Mongomery Clift in I Confess is one of the most heroic priests in any movie I have ever seen.  And to your point, very much a man with all the undeniable temptations, yet true to his priesthood above all.

Raul Julia as Archbishop Óscar Romero was a magnificent tribute to the man and the priesthood.

Henry Fonda in 1947’s “The Fugitive”, based on Graham Greene’s “The Power and the Glory”.  The film should have been more explicitly Mexican, and the character of the police inspector was not believable, but Fonda did a fine job with the Whiskey Priest.  Claude Laydu was memorable enough in 1951’s “Journal of a Country Priest”, another literature-based film.  He may have taken the character a little too far, but I may have under-read Bernanos’ point.

In no particular order:
1. Montgomery Clift in Hitchcock’s I CONFESS. You can sense his internal turmoil as he is accused of murder, having heard the true murderer’s confession. Subtle: on the witness stand…Prosecutor: do you have any idea hiow your bloody cassock got into that chest?  Priest: “I can’t say!”  What understtement!
2. Tom Tryon in Otto Preminger’s THE CARDINAL. Faces 5-6 moral crises with dignity and courage. Whipped by racists in south ecause he will not spit on a crucifix. He will not let doctors crush the head of his baby niece to save the life of his sister…
3. Sir Alec Guinness, yes, Obi Wan Kenobi, As The Cardinal arrested for treason by totalitarians in THE PRISONER. Crafty in mind and heart under interrogation. Mistakenly thinks he is proud when he is courageous and humble. A magnificent portrayal.
4. Gregory Peck as Msgr. Hugh O’Flaherty, Irish priest in Vatican who saves lives of allied troops, Jews and others under Nazi grip on Rome. after the war, he baptizes his nemesis into the Church after saving HIS family too. Truth is stronger than fiction in this case.
5. Anthony Quinn as Pope Kiril I in THE SHOES OF THE FISHERMAN. Offers the wealth of the church to save the peace of the world: [removing tiara] “Jesus Christ, whose Vicar I am, was crowned with thorns. I stand before you bare-headed, because I am your Servant!”
6. German Actor as “Teilhard-like priest” Fr. Teleman in THE SHOES OF THE FISHERMAN. The Church is a tyrant, I hate her. The Church is my life. I love her. And still I cannot live in her in peace.
7. Burgess Meredith as old Irish pastor, FR. Haley in THE CARDINAL. He ran every parish he served into debt, to serve the poor. The Cardinal comes to anoint him.
8. Don Murray in THE HOODLUM PRIEST. Chaplain of prison in St. Louis, takes risks. supported by Jesuit provincial. Erects crucifix…of St. Dismis in penitentiary chapel.
9. Famous French actor as MONSIEUR VINCENT. Vincent DePaul. Apostle of charity.
10. Actor who played Abbe Perymale fmously in THE SONG OF BERNADETTE. He doubted Bernadette…until she utters the words Immaculate Conception. then he knew she was telling the truth. when politicians want to sent her to assylum, he blocks the door. “Gentleman, shoot if you must, for your path lies over my dead body!”
That’s a start!  Run, run to your video store, or Amazon.com!!!
You will OT regret it!

You need to check out Montgomery Clift as Fr. Michael Logan in Hitchcock’s I Confess. You’ll have a new favorite!

Worst, James Woods in the Amityvile reboot. The real priest his character was based on never left the Lutzes side.

Best, Shephard Book in Firefly.

The priests in “The Way” are fabulous. But it was made by Catholics. Does that count?

Paul Bettany would have been fabulous if the futuristic vampire film hadn’t been So So bad!!

Holywood loves a priest for her horror films. Stigmata has really good and really bad.

Gregory Peck in the Scarlet and the Black—-strong, clever, brave, compassionate,  faithful, unyielding.

Gregory Peck in “The Keys of the Kingdom” - wonderful! and ditto on Karl Malden

I’m not a big movie watcher, but I liked the young priest in “The Rite.”

Yeah I agree Bing Cosby definitely set the bar high for Parish Priest all over. I am torn with Anthony Hopkins in” The Rite” I loved him in it,yet wasn’t sure about him in the role as a priest.

I love Spencer Tracy’s “Fr. Flannigan” in “Boys Town” and Don Murray’s Fr. Charles Clark in “The Hoodlum Priest”. Both faithful, compassionate, and courageous (And thus, both movies are from back in the day when Hollywood was kinder to Catholicism).

Big ditto on Gregory Peck in both the roles mentioned. He’s probably my favorite movie priest.

Carl Malden as Fr. Barry in On the Waterfront.

