Leaving the Priesthood!


I guess leaving the priesthood, especially when one was a monk, seems to have been horrendous in the 30s. Nowadays seems like lots of men leave and go out into the world, as they would say in this movie. Just looking at Boyer right now in the TCM presentation of this movie and he is looking really cool in his black turtleneck sweater and sport coat. Rathbone looking great in his houndstooth jacket also.

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hallo HoferPM-1. i also didnt realise that it was so scandalous for boyer's character to have run away from being a monk. i daresay things have changed considerably cuz i hear of people leaving the priesthood more often now. quite a tragic ending for the two lovers tho. tho i did think dietrichs character was asking for trouble when she seemed to want their relationship to be put to the test! everything really went downhill from there

cheers.

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It seems to me that this is a flaw in the movie - a priest who left like that would not be allowed to return to the monastery without a dispensation from the Pope - and this would not readily be given.

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[deleted]

HoferPM-1 says > I guess leaving the priesthood, especially when one was a monk, seems to have been horrendous in the 30s.
What you're describing is a change in perception. Today we don't seem to place any value on 'silly' little things like vows, commitment, tradition, faith, etc. When this movie was made, people held those things in higher esteem. That's not to say they didn't break their vows; they did. They just didn't do it as flagrantly and as often; and when they did, most felt more remorseful than people seem to feel now.

Today, for the most part, we act as if 'anything goes'; as if it's okay to do whatever we like, whenever we want. So what if we hurt other people in the process? A lot of people don't seem to care. It's about what makes them feel good. Naturally, I'm not just referring to the vows one takes to go into religious life. There are the explicit and implicit vows of marriage, parenthood, being a productive, responsible, and contributing member of society, etc.

Nowadays seems like lots of men leave and go out into the world, as they would say in this movie.
People in religious life are allowed to break their vows. There's a process by which they can do that; just as divorce and annulment are options to end a marriage. Those are difficult options but they're made worse when we opt to carelessly abandon our responsibilities.

Boris' abrupt departure threatens the monastery; it affects the other monks; and it will have an impact on anyone who the monks inspire and serve. His actions show he doesn't care about all that. We all have moments of weakness, we all face temptations; we're all vulnerable but he doesn't seek help; he doesn't try to minimize the damage. He simply flees like a thief in the night. He acts only in his own interests; selfishly turning his back on everything else. He also unfairly pulls Domini into the situation by failing to tell her the truth. That's wrong too.

The fact a lot of people can watch this movie and wonder why it's a big deal is very telling of how far we've fallen. It's a sad statement, in my opinion, of who we have become as a society. Nothing shocks and appalls us anymore; nothing seems to matter. Of course we can't figure out what's the right thing to do, we barely recognize the difference between right and wrong. The wrong things happen so often and are so easily accepted we think of them as normal. How can we feel remorse if we don't even understand when we are wrong?


Woman, man! That's the way it should be Tarzan. [Tarzan and his mate]

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