finally approaches the younger priest, and the two fall into each other's arms, sobbing. Cast Linus Roache as Father Greg Pilkington Tom Wilkinson as Father Matthew Thomas Robert Carlyle as Graham Cathy Tyson as Maria Kerrigan Christine Tremarco as Lisa Unsworth Robert Pugh as Mr. Unsworth Lesley Sharp as Mrs. Unsworth Production The film was shot on location in Blundellsands, Liverpool, London, and Manchester. Release Priest premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 1994 and was one of the most talked about films. Miramax acquired the US distribution rights for $1.75 million and spent a further $500,000 on prints and advertising. The film received very vocal condemnation from the Church, with the Catholic Church in Ireland in particular calling for a ban on theatrical distribution. This marked the first major disagreement between the Church and the Irish Film Censor Board, which decided to release it anyway. It went into general release in the UK on 17 March 1995 and into limited release on 8 screens in the US the following week. Catholic organizations in the United States, including the Catholic League and the American Life League, were in an uproar over its planned nationwide release by Miramax during Easter weekend, calling the film "smut," "blasphemous" and "sacrilegious"; staged a national boycott over Miramax parent, Walt Disney Studios; demanded that the film be withdrawn and called for Disney president Michael Eisner to be fired. Exhibitors in New Jersey received threats, including bomb threats, warning against screening the film. Reception Critical reception Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a 64% approval rating based on 25 critical responses, with an average rating of 7/10. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times rated the film one star out of a possible four, calling the screenplay "shallow and exploitative." He added, "The movie argues that the hidebound and outdated rules of the church are responsible for some people (priests) not having sex although they should, while others (incestuous parents) can keep on having it although they shouldn't. For this movie to be described as a moral statement about anything other than the filmmaker's prejudices is beyond belief." Peter Stack of the San Francisco Chronicle called it "an exceptional movie," "powerful drama," and "a curiously inspiring statement about faith and morality." He added, "This film is extraordinary for the themes it explores—sometimes with delicious humor—beyond the obvious... The movie becomes a fascinating glimpse at a vast