Absolution

Absolution-1978, British, starring Richard Burton and Billy Connolly

He says- Burton gives a commanding performance as a humorless, by the book priest who teaches at a boys' school, and falls victim to a snowballing practical joke played upon him by his pet student.  Straightforward melodrama loses credibility toward the end.  Written by Anthony Shaffer.  Filmed in 1978, unreleased in the U.S. until 1988, four years after Burton's death.  2 and a half stars.

I say- This was a really bad dvd transfer.  The sound was terrible and it had lots and lots of moments where it looked like the film was skipping vhs style.  Other than that, I felt that the film was very slow but picked up near the end, but I thought the ending was implausible.  Usually there's a reason why movies stay shelved for that long.  1 and a half stars.