The Jeweler’s Shop and Our God’s Brother
Movies of John Paul II

Sr. Rose Pacatte, FSP
April 2, 2005

As is well known, the man who would become Pope John Paul II (born 1920), was very involved in the theater during his youth. This is an interest he has continued throughout his life, always remaining interested in the performing arts, from cinema, to the circus. Two films have been made from his plays: The Jeweler’s Shop (1988) and Our God’s Brother (1997).

The Jeweler’s Shop  

In 1960 Karol Wjotyla published a play in a Polish magazine called The Jeweler’s Shop: A Meditation on the Sacrament of Matrimony, Passing on Occasion into a Drama".

The Jeweler’s Shop was adapted and made into a film in 1988, starring Burt Lancaster, Olivia Hussey, Jonathan Crombie, Ben Cross, etc. It was directed by Michael Anderson (Shoes of the Fisherman).

The story is in three acts. In the first, a couple falls in love just before World War II and buy a wedding ring amid signs that a dark time coming. The jeweler (Lancaster) "the weight of these golden rings is not the weight of metal but the proper weight of man [and woman], each of you separately and both together." In the second act, another couple grow apart because each partner is succumbs to ego; each blames the other. The woman decides to return her wedding ring to the same jeweler, but it weighs nothing on the scales. In the third act the children of these two couples meet and fall in love. Each one has issues stemming from their parents and upbringing. These are eventually resolved in hope with each of the young people deciding to try and grow beyond what limits them so they can marry in freedom of spirit.

The play revolves around the role that ego plays in human relationships, especially marriage.

When I first saw the film I admired it on the one hand because it was written by the Pope. On the other, it was not the best film I had ever seen. In my memory it seemed stilted and somewhat obvious. Nevertheless, if we read or watch The Jeweler’s Shop within the context of John Paul II’s body of philosophical, theological, and pastoral work and teachings, the play is remarkable for our times. He has taken one of the basic theses of his teaching, the balance between freedom and responsibility in human activity, and incarnated it through art.

I think the filmmakers wanted to remain very faithful to the original out of respect for the author. But maybe someday someone will remake this little gem into a film that will get everyone’s attention.

Our God’s Brother

The Polish/Catholic director Krzysztof Zanussi directed the second of Pope John Paul II’s plays-into-film, Our God’s Brother in 1997. According to the one review I could find, it is the story of the 19th century Polish painter Adam Cimelowski who gave up his promising artistic career for the service of God. The film was never released in the United States.

For more information on the particulars of the films, visit www.imdb.org

Unfortunately, the video/DVD of The Jeweler’s Shop is not available at this time. The book is available on Amazon or at your local Catholic bookstore.