''Romero'' is a 1989
biographical film
A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudra ...
depicting the story of
Salvadoran
Salvadorans (Spanish: ''Salvadoreños''), also known as Salvadorians (alternate spelling: Salvadoreans), are citizens of El Salvador, a country in Central America. Most Salvadorans live in El Salvador, although there is also a significant Salvado ...
Archbishop
Óscar Romero
Óscar Arnulfo Romero y Galdámez (15 August 1917 – 24 March 1980) was a prelate of the Catholic Church in El Salvador. He served as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of San Salvador, the Titular Bishop of Tambeae, as Bishop of Santiago d ...
, who organized peaceful protests against the violent military regime, eventually at the cost of his own life. The film stars
Raúl Juliá
Raúl Rafael Carlos Juliá y Arcelay (March 9, 1940 – October 24, 1994) was a Puerto Rican actor. Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he took an interest in acting while still in school and pursued the career upon completion of his studies. After ...
as Oscar Romero,
Richard Jordan
Robert Anson Jordan Jr. (July 19, 1937 – August 30, 1993) was an American actor. A long-time member of the New York Shakespeare Festival, he performed in many Off Broadway and Broadway plays. His films include ''Logan's Run'', ''Les Misérab ...
as Romero's close friend and fellow martyred priest,
Rutilio Grande
Rutilio Grande García, SJ (5 July 1928 in El Paisnal – 12 March 1977 in Aguilares) was a Jesuit priest in El Salvador. He was assassinated in 1977, along with two other Salvadorans. He was the first priest assassinated before the Salvad ...
, as well as actors
Ana Alicia and
Harold Gould
Harold Vernon Goldstein (December 10, 1923 – September 11, 2010), better known as Harold Gould, was an American character actor. He appeared as Martin Morgenstern on the sitcom ''Rhoda'' (1974–78) and Miles Webber on the sitcom ''The Golden ...
. Although the film depicts true events, there are some fictional characters.
Plot
During the
1977 El Salvadoran presidential election, public unrest is at an all-time high over fears of
election fraud
Electoral fraud, sometimes referred to as election manipulation, voter fraud or vote rigging, involves illegal interference with the process of an election, either by increasing the vote share of a favored candidate, depressing the vote share of ...
. In the midst of a
Marxist-Leninist guerrilla insurgency by the
Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front
The Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front ( es, Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional, FMLN) is a left-wing political party in El Salvador.
The FMLN was formed as an umbrella group on 10 October 1980, from five leftist gu ...
, the
anti-communist
Anti-communism is Political movement, political and Ideology, ideological opposition to communism. Organized anti-communism developed after the 1917 October Revolution in the Russian Empire, and it reached global dimensions during the Cold War, w ...
military dictatorship
A military dictatorship is a dictatorship in which the military exerts complete or substantial control over political authority, and the dictator is often a high-ranked military officer.
The reverse situation is to have civilian control of the m ...
uses
death squad
A death squad is an armed group whose primary activity is carrying out extrajudicial killings or forced disappearances as part of political repression, genocide, ethnic cleansing, or revolutionary terror. Except in rare cases in which they are ...
s to abduct, torture and "disappear" anyone who speaks about their terrible
human rights
Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...
record. The military also prevents average voters from getting to the polls; soldiers are shown blocking a bus bringing people to town on election day. When the people decide to walk, the military shoots up their vans so that they have no transportation for the return journey.
The Vatican elevates theologically conservative
Oscar Arnulfo Romero
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) ...
(Raul Julia) to the position of
Archbishop of San Salvador
The Archdiocese of San Salvador is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in El Salvador. Its archepiscopal see is the Salvadoran capital, San Salvador, and the surrounding region.
The current Archbishop ...
, hoping that with he will not get involved in politics. Although apolitical, Romero is afraid of the government's increasing hostility. He initially refrains from stirring anti-government sentiments, but, as he spends more time as Archbishop, he sees evidence of deception, oppression, and systemic murder, after which he cannot support the government in good conscience and begins to speak out.
After the assassination of Father
Rutilio Grande
Rutilio Grande García, SJ (5 July 1928 in El Paisnal – 12 March 1977 in Aguilares) was a Jesuit priest in El Salvador. He was assassinated in 1977, along with two other Salvadorans. He was the first priest assassinated before the Salvad ...
(
Richard Jordan
Robert Anson Jordan Jr. (July 19, 1937 – August 30, 1993) was an American actor. A long-time member of the New York Shakespeare Festival, he performed in many Off Broadway and Broadway plays. His films include ''Logan's Run'', ''Les Misérab ...
), an outspoken
Jesuit
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
advocate for the poor and close friend of Father Romero's, Romero begins to take a stand against the government's policies, prompting the government to retaliate by ordering to death squads to target the priests of his Archdiocese.
After failing to rescue a pro-government hostage of the Pro-Soviet guerrillas in a botched ransom, Romero discovers that his friend Father Osuna (
Alejandro Bracho
Alejandro Bracho (born June 11, 1955) is a Mexican actor.
