''Gone with the Pope'' (also known as ''Kiss the Ring'') is a 1976 independent film written, directed and produced by

Italian-American Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, ...

crooner Crooner is a term used to describe primarily male singers who performed using a smooth style made possible by better microphones which picked up quieter sounds and a wider range of frequencies, allowing the singer to access a more dynamic range ...

-actor Duke Mitchell that was first released in 2010 by

Grindhouse Releasing Grindhouse Releasing is a Hollywood-based independent cult film distribution company led by film editor Bob Murawski and co-founded by Sage Stallone. Grindhouse digitally remasters, restores, and produces bonus materials and video documentaries f ...

Plot

The movie tells the story of four ex-convicts who journey to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

to attempt to kidnap the

Pope The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

, planning to charge a ransom of "a dollar from every

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

in the world."

Production

''Gone with the Pope'' was shot on location in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

and Palm Springs, California, as well as in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

, and Rome, Italy. The re-recording was done by Marti D. Humphrey, C.A.S., at The Dub Stage in Burbank, California. Digital restoration was completed at Fotokem Film and Video. Duke Mitchell stars as the ring leader "Paul," with Peter Milo as "Peter" and also starring Jim LoBianco and Giorgio Tavolieri. The cinematography is by Peter Santoro, with original editing by

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

-nominated Bob Leighton (

Rob Reiner Robert Norman Reiner (born March 6, 1947) is an American actor and filmmaker. As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence with the role of Michael "Meathead" Stivic on the CBS sitcom ''All in the Family'' (1971–1979), a performan ...

's film editor) and Emmy-nominated editor Robert Florio. The re-release version was edited by

Bob Murawski Bob Murawski (born June 14, 1964) is an American film editor. He was awarded the 2010 Academy Award for Best Film Editing for his work on ''The Hurt Locker'', which he shared with his wife, fellow editor Chris Innis. He often works with film dir ...

, Paul Hart and Jody Fedele, and features the music of Frankie Carr & the Novelites. Mitchell was known for his starring role in the film ''

Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla ''Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla'' (also known as ''The Boys from Brooklyn'' and in England as ''Monster Meets The Gorilla'') is a 1952 American comedy horror science fiction film directed by William Beaudine and starring horror veteran B ...

'' and for directing the cult film, '' The Executioner''. ''Gone with the Pope'' was originally shot in 1976, but remained unfinished until 2009.Grindhouse Official web site
/ref> The film negative and unfinished cut work print were discovered in Mitchell's parking garage several years after his death. It has been edited and restored by cult film distributor

."Weekend Weirdness: Gone with the Pope", by Hunter Stephenson, November 15,2009
/ref> Mitchell was said to have been inspired by Francis Ford Coppola's ''

The Godfather ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling 1969 novel of the same title. The film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caa ...

''."Gone with the Pope" Duke Mitchell Bio
/ref>

Release

The

American Cinematheque The American Cinematheque is an independent, nonprofit cultural organization in Los Angeles, California, United States dedicated exclusively to the public presentation of the moving image in all its forms. The Cinematheque was created in 1981 as ...

in Hollywood premiered the film on March 12, 2010, at the

Egyptian Theatre Egyptian-style theatres are based on the traditional and historic design elements of Ancient Egypt. The first Egyptian Theatre to be constructed in the US – which inspired many of the identically-named theatres that followed it – was Graum ...

. The film is screened at domestic and international film festivals in the United States and Australia. The film was subsequently released on home video on March 24, 2015, as a Blu-ray/DVD combo.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gone With The Pope 2010s exploitation films American black comedy films American crime comedy films 2010 films Films set in California Films shot in California Films set in Los Angeles Films shot in Los Angeles Films set in the Las Vegas Valley Films shot in the Las Vegas Valley 2010 black comedy films 2010s crime comedy films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films

Plot

Production

Release

References

Further reading

External links