I’m sure everyone else will cover the classics, so I’ll throw in a few low budget offerings. I like Father Sandor from Dracula, Prince of Darkness (1966). He dispenses wisdom from the Lord AND he’s a crack shot with his ever present rifle. I’m also fond of Father Michael from The Unholy (1988). The movie’s mediocre at best, but the priest actually makes it to the finale with his vows intact and is portrayed as a hero for doing so. Gotta love it. But if you prefer something serious with the same theme, then try The Third Miracle with Ed Harris as Father Frank.

The Mission has flaws, notably DeNiro, but I think that he senses the futility of his actions just before his death.  I also have a hard time thinking of him as a priest, as (1) he was sped through the notoriously long Jesuit formation, a point that Jesuits I know always complain about; and (2) he is never depicted doing anything “priestly,” in stark contrast to Jeremy Irons. If the intent of the film was to make him a priest, I always think of him as a brother, or a seminarian.

On the other hand, while one can accuse Irons of disobeying his superiors, why did he?  Because he wanted to bring sacraments to his congregation, and he sensed that in this particular case his superiors were not guided by the best intentions.  And before this, we see Irons working with DeNiro through a sort of adaptation of the Spiritual Exercises, suitable to DeNiro’s particular circumstances and sins.  That exchange I see as one of the best representations of “classical” Jesuit spirituality on film.  When DeNiro dies and sees Irons holding the monstrance it’s almost a depiction of contemplation in the Exercises: the sinner is at the foot of the cross, overcome with sorrow for his own sins and overcome by the forgiveness of Christ.

I love the Exercises, if you hadn’t noticed…

Oh Keeping the Faith. I always cringe when Ben Stiller and Ed Norton talk abt “bringing our faiths into the 21st century” with their humorous sermons. There are some good moments of Catholic humor, though, like the incense fire. The older priest who advises Norton is a far better example. He basically says “There will always be temptations, but you have made a commitment to serve God as a priest.”

A better rom-com priest is Donal Logue as Fr. Brian, one of Julia Roberts’ former suitors in “Runaway Bride.” He also affirms that the priesthood turned out to be his vocation, where he is happiest. Their scene also contains the classic line “Am I too late for confession, Father? Just two venials.”

On the other hand: Robert DeNiro in “True Confessions”—a flawed man and a flawed priest who, in the end, loses the world and saves his soul.

Does anyone know when “Christiada” will be released?  I was looking foward to seeing Peter O’Toole as an elderly Priest in the movie.  I know it was supposed to be released this year, but I haven’t heard anything more.

Sometime check out the priest in the 1972 movie “The Poseidon Adventure”  I forget who played this priest but he was a real coward. He died early in the film.

“Of Gods and Men” - Amazing movie, true story, amazing priests….

Fellow blogger SDG has it as one of his favorite movies of the last year and I couldn’t agree more.  You see bravery from the beginning and bravery develop.

“Miracle of the Bells” - the movie is actually pretty lousy and Fred McMurray does a poor job at the priest from the impoverished parish BUT the book is wonderful and the young priest is amazing while the older priest grows in holiness and generosity.

Although technically this was on the small screen, Kenneth More as Father Brown was really good. And I also liked Sir Alec Guinness in the same role. They come across as being so humble, and yet so worldly wise. “Cunning as serpents, innocent as doves”

Favorite good priest- Gregory Peck in The Scarlet and the Black

Favorite flawed priest- Richard Chamberlain in The Thorn Birds

Good priests:
-Philip Seymour Hoffman as Father Brendan Flynn in “Doubt”
-Colin O’Donoghue as (Seminarian) Michael Kovak in “The Rite”  (The last rites scene at the beginning of the movie brought me to tears.)
-David Wenham as Fr. Damien of Molokai in “Molokai”

Least favorite priests:
-Edward Norton as Father Brian Finn in “Keeping the Faith”

Donald O’Conner and Tommy Makem both played Irish Catholic priests in “I Time to Remember”.  A cute movie about a boy who wants to sing but his working class father thinks its a waste of time. I really like the traditional parish priestly role these guys play.

This best movies on priests are Keys to the Kingdom and When in Rome.

Re De Niro in “Sleepers”. I thought that his perjuring himself should be taken against the context of defending 4 boys who had been subjected to a monstrous evil and for whom conviction would be a continuation of it. The movie makers were careful to make their victim not sympathetic or remorseful in any way. And the two murderers are soon themselves dead due in large part to the turn their lives took because of the evil visited upon them.  De Niro expresses personal guilt for not having saved them from the treatment they received in the reform school. Even the two who were “normal” were permanently damaged.