He starred in the 1989 James Bond film ''Licence to Kill'' as Perez, a henchman of the drug baron Franz Sanchez. Bracho also starred opposite Raul Julia as Father Alfonso Ozuna, a Jesuit ...
), a militant critic of the military regime, has been captured and
torture
Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons such as punishment, extracting a confession, interrogation for information, or intimidating third parties. Some definitions are restricted to acts c ...
d. After securing his release, Romero instigates a
boycott
A boycott is an act of nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organization, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for moral, social, political, or environmental reasons. The purpose of a boycott is to inflict som ...
of the
president-elect
An ''officer-elect'' is a person who has been elected to a position but has not yet been installed. Notably, a president who has been elected but not yet installed would be referred to as a ''president-elect'' (e.g. president-elect of the Unit ...
's inauguration, defying him by saying
Mass
Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...
in a church the Salvadoran military has taken over as a barracks. He later attempts to secure the release of a soldier taken hostage with Fr. Osuna by the guerrillas, but is arrested in the process. Fr. Osuna is subsequently tortured to death.
Undeterred, Romero rejects the violent methods of the guerrillas, but is nonetheless assassinated while saying Mass, specifically while consecrating the
Eucharist
The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instit ...
. The film concludes with text stating:
Archbishop Romero was assassinated on March 24, 1980. He had spoken the disturbing truth. Many chose not to listen. As a result, between 1980 and 1989 more than 60,000 Salvadorians were killed. But the struggle for peace and freedom, justice and dignity goes on.
By 1992, when the
Salvadorian Civil War ended (three years after the movie was made), the total number of Salvadorians killed increased to over 75,000.
Cast
*
Raúl Juliá
Raúl Rafael Carlos Juliá y Arcelay (March 9, 1940 – October 24, 1994) was a Puerto Rican actor. Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he took an interest in acting while still in school and pursued the career upon completion of his studies. After ...
as
Archbishop Óscar Romero, archbishop of
San Salvador
San Salvador (; ) is the capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its eponymous department. It is the country's political, cultural, educational and financial center. The Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, which comprises the capital i ...
*
Richard Jordan
Robert Anson Jordan Jr. (July 19, 1937 – August 30, 1993) was an American actor. A long-time member of the New York Shakespeare Festival, he performed in many Off Broadway and Broadway plays. His films include ''Logan's Run'', ''Les Misérab ...
as
Father Rutilio Grande, SJ
*
Alejandro Bracho
Alejandro Bracho (born June 11, 1955) is a Mexican actor.
He starred in the 1989 James Bond film ''Licence to Kill'' as Perez, a henchman of the drug baron Franz Sanchez. Bracho also starred opposite Raul Julia as Father Alfonso Ozuna, a Jesuit ...
as Father Alfonzo Osuña, SJ
*
Tony Plana
José Antonio Plana (born April 19, 1952) is a Cuban actor and director. He is known for playing Betty Suarez's father, Ignacio Suarez, on the ABC television show ''Ugly Betty'' and for voicing Manuel "Manny" Calavera in the video game ''Grim ...
as Father Manuel Morantes, SJ
*
Evangelina Elizondo
Gloria Evangelina Elizondo López-Llera (28 April 1929 – 2 October 2017) was a Mexican actress and singer from the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. She starred in movies, television and theater. She was an accomplished artist having studied at t ...
as Josephina Gatedo
* Lucy Reina as Lucia, Poor
Campesino
''Campesino'' means 'farmer' or 'peasant' in Spanish.
Campesino may refer to:
* Tenant farmer or farm worker in Latin America
* Los Campesinos!, an indie pop band from Cardiff, Wales
* Teatro Campesino, a theater group founded by the United Farm ...
. ''(Fictional Character)''
*
Ana Alicia as Arista Zelada, An Upper-Class Friend of Romero's. ''(Fictional Character)''
* Omar Chagall as Rafael Zelada, The Minister of Agriculture and Arista's Husband ''(Fictional character)''
*
Harold Gould
Harold Vernon Goldstein (December 10, 1923 – September 11, 2010), better known as Harold Gould, was an American character actor. He appeared as Martin Morgenstern on the sitcom ''Rhoda'' (1974–78) and Miles Webber on the sitcom ''The Golden ...
as Francisco Galedo, Arista's Rich Father ''(Fictional Character.)''
*
Eddie Velez
Edwin Velez (born June 4, 1958) is an American film, stage and television actor. He is best known for playing Frankie Santana in the final season of the American action and adventure television series ''The A-Team''.
