And dueling reviews...
The ABC film's scale is noticeably smaller: one Swiss Guard at a Vatican doorway instead of a double row of them in the CBS series, and a handful of cardinals at the 1978 conclave that elected John Paul pope in contrast to CBS's entire roomful of red-garbed prelates in scenes of stunningly simulated authenticity actually shot inside the Sistine Chapel, where papal elections are held.
Despite such details--or maybe because of them--the ABC film, obliged to build its story via close-ups and intimate scenes, manages to capture John Paul's inner life far more effectively, at least in the film's grim first half...
Tom Shales likes the CBS version
It is said of Wojtyla, during a Vatican conference in the 1960s, that he has "a remarkable talent to reach people," and we see this in Voight's eyes, expressions, in his every gesture. This kind of infectiousness isn't easy to convey without using cheap tricks that are the equivalent of licking the audience's face. Voight somehow combines stature and cuteness.
Although shot on a lavish scale in Italy, Poland and elsewhere, "Pope John Paul II" succeeds on intimate terms even when troops are marching or huge crowds are filling St. Peter's Square, and Elwes and Voight are largely responsible. The movie is honestly and actually about something -- about a man, yes, and about the value of belief, but also about that "remarkable talent" the pope has. It's the ability to instill joy in human hearts, and the film not only celebrates it but, in its finest moments, even possesses it.
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