So I would take exception to your adding De Niro onto a list of lousy movie priests. For this role embodied the occassional necessity for clergy to travel a dodgy road.

@Glenn Lego: He was a Protestant minister not a priest and was played by Jack Albertson, the Man of “Chico and the Man”.

I disliked Bing in “Going My Way” but liked him in “The Bells of St. Mary’s”—go figure.

Best Film and Actor:  Ed Harris as Father Frank Shore in The Third Miracle.  Flawed, suffering and ultimately touched by grace. 
Worst Film:  El Crimen de Padre Amayo.  So ugly I had to turn it off.

I completely forgot about the Don Camillo movies. They’re some of the Pope’s favorites.

Something I am pondering…  I actually would LIKE my priest to pick up a rifle or something if his sheep are about to be slaughtered.  I don’t know why that is “liberation theology-ish.”  I can’t think of any Church law that would restrict a priest from defending innocent life with deadly force…  the scene in the Mission where the priest just keeps on walking with the monstrance while women and children are being slaughtered around him is deeply troubling.  That hyperfocus on the next world seems to lead only to pacifism, quietism, and effeminism.

I don’t think that God would want us to have a religious procession to Church when our women and children are being murdered?  I don’t see how that is Marxist (which true liberation theology is) in any way.

Blackrep, I don’t think it is a problem for a priest to defend his flock.  I do think the problem in the mission is that De Niro’s character broke his vows to do it. 
—
As for the Monstrance scene, I think it was a very powerful message.  Compelled by orders from his superiors, Jeremy Iron’s priest still finds the most powerful way possible to protest what is being done.

David Wenham as Fr. Damien of Molokai in “Molokai”

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! beats them all

I liked Trevor Howard in “Ryan’s Daughter”, very human, very pastoral and actually wise. And all the priests in “Robe Robe”.

That’s “Black Robe”

I liked the priest who helped Rudy in “Rudy”.

Sergio Castellitto as Padre Pio is #1

Fr. Comerford,
  The German actor who played the “Teilhard-like priest” in Shoes of the Fisherman was Oskar Werner.  I have seen him in a number of films and he always turned in a wonderful performance.  I had forgotten his role in Shoes of the Fisherman—thanks for the reminder.

Michael Kovak in Rite-he’s not an ordained priest, rather, a seminarian who describes himself as having “Atheism, a girlfriend who keeps coming around”.  But nonetheless, while the movie was fantastic in it’s suspense and plotline, it would have been lost without Michael and his struggles to believe in not just God, but the devil itself, even as he fights to exorcise a demon.

Frank Sinatra plays the priest in “Miracle of the Bells” and I actually thought he did a fairly decent job seeming sincere—unlike his singing.

I was hoping somebody would mention as an example of a bad screen priest Ed Norton’s character in Keeping the Faith, which was a horrid movie in an of itself.

John Hurt as a priest in Rwanda during the genocide in “Beyond the Gates” (a/k/a “Shooting Dogs”).

Fr. Richtsteig, you “misremembered” that ‘72 movie, “The Poseidon Adventure.”  Jack Albertson played Manny Rosen.  The Protestant minister was named Reverend Frank Scott, played by Gene Hackman, who dies an heroic death attempting to lead the survivors to safety.  My favorite movie priest was played by Sir Alec Guinness, in the movie aptly titled, “The Priest.”  His character is GK Chesterton’s famous detective, Father Brown.  Among my least favorite movie priests is the pandering, pitiful pastor played by Jack Lemmon in the execrable “Mass Appeal.”

Fr. Comerford; the ‘German’ actor of whom you speak was actually the splendid Austrian (born in Vienna) actor, Oscar Werner.

Best ever:  Gregory Peck in The Scarlet and the Black.  Why?  Dramatic portrayal of a real hero.  Bing Crosby gets great kudos as well.  And let’s not forget Richard Burton as Beckett.

Trevors Howards “Father Collins” in “Ryans daughter” was unforgettable. An ideal of a priest. So many great scenes in that movie, esp. him walking barefoot on the beach carrying cuckolded husband Robert Mitchums clothing to him.

I think Jeremey Irons in The Mission get my vote for favourite as well. Re: De Niro, is his character a priest? It’s a while since I saw the film but my recollection is that his character became a lay brother. This wouldnt excuse his breaking his vows but it would explain both the relativly short formation and the fact that we never see him do anyhting like celebrate mass.

@M. COlins, I take your point and that may mitigate his sin, but you expect a priest to know moral theology 101, you can’t do evil that good may come of it, period.

