One man, two boys... one deadly game.
At a Catholic boys' school, domineering disciplinarian Father Goddard rules over his pupils with an iron hand. When one of his teenage charges confesses to murder, the dogmatic but deeply repressed Goddard finds his faith challenged and his life spiralling dangerously out of control.
Absolution (1978) is a drama, thriller and mystery film directed by Anthony Page, released on June 5, 1978 with a runtime of 1h 35m. It stars Richard Burton, Dominic Guard, David Bradley and Billy Connolly. Viewers rate it 6.5 out of 10 across 50 ratings.
Richard Burton
as Father Goddard
Dominic Guard
as Benjamin 'Benjie' Stanfield
David Bradley
as Arthur Dyson
Billy Connolly
as Blakey
Andrew Keir
as Headmaster
Willoughby Gray
as Brigadier Walsh
Preston Lockwood
as Father Hibbert
James Ottaway
as Father Matthews
Brook Williams
as Father Clarence
Robin Soans
as Father Henryson
Trevor Martin
as Mr. Gladstone
Sharon Duce
as Louella
Directed by Anthony Page, written by Anthony Shaffer, produced by Elliott Kastner and Danny O'Donovan.
Average viewer score of 6.5/10 from 50 ratings.
I saw this in horrific conditions from the moderately intriguing and extremely entertaining 'Drive-In Movie Classics' pack of 50 films on 12 double-sided DVDs. Ten minutes were cut from the film and it was pan-and-scan--specifically spliced to get it to fit into a two-hour TV-spot with commercials. Still, it was an exceptional work, and I'm extremely curious for two reasons--why it was shelved for 10 years from…
Reviewed on March 4, 2016
I wonder what it must have been like for Dominic Guard to play this really pretty manipulative role opposite Richard Burton. Whatever nerves or awe he may have felt is very well disguised, though, as he turns in a super performance as the young student "Benjie". His teacher - "Fr. Goddard" (Burton) is a man of profound faith and little tolerance of, or interest in, his students. The former alights on a plan to…
Reviewed on April 4, 2022
_**Burgeoning iniquities underneath the surface at a boys’ religious school**_ A strict schoolmaster at a Catholic boarding school in England named Goddard (Richard Burton) favors one student, Benjie Stanfield (Dominic Guard), but seems to loathe his awkward misfit ‘friend,’ Arthur Dyson (Dai Bradley). Meanwhile Benjie befriends a vagrant hippie (Billy Connolly), a relationship of which Goddard disapproves. Havoc…
Reviewed on June 24, 2022
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Absolution (1978) is available to stream on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus and IndieFlix Shorts Amazon Channel, and to rent or buy from Amazon Video. Streaming availability is checked against JustWatch data and can change by region.
The main cast of Absolution (1978) includes Richard Burton, Dominic Guard, David Bradley, Billy Connolly and Andrew Keir. The film was directed by Anthony Page. You can see the full cast and crew list, with character names, further up this page.
Absolution was released on June 5, 1978 and runs for 1h 35m.
Absolution (1978) holds an average rating of 6.5 out of 10 from 50 viewer votes, and is a good pick if you enjoy drama, thriller and mystery films. Read the viewer reviews on this page to decide for yourself.