Early life and education
...
as Lieutenant Ricardo Columa, Right-Wing Military and Political Leader ''(Fictional Character)''
*
Robert Viharo
Robert Viharo (born August 14, 1942) is an American actor. He made an early appearance in 1966 as Harry in ''Dark Shadows''. He is known for his role in '' Valley of the Dolls'' (1967) in the part of a Broadway director. He had the starring role ...
as Colonel Ernesto Dorio ''(Fictional Character)''
* Harold Cannon as
General Carlos Humberto Romero, Military Dictator of El Salvador from 1977 to 1979 (No Relation to Archbishop Romero)
*
Al Ruscio
Al Ruscio (June 2, 1924 – November 12, 2013) was an American character actor who appeared in numerous television shows and films.
Early life
Ruscio was born in Salem, Massachusetts on June 2, 1924. He graduated from Salem High School, after ...
as Bishop Estrada, The Military Vicar of El Salvador and Opponent of Romero
*
Claudio Brook
Claudio Brook (born Claude Sydney Brook Marnat, 28 August 1927 – 18 October 1995) was a Mexican actor.
Life
Born in Mexico City, Brook had a prolific career, making around 100 film and television appearances in his 38 years as an actor. ...
as Bishop Flores, Vacillating Bishop
* Martin LaSalle as
Bishop Arturo Rivera y Damas, Bishop of
Santiago de María
Santiago de María is a municipality in the Usulután department of El Salvador
El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is border ...
(He Became Archbishop of San Salvador After Romero's Death)
* Eduardo López Rojas as Bishop Cordova, An Ally of Romero
*
Tony Perez
Tony may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer
* Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leag ...
as Father Rafael Villez, Secretary of The Bishops' Conference
Production
An international co-production between the United States and Mexico, ''Romero'' is the first feature film from
Paulist Pictures, a company founded by the
Paulist Fathers
The Paulist Fathers, officially named the Missionary Society of Saint Paul the Apostle ( la, Societas Sacerdotum Missionariorum a Sancto Paulo Apostolo), abbreviated CSP, is a Catholic society of apostolic life of Pontifical Right for men founded ...
, a
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
society of priests. This was the first time a Catholic company produced a major film. The company was also known for the production of a long-standing television series called ''Insight''. The film was screened in 1989 at the
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...
. It was directed by Australian filmmaker
John Duigan
John Duigan (born 19 June 1949) is an Australian film director and screenwriter. He is mostly known for his two autobiographical films ''The Year My Voice Broke'' and ''Flirting'', and the 1994 film ''Sirens'', which stars Hugh Grant.
Biogra ...
and produced by Paulist Pictures founder Father Ellwood (Bud) Kieser.
Alfonso Cuarón
Alfonso Cuarón Orozco ( , ; born 28 November 1961) is a Mexican filmmaker. He is known for directing films in a variety of genres including the family drama ''A Little Princess (1995 film), A Little Princess'' (1995), the romantic drama ''Gre ...
, a Mexican film director, worked as an assistant director for this film. Composer
Gabriel Yared
Gabriel Yared (Arabic: غبريال يارد; born 7 October 1949) is a Lebanese-French composer, best known for his work in French and American cinema.
Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Yared scored the French films ''Betty Blue'' and ''Camille Claude ...
, who went on to win
BAFTA Award
The British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the BAFTA Film Awards is an annual award show hosted by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to honour the best British and international contributions to film. The cere ...
s and an
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), ...
for his other scores, composed the music for ''Romero''. The movie was filmed in Mexico and set in El Salvador.
Reception
''Romero'' was generally well received by critics. The film holds a 80% rating on
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, based on 8 reviews.
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
of the ''
Chicago Sun-Times
The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...
'' gave the film a mildly positive review, awarding it two and-a-half stars out of four. Ebert praised Julia's "restrained and reasonable" performance but felt that the film was predictable and therefore not as powerful as other biopics.
''Spirituality and Practice'' gave the film a positive review stating it as an "excellent drama" with most of the praise going towards Raul Julia in his performance as Romero.
''Romero'' did receive criticism on how it did not shed light on US involvement. Kevin Thomas of the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' stated the fact that "the film doesn't deal with the role of the American government in El Salvador's plight, beyond a plea from Romero for the US to stop sending arms that will be only used against his country's people."
Vincent Canby
Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – October 15, 2000) was an American film and theatre critic who served as the chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1969 until the early 1990s, then its chief theatre critic from 1994 until his death in ...
of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' thought that the film "is more important as the brief, considerably simplified biography of a heroic man than as cinema. The film's manner is that of a textbook."
References
External links
*
Romero'' at th
Arts & Faith Top100 Spiritually Significant Filmslist
Romero Movie Guide from the Foundation for Self Sufficiency in Central America, a non-profit group*
{{John Duigan
1989 films
Mexican biographical films
Films about Catholicism
Films about Christianity
Films about Catholic priests
1980s English-language films
Films directed by John Duigan
Films about the Salvadoran Civil War
Films about Latin American military dictatorships
Cold War films
Films scored by Gabriel Yared
Political thriller films
Cultural depictions of Óscar Romero
American political thriller films
American biographical films
American films based on actual events
1980s American films
1980s Mexican films