I don’t think I saw any support for Ward Bond, Karl Malden, and Pat O’Brien in the other comments.  They truly portrayed priests as men. Malden’s character, Fr. Barry, gave one of the best homilies I have ever seen on film when he is in the hold of the ship speaking about Doyle’s murder. 

I actually use “I Confess” to teach the sacrament of Confession.  There is absolutely nothing far fetched in that movie: the parish, the pastor, the woman, the killer, the detective and the crowd. That is reality.

Gregory Peck in the “Scarlet and the Black” is excellent

Don’t forget Maximilian Schell as Fr. Giuseppe in “The Reluctant Saint”.

I have to throw in my favorite. Rudy’s Father Cavanaugh played by the brilliant Robert Prosky: “Son, in thirty-five years of religious study, I’ve come up with only two hard, incontrovertible facts; there is a God, and, I’m not Him.” Great line!

And I second Lisa Marie. Shepard Book, Firefly.

Right you are Ch (Cpt) Stanley. Teach me not to take the time to do a bit of research. I was thinking of Hackman’s character’s minister friend who chose to stay in the ballroom. He was played by Arthur O’Connell and was costumed in a roman collar.

As for lesser known movies, I thought both Clifton Webb and William Holden were both excellent in Satan Never Sleeps (1962) about persecution in China.

Jeremy Irons was excellent in The Mission. As to whether Deniro was playing a priest in that film; there is the scene where he is urged to serve his people “as a priest” by Irons character. 
Another excellent portrayal was Richard Burton in Becket. (does a bishop count?)
As for least favorite I am surprised no one picked the Christopher Reave character in Monsignor. I refused to see the movie but I know he played an unfaithful priest. maybe no one else saw it either.

Definitely agree to I Confess, Scarlet and the Black, and Father Brown priests. No one has mentioned the cute B-movie “Maldonado Miracle” with Peter Fonda as the priest suffering with wanting to make a difference to his parish. The part was written and acted well.

The actor who portrayed St. Bernadette’s pastor in “The Song of Bernadette” was Charles Bickford. Impressive portrayal of a formidable personality - no wonder Berndadette was afraid of him at first! But you sensed his deep compassion as well.

Other priests I love best are Father Gabriel (Jeremy Irons) in “The Mission.” Gentle, humble, quiet yet strong. And then there was how he climbed up the rocks to the top of the waterfall and played his oboe for the natives and they all gathered around. Bing was a great crooner and all, but could he play the oboe?

And well, of course, Bing . . .

And Richard Burton who carried off a difficult role well in “Beckett.” (I always felt Peter O’Toole was trying to upstage him with his antics, but Burton had immense dignity. It actually worked well for their characters). His character went through a gradual conversion from hedonism to devotion to martyrdom in gradual stages. Really great. 

You haven’t seen a bad movie priest (though very well played) until you’ve seen Orson Welles in “A Man for all Seasons” as the corrupt Cardinal Wolsey, which gives rise to the following exchange: “More, you should have been a cleric.” “Like yourself, your Grace?”

Philip Seymour Hoffman as Father Brendan Flynn, showing that every story has two sides ...

Least favorite priest: John Standings stereotypical “pedophile priest” Bishop Lilliman in “V for Vendetta”, an oddly inconsistent swipe at the Church given the strong pro-homosexual subplot of the movie.

Even though he portrayed a flawed priest, I like Spencer Tracey’s performance in “The Devil at 4 O’Clock”. 

My most favorite is Gregory Peck in “Keys of the Kingdom”. A good, faithful, and humble priest. The worldly and prideful priest portrayed by Vincent Price was in sharp contrast.

No Spencer Tracy in Boys Town yet?  Love him!  And the priest from Quiet Man—yes!  But I have to throw in my ultimate kudos to a non-priest clergyman: Walter Pidgeon’s Mr. Griffyn, in How Green Was My Valley.  He gives the single best argument for the celibate clergy that I’ve heard from anyone.

I’m still recovering from Mrs McG’s diss of Frank Sinatra’s singing ... but I won’t change the subject. Agree with the Ed Norton thing. Yikes. And love Spencer Tracy as mentioned above.

How about Di Nero in True Confessions?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9i-TfGREOY&feature=player_detailpage

Gregory Peck playing Msgr Hugh O’Flaherty in ‘The Scarlet and the Black’. The real life Fr O’Flaherty was an incredibly brave and heroic man, who saved thousands of POWs and Jews in Nazi-occupied Rome - Peck plays him perfectly, tough but loveable.

I do love Ward Bond and his sidekick, Fr. Paul. I like Keeping the Faith a lot, but I think if I’m being honest, I have to agree that neither of the protrayals of priests in that movie was very good. Actually, the portrayals of rabbis probably wasn’t great either.

