Monday, January 17, 2005

Jozsef Cardinal Mindszenty and the Movies

Reading the article on Cardinal Mindszenty at Seattle Catholic here recalled to me my experience with the movie, "The Prisoner". It was advertised in the Ignatius Press catalog as being based on Cardinal Mindszenty's case. Having just read his autobiography, I ordered as a family Christmas present. Mrs. Curley and I watched with our then middle school (or possibly younger) daughter.

Shocked we were when the "Cardinal" in the movie was broken because the interrogator discovered that the "Cardinal" hated his mother for being a prostitute!!!! This was not the story I had read about Cardinal Mindszenty.

I called Ignatius Press the next day and complained on two counts: 1. the only similarity between Cardinal Mindszenty and the cardinal in the movie was that both were imprisoned in a country behind the iron curtain; and 2. that there should have been a warning regarding (adult) content in the advertisement or on the movie. The customer service rep at Ignatius Press apologized; (she said she was a fan of Cardinal Mindszenty and so she would make sure something was done to fix the catalog blurb).

For several years the blurb next to the movie "The Prisoner" remained the same - that is a movie based on the Cardinal Mindszenty story. I have been disappointed and have ordered any movies from other sources because of this.

I was surprised last week to find a new blurb next to "The Prisoner" in the latest Ignatius Press catalog. It no longer mentions Cardinal Mindszenty. I believe the new blurb was the result of a new edition of the movie - as the catalog picture is different - and not due to my complaint several years ago.

From the small holding in Bethune ...

Oremus pro invicem!

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