The story, based on . With Sutherland especially doing some great work. The Rosary Murders (1987) 16 08/28/1987 (US) Crime, Mystery, Thriller 1h 45m User Score. A serial killer targeting clergy confesses his crimes to a priest who may be his next victim. Fred Walton. Kienzle's books are set mostly in Detroit, Michigan . Let us know! 'Evil' Finale Recap: Season 1, Episode 13 [Spoiler] Is . ***SPOILERS*** Starting with the 40 day's of Lent on Ash Wednesday a series of murders occurred in and around this suburban Detroit church ,The Holy Redeemer, that has everyone, the public and police, shocked and puzzled to who would do such a thing. I had previously read all the other books in this series, but had somehow missed this one. One of his best known novels is his first, The Rosary Murders (1978), which was made into a 1987 movie starring Donald Sutherland as Father Koesler. hope this doesn't awaken anything within me, i hadn't revisited this movie since then because it was simply not very good and that still holds true, but hey, i owe a lot to it an iconic moment from my recent personal lore. Not because of why he did it but because of the blunt statement made by the killer. Let us assume, for a brief moment, that Ted Bundy did say a mysterious force did prevent him from continuing his rampage at Chi Omega. As slow-burns go, Fred Walton's mysterious catholic-bounded thriller takes the cake with its minimal and sombre treatment. That bug-eyed sincerity, the Sutherland signature that held us in "Klute," is working here. But this flaw will not diminish your enjoyment of the film, as there is enough action to keep the murder mystery fan happy. Murder is perhaps the single most serious criminal offense. It was the first of 24 books written by Kienzle, and the only one adapted to the screen, and it's easy to see why. The Rosary Murders sees Donald Sutherland as a conflicted priest, investigating a serial killer of persons of the cloth. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. The story, scripted by thriller author Elmore Leonard and director Fred Walton, tippy-toes around the subject of our hero's celibacy with implications about his relationship with a Detroit Free Press reporter. This is a gripping murder mystery that I think will engage the reader regardless of one's religious persuasion (or lack thereof). An alright little murder mystery. The Rosary Murders is based on the 1979 novel of the same name by William X. Kienzle, a former priest turned crime novelist who married a newspaper reporter shortly after leaving the priesthood in 1974. 105m/C VHS . Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. I guess dead naked people are acceptable, while half naked women contemplating sex with rogues is less so. Let's not play with labels. Donald Sutherland, Charles Durning, Josef Sommer Directed by: Fred Walton. In this film, which Fred Walton has directed and co-written with Elmore Leonard, Donald Sutherland stars as a liberal priest who gets involved in a Detroit manhunt for a serial killer who is murdering Catholic priests and nuns. Mystery thriller with a Catholic twist. This film is not as bad as some of the comments might have painted it. It was fun to go back and visit again with Father Koesler. However, Elmore Leonards script makes the film is far more than just a novelty detective story a la The Father Dowling Mysteries (1989-91). Directed by: Fred Walton. She was following through on that promise when Bundy attacked. This cozy mystery is fun, easily followed, and easily read. This 1987 movie was just awful. window.__mirage2 = {petok:"dDBoq3WEvyGgx30SM_suJO16ehSvQTu9tn0_uz4CzPo-86400-0"}; The plot is excellent there are some amazing twists, albeit a slightly probability defying m.o. 36%. Someone is going around murdering priests and nuns, as it later turns out using the coincidence of their names matching the ten commandments (sometimes with a bit of a stretch. It was also made into a movie, with Donald Sutherland in the role of Father Koesler. Can range from abrupt to almost hilariously poorly timed. Can You Match These Saints to Their Weird Patronages? The original trailer in high definition of The Rosary Murders directed by Fred Walton and starring Donald Sutherland, Charles Durning, Belinda Bauer. I also believe that all of the blog posts that state a mysterious force stopped Ted Bundy that night should be deleted. Acclaimed screenwriter Elmore Leonard and director Fred Walton adapted the book for the screen. Therefore, be sure to refer to those guidelines when editing your bibliography or works cited list. Get help and learn more about the design. Say three "Hail Marys" for Faith, Hope, and Charity. So, as you can guess, Koesler is a very troubled man. Father Koesler is no Rabbi David Small. Awards Bundy replied that he felt a mysterious force preventing him from entering her room. 104min. Sutherland and Charles Durning are the main highlights. Never thought the