THE PLOT THUS FAR
Pope Benedict made history when he announced his resignation. In his wake he left a bitterly divided Vatican mired in scandals. FRONTLINE goes inside the Vatican to unravel the remarkable series of events that led to the resignation that shook the world. FRONTLINE gives a first-hand account of the final days of Benedict’s papacy and the current battle to set the Church on a new path under Francis.
WHAT WE THOUGHT
“Secrets of the Vatican” is a documentary focusing on just how much you don’t know about The Vatican. It’s typical fodder for a Papal changeover. What makes this event stand out so much is the fact that Pope Benny left office while he was alive. The window on these kinds of insightful digs is always small. But, I can see how most of the material presented here would remain forever interesting to Catholics.
The Catholic Church has always had a terrible history of trying to be open. If anything, Catholicism embraces the “open enough” mantra and never pushes past that. There is a hierarchy at play and we see them in work to a point that can be described as mechanical. Everything has a place and a player to keep it functioning. If you can’t handle that, then I’m not sure what to tell you is happening. There’s nothing here that most people won’t know. But, there is a lot that will make sense when put into a proper context. Hopefully, that makes sense for you.
The DVD comes with no special features. It’s fairly typical for a focus PBS documentary. The A/V Quality is on par with similar documentaries. But, that’s not like it was something that would blow out your home theater. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase to the curious.
RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW!