Theatrical release poster

Karol: A Man Who Became Pope (pl: Karol - Człowiek, który został Papieżem, it: Karol, un uomo diventato Papa) is a 2005 TV miniseries directed by Giacomo Battiato, and created as a Polish-Italian-French-German and Canadian joint cooperation project. Karol is a biography of Karol Wojtyła, later known as Pope John Paul II, beginning in 1939 when Karol was only 19 years old and ending at the papal conclave (October 16, 1978) that made him Pope.

The TV miniseries was supposed to première at the very beginning of April 2005 in the Vatican, but it was delayed due to the Pope's death. It was broadcast for the first time by the Italian television station Canale 5 on the first day of the 2005 papal election. Although it was originally broadcast on television, it was also released in theaters, which allowed the film to be shown in Poland.

The incredible success of the movie prompted the creation of a sequel, Karol: The Pope, The Man (2006), which portrayed Karol's life as Pope.

Main cast

• Piotr Adamczyk - Karol Józef Wojtyła
• Małgosia Bela - Hania
• Raoul Bova - Priest Tomasz Zaleski
• Matt Craven - Hans Frank
• Ken Duken - Adam Zieliński
• Ennio Fantastichini - Nowak
• Olgierd Łukaszewicz - Karol's father
• Lech Mackiewicz - Stefan Wyszyński
• Radosław Pazura - Paweł
• Violante Placido - Maria Pomorska
• Grażyna Szapołowska - Brigitte Frank
• Kenneth Welsh
• Patrycja Soliman - Wisława

Notes

• At Lublin University, a student gives his name as Martin Mickiewicz, and Father Karol responds, "That's quite a name to live up to." This is a reference to Polish national poet, Adam Mickiewicz.
• People did not talk and/or clap in Church until the late 1970s and early 1980s due to a canon law that still exists, forbidding actions that are "contrary to the sacred nature" of the Church. (Canon 1210)

Soundtrack

By Ennio Morricone released in 2007 on 2 CDs.

External links

• Karol: A Man Who Became Pope at the Internet Movie Database