introspective drama portion of a Leonard crime story would be the part that most resonated with me. However, in the end, the movie is somewhat TOO calm in tone. Belinda Bauer, with her jackhammer delivery, plays the lapsed Catholic reporter who falls in love with Koesler after he mumbles in an interview. And yet his monastic muttering and moral puttering holds your interest somehow. There were many websites that shared various versions of the story. Murder Donald Sutherland still seems to be suffering from his brush with the Body Snatchers in his role as the bland, befuddled and barely audible Father Bob Koesler, a parish priest turned detective in "The Rosary Murders." Walton came to attention with the slasher film When a Stranger Calls (1979) and went onto make April Fools Day (1986) and Dead Air (1994) and a host of made-for-tv movies including the likes of I Saw What You Did (1988), Trapped (1989), Homewrecker (1992), When a Stranger Calls Back (1993) and The Stepford Husbands (1996). This 2009 blog post appears to have set in motion the crazy spread of this story across the blogosphere. This presents a moral quandary for Father Koesler: does he remain silent after being forced to absolve a killer for his heinous sins, or does he turn his back on his sworn duty as a priest and reveal what he knows about the killer to the authorities? However, in college a writing professor believed in him and helped him grow as a writer. [CDATA[ Also, Charles Durning is around to generally act exactly like we expect all Catholic priests of the Eighties to act. Furthermore, if Bundy did make that claim, this would have been a more well-known story. Detroit is plagued by a series of murders of priests and nuns, with each victim found holding a black rosary. While stuck in an internet rabbit hole, I stumbled onto a story I could not believe Ihad not heard before. (February 24, 2023). Add Tubi - Free Movies & TV. Book Review: The Rosary Girls by Richard Montanari #bookreview. Donald Sutherland plays Father Robert Koesler, a priest in Detroit who hears the confession of a murderer who is going around offing various priests and nuns. It is based upon the 1979 novel of the same name by William X. Kienzle.Kienzle received screenplay credit, as did Elmore Leonard. On January 13, 1978 Ted Bundy broke into the Chi Omega Sorority House on the campus of Florida State University and went on a rampage. The great surprise about the film is some of the names behind it. The second victim is a colleague of Father Bob Koesler. One girl told Father Kerr that she believed she had survived because she had been praying her rosary during the attack. That is the premise of ''The Rosary Murders,'' a well-meaning but plodding thriller with a screenplay co-written by Elmore Leonard, who's ordinarily so much faster on his feet. It was assigned by a priest as a way of teaching teenagers, all born after Vatican II, something about the debate and divisions in the church because of the changes from that conclave. 'The Rosary Murders' (R) By Rita Kempley Washington Post Staff Writer September 26, 1987 Donald Sutherland still seems to be suffering from his brush with the Body Snatchers in his role as the . 59:00. There's something about this particular type of plot and tone that I'm jonesing for at the minute, so I'll definitely be trying to source a couple more films directed by Fred Walton. The murderer leaves behind a rosary. Midsomer Murders - S21E05 - January 06, 2020 || Midsomer Murders (01/06/2020) Part 02. Pat: Belinda Bauer. Intriguing premise is let down by a flat, tedious script. It's like reading Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot - get in the spirit of the book. This is the first in the Father Koesler series by the late William X. Kienzle. StarringDonald Sutherland Charles Durning Belinda Bauer Josef Sommer Addison Powell John Danelle James Murtaugh Addison Powell Kathleen Tolan Directed byFred Walton For example one of my favorite horror films is Alice Sweet Alice, I think The Exorcist is a well-written drama, and I lean towards the Italian films with spiritual or religious imagery. It read well, kept my interest and was pretty well written. A priest hears the confession of the man responsible for the murders of priests in Detroit, and due . There is one jump-scene that made me bolt up suddenly. Life in the Catholic Church of the Holy Redeemer in Detroit is upset by a series of killings whose victims are all priests and nuns. But this book was a nice little mystery. However the pacing seemed to plod a bit too much, where some monotonous patches seemed to lose focus. | When the killer explains why he did it I started laughing. That night, then-Father (later Monsignor) William Kerr was called in to administer Last Rites to the victims. Tv shows. He listens as the killer talks about how the church let his sixteen year-old daughter die. Also, at one point, the murderer confesses to the Koesler and