''A Man Named John'' ( it, E venne un uomo) is a

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...

drama film directed by

Ermanno Olmi Ermanno Olmi (24 July 1931 – 7 May 2018)Lane, John Francis (May 7, 2018).Ermanno Olmi obituary. ''The Guardian''. theguardian.com. Retrieved 11 May 2018. was an Italian film director and screenwriter. Biography Olmi was born to a Catholic ...

and starring

Rod Steiger Rodney Stephen Steiger (; April 14, 1925July 9, 2002, aged 77) was an American actor, noted for his portrayal of offbeat, often volatile and crazed characters. Cited as "one of Hollywood's most charismatic and dynamic stars," he is closely assoc ...

Plot

The film is a biography of Pope John XXIII, who, however, does not appear in the film as an actual character. Instead

acts as an "intermediary", telling the Pope's life story while traveling through the places in

Bergamo Bergamo (; lmo, Bèrghem ; from the proto- Germanic elements *''berg +*heim'', the "mountain home") is a city in the alpine Lombardy region of northern Italy, approximately northeast of Milan, and about from Switzerland, the alpine lakes Como ...

where he grew up.

Cast

- The Intermediary * Adolfo Celi - Msgr. Radini Tedeschi * Giorgo Fortunato - Secretary of Nunzio Roncalli * Ottone Candiani - The Sinful Priest of Venice *

Alfonso Orlando Alfonso Orlando (17 May 1892 - 29 August 1969) was an Italian long-distance runner who competed at the 1912 Summer Olympics, After completing his sports career, he interested his in the art world, so that he recited in the movie ''A Man Named Joh ...

- Parish priest * Alberto Rossi - Angelo Roncalli - Age 7 * Giovanni Rossi - Angelo Roncalli - Age 10 (as Giovannio Rossi) * Fabrisio Rossi - Angelo Roncalli - Age 4 *

Pietro Germi Pietro Germi (; 14 September 1914 – 5 December 1974) was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor, noted for his development of the neorealist and commedia all'Italiana genres. His 1961 film ''Divorce Italian Style'' earned him a Be ...

- Pontiff's Father * Rita Bertocchi - Pontiff's Mother *

Antonio Bertocchi Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular male ...

- Uncle Xavier *

Antonio Ruttigni Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language-speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular male ...

- Don Pietro, parish priest of Carviso * Romolo Valli - The Intermediary (voice)

Critical reception

Stanley Kauffmann of The New Republic described A Man Named John as a 'mistake'.

References

External links

* 1965 films Italian drama films 1960s Italian-language films 1965 drama films Films directed by Ermanno Olmi Films produced by Harry Saltzman Pope John XXIII Cultural depictions of Italian men 1960s Italian films {{1960s-Italy-film-stub