Hollywood loves a silent hero, but they love a complicated villain even more. When it comes to any pope pius xii movie, you’re usually getting one of two extremes: a saintly protector or a cold collaborator.
The reality? It's messy. Honestly, it’s a lot more interesting than the black-and-white versions we see on screen.
The Screen Portrayals of a Wartime Pope
If you’ve spent any time browsing historical dramas, you’ve probably run into the 1983 classic The Scarlet and the Black. Gregory Peck plays the daring Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty, but John Gielgud’s Pius XII is the one who sticks in your mind. He’s portrayed as a man walking a tightrope. He’s cautious. Sorta detached.
Then there’s the 2002 film Amen, directed by Costa-Gavras. This one doesn't hold back. It’s based on the play The Deputy, and it basically accuses the Vatican of turning a blind eye to the Holocaust. It’s a tough watch. The film uses a fictional Jesuit priest to highlight what the director sees as a moral failure of the papacy. It’s a heavy-handed perspective, but it’s the one that shaped a lot of modern opinions.
More recently, James Cromwell took on the role in Under the Roman Sky (2010). This flick is basically the "pro-Pius" answer to Amen. It leans heavily into the "hidden struggle" narrative—showing the Pope working behind the scenes to hide thousands of Roman Jews in convents and monasteries while the Nazis occupied the city.
Why the New Nuremberg Movie is Stirring Up Trouble
We have to talk about the 2025/2026 film Nuremberg.
It’s got a massive cast, but historians are already picking it apart. There’s a scene where Justice Robert H. Jackson (played by Rami Malek) confronts Pius XII to pressure him into endorsing the trials.
Here’s the thing: that never happened.
Historians like Richard F. Crane have pointed out that while Pius XII had concerns about "collective guilt" for the German people, he’d already voiced support for punishing war criminals via radio messages. The movie invents a confrontation for dramatic effect. It makes for good cinema, but it’s a total fabrication. You’ve got to be careful with these "based on a true story" tags.
What Most People Get Wrong About the "Silence"
The biggest debate in any pope pius xii movie is why he didn't speak out more forcefully.
Critics call it cowardice. Supporters call it "effective silence."
- The Dutch Example: In 1942, Dutch bishops spoke out publicly against Nazi deportations. The result? The Nazis retaliated by rounding up even more Jewish converts, including Edith Stein. Pius XII reportedly believed that a loud public denunciation would only trigger more slaughter.
- The Ratlines: Some films hint at the "Ratlines," where Vatican officials helped Nazis escape to South America. It’s a dark chapter. While the Pope’s direct involvement is still debated, the films often portray the Vatican as a hive of conflicting interests—some priests were saving Jews, while others were helping war criminals.
- The 800,000 Figure: You’ll often hear the claim that Pius XII saved 800,000 lives. This number comes from Shades of Truth (2015), a movie that was slammed as "Catholic propaganda" by some Jewish publications. Most historians think that number is a massive exaggeration, even if they agree he saved many thousands.
The Upcoming "God's Spy" and John Malkovich
There is a lot of buzz surrounding the 2026 project The Pope: Pius XII (sometimes referred to in production circles as part of the broader "God's Spy" narrative window). John Malkovich is slated to play the lead.
If you know Malkovich, you know he doesn’t do "simple." He’s likely going to lean into the intellectual, almost robotic nature that Eugenio Pacelli (the Pope’s birth name) was known for.
The production has supposedly hired Vatican archivists to look at documents that were only recently unsealed in 2020. This is a huge deal. For decades, we only had bits and pieces of the story. Now, we're seeing the actual letters and reports that crossed his desk.
How to Watch These Movies Without Being Fooled
If you’re going to binge these, keep a few things in mind.
Movies are products. They want to sell tickets or push a specific moral message. Amen wants you to feel righteous anger. Under the Roman Sky wants you to feel inspired.
The truth is usually buried in the middle.
Pius XII was a diplomat by training. He wasn't a revolutionary. He believed in the "diplomatic model"—the idea that the Church should remain a neutral channel for communication. Whether that was the right call during the greatest evil in human history is the question every pope pius xii movie tries to answer. None of them quite get it perfect.
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Actionable Insights for History Buffs
If you actually want to understand the man behind the cinema, don't stop at the credits.
- Check the 2020 Archives: Look for recent articles from the Vatican Apostolic Archive. New research is debunking some of the old "Hitler's Pope" myths while also uncovering awkward truths about the Vatican's post-war priorities.
- Compare Two Sides: Watch The Scarlet and the Black for the "action" perspective, then watch Amen for the "critique" perspective. Seeing the contrast helps you spot where the writers took "creative liberties."
- Read the Radio Messages: You can find the Pope's wartime Christmas messages online. They are famously vague. Reading them yourself helps you understand why some people found them brave and others found them useless.
Next, you can look up the specific historical critiques of the Nuremberg film to see exactly where the script deviates from the 1946 transcripts.