he has to decide if he should break the church law of keeping confession confidential. What about the girl who was praying the rosary that night? Fairly standard yet still luridly fun, with a twist that doesnt feel too far off from being an American answer to WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO SOLANGE?. Detroit, Michigan, USA Technical Specs. MlH Of Series Channel. Watch in HD. In this film, which Fred Walton has directed and co-written with Elmore Leonard, Donald Sutherland stars as a liberal priest who gets involved in a . So the author build up the story but then the ending was flat. Films Depicting NASA and the Space Program, Films That Make Dubious Claims to Being Based on True Stories, Coming of Age Stories in Fantastic Cinema, Films About Cryogenics and Suspended Animation, Disturbed Psychology as Portrayed on Film. Released August 28th, 1987, 'The Rosary Murders' stars Donald Sutherland, Charles Durning, Belinda Bauer, Josef Sommer The movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 45 min, and received a user score of 53 . He became an editor of MPLS Magazine in Minneapolis, later moving to Texas where he was director of the Center for Contemplative Studies at the University of Dallas. As much as I enjoyed this book I don't think reading book after book about the Catholic religion and the people that work amongst the religion is something that would keep my interest. Co-Written by Elmore Leonard. Depen, milo aloe, callow, fallow, hallow, mallow, marshmallow, sallow, shallow, tallow Pablo, tableau cashflow Anglo matelot Carlo, Harlow, Marlowe, Burke and Hare These men are universally believed to have been body snatchers, but in fact they made a good living in the 1820s supplying an Edinburg, vendetta abetter, begetter, better, bettor, biretta, bruschetta, carburettor (US carburetor), debtor, feta, fetter, forgetter, getter, go-getter, Gr, Arran, James Stewart, 4th earl of [S] (c.155095). BAd script and slow paced but still very watchable, Moody, austere Catholic serial killer drama, Would Have Been Better in a More Talented Director's Hands. Two stalwart figure heads; an impressive Donald Sutherland and equally so Charles Durning are engagingly strong. Donald Sutherland with short hair = bad movie. The director is Fred Walton whose line of genre films both before and since has only been routine. A killer of Detroit clergy confesses to a priest, who turns sleuth because he cannot tell the police. This will allow for a more in-depth discussion of the topic. For an example of this, check out the forum on Snopes with regards to this story. 24 Feb. 2023 . You never get a sense that lives are on the line despite the escalating body count, and Donald Sutherland's does not seem to be going through the wringer. 105m/C VHS . In fact, as a teenager, when I brought it to the check-out counter at my small hometown library, the librarian called my father to get permission to check it out to me. New TV Tonight You: Season 4 . Explores the dark connection between guilt, sex, and Catholicism. IMDb All Rights Reserved. I'd love to explain that in detail, but doing so would ruin part of the ending. I realized later that this was the first book to a series of many books. The making of the Rosary Murders with two original songs by Bobby Laurel. Filmed on location in Detroit. Entertaining enough. Synopsis: priests and nuns are his targets. I found this book because I needed it for a challenge and then I was intrigued. He'd rather I read murder mysteries than bodice ripper romance novels with half naked people on the front. There are two versions of the story, and I will relate the most fantastic version of the two. But he's bound by church law to say nothing. best sustainable website design . "The Rosary Murders No, absolutely not. It's a handsomely made film by Fred Walton (the OG When a Stranger Calls) and has a solid cast led by a fantastic Donald Sutherland. Some of the scheming is a bit hard to swallow, but for most part it's smartly penned (by Elmore Leonard and Fred Walton) and the low-key approach seems to make you concentrate on the lyrical waxing (especially on those commitments to the priesthood and the self-doubting). Leonard is of course best known as a crime novelist and a number of his works have been adapted into popular films including 52 Pick-Up (1974), Get Shorty (1995), Quentin Tarantinos Jackie Brown (1997), Paul Schraders miracle-healer film Touch (1997), Steven Soderberghs Out of Sight (1998), 3:10 to Yuma (2007) and Life of Crime (2013). Retrieved February 24, 2023 from Encyclopedia.com: https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/culture-magazines/rosary-murders. It was little seen when it came out and sadly its profile has not substantially changed since then, although it is eminently deservous of much greater recognition. We are in the business of saving souls, not lives. 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