Westerns Red River and The Furies , the social melodrama They Live By Night , and the cynical Hollywood saga The Bad and the Beautiful , for which he won an Academy...
. When in Rome was one of the last films directed by famed MGM director Clarence Brown
Clarence Brown
Clarence Brown was an American film director.-Early life:Born in Clinton, Massachusetts, to a cotton manufacturer, Brown moved to the South when he was 11. He attended Knoxville High School and the University of Tennessee, both in Knoxville, Tennessee, graduating from the university at the age of...
.
Plot summary
Father John X. Halligan (Johnson) is a Catholic PriestPriest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
visiting Rome, Italy for the 1950 Holy Year. Along the way, a con man named Joe Brewster (Douglas), who is wanted by American authorities, steals Halligan's clothing and his identity in the hopes of evading arrest.
The Italian police soon find the real Fr. Halligan, the police chief (Calleia) assures him that they will find and arrest Brewster. Halligan soon manages to track down Brewster on his own. The two men begin to develop a friendship of sorts and Brewster eventually makes his first confession
Confession
This article is for the religious practice of confessing one's sins.Confession is the acknowledgment of sin or wrongs...
in many years to Fr. Halligan. The two then make their way through the streets of Rome and the Vatican
Vatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
, visiting all the major basilicas as part of a pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
. Halligan helps Brewster evade arrest long enough to complete his pilgrimage, while doing so they come across a monastery where the men never talk to anyone except to a superior. Brewster finds himself drawn to the place during his brief visit.
After visiting the monastery, Halligan and Brewster become separated. Halligan convinces the police to allow Brewster to complete his pilgrimage, at which point he is taken into custody. Halligan pleads with the police chief to release Brewster, and is convinced that Brewster is reformed. Then the news comes that Brewster had somehow escaped again, which leaves Halligan unsure of himself and his abilities.
Later retracing his steps, Halligan comes to the same monastery that he and Brewster had visited earlier. To his surprise he finds Brewster now living there as a monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
. He asks the abbot if he believes that Brewster is sincere, the abbot thinks Brewster is, and that Brewster told him his whole story. Brewster, using a pen and paper to communicate, tells Halligan that while in prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
he was in a place that was all past, and instead he wants to be in a place that is all future. He further asks Halligan when the next Holy Year will take place, Halligan responds that it would take place in 25 years. When Brewster asks if he'll visit then, Halligan assures him that he will.