Fernandel as Don Camillo!

I think the thing we need to keep in mind about “Keeping the Faith” is that I doubt it was ever intended to give us an accurate picture of what being a member of the clergy was like. 
—
That being said, while that movie was very much in the modern Hollywood mold, I have to give it credit for not mocking celibacy.  Yes Edward Norton’s character struggles with it, but the movie is respectful to the choice that priests make to embrace it.
—
I could actually see another movie (or novel) using the same basic story line that “Keeping the Faith” uses to make a very good movie about priests and rabbis.

There was a great performance by Tom Conti as Pope Leo in “Saving Grace”. While wearing gardener’s clothes, he gets locked out of the Vatican and goes on a special pilgrimage to find how he can best shepherd his flock.

Also good was Leo McKern as the (slightly mad) monk, Imperious in LadyHawke. Least favorite would have to be the bishop from that same movie, played by John Wood, who was a dabbler in black magic, and pursuing a forbidden relationship with a woman who scorns his ‘charms’.

To characterize Max von Sydow’s portrayal of Christ in the devastatingly beautiful film, GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD as “creepy” is a remark unworthy of a serious reviewer.  It is a remark, however, worthy of people like the tiresome Medved Brothers and others who went ballistic over a film that didn’t stick with all the Hollywood cliches and instead portrayed Our Lord near-perfectly.  Von Sydow was masterful and masculine, and his looks were based (correctly I believe) on the image on the Turin Shroud.  The subtleties of his performance were perhaps too much for people who are used to sitting through a 17-minute Scourging at the Pillar sequence in another much-lauded film about Christ.

We can quibble with the producer’s decision to use what was at the time a common device in spectaculars, the “cameo” appearances of major stars in brief roles (something done in countless epics of the 60s), and we can lament the producer’s interference with the profoundly beautiful Alfred Newman music score (by inserting snatches of Handel and Verdi) but to say that von Sydow is “creepy” is patently ridiculous on its face.

With so much utter rubbish out there to castigate, Mr Archbold, surely you could find more worthy targets for your amateur film criticism.

My favorite: Gregory Peck in “The Keys Of The Kingdom”.

What? Hasn’t anyone ever seen David Morse’s portrayal of an urban priest-“Diary of a City Priest”? I think he brilliantly presents the fatigue and loneliness experienced by perhaps more than a few urban priests.

Robert de Niro’s character in “The Mission” wasn’t a priest - he was a mercenary who tried to reform himself.  Also (SPOILER ALERT!) his character’s sacrifice at the very end…while he did turn back to violence and his actions led to others’ deaths, his self-sacrifice on behalf of others shouldn’t be forgotten.

Also: Gene Wilder’s character in “The Frisco Kid.”  That’s a Rabbi, not a priest, but holy crap he played it great.

It’s always a mistake to read politics too much into art. The Mission is a great film and DeNiro’s character is excellently conceived and magnificently realized. From the point of view of the film your opinion as to liberation theology is irrelevant.In the first place, the film is not advocating liberation theology secondly, no one is saying that DeNiro is right in his militaristic reaction, although we do have warrior saints in the Church, e. g. King Louis of France. The point is that DeNiro’s portrayal stands on its own. Since he is ultimately unsuccessful one can’t say the movie is advocating liberation theology. I could see someone who shared the characters beliefs entering the Kingdom of Heaven and standing in the company of St Michael the Archangel.

Good and bad priest portrayals: I loved Gregory Peck in “The Scarlet and The Black”.  I was disappointed in John Gielgud as Pope Pius XII - he looked like Peter Pettigrew - I kept expecting him to change into a rat.  I think the producers had bought into “The Deputy” propaganda.

What about the 12 priests - or were they brothers - of the Spanish “The Miracle of Marcelino, “Marcelino, Pan y Vino?”

Mass Appeal (1984) with Jack Lemmon and Charles Durning is a really interesting movie in which two priests are the heart and soul of the story and plot.  Jack Lemmon plays a popular priest who drinks too much and is glib.  A young actor whose name I don’t know plays a young priest who is very idealistic and tries to hold Jack Lemmon’s character to higher standards than Jack Lemmon does, but he doesn’t toe the line with the Bishop.  It’s a movie about how these two priests affected each other and really made each other better. These are two of my favorite priests roles.

How about Humphrey Bogart in “The Left hand of God”?

Jose Escriva in “There Be Dragons” and I agree with the above..Of Gods and Men…each and every priest was portrayed as flawed and human, yet each also reached for the eternal in the end.  ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!

Ward Bond in “The Quiet Man” WAS AWESOME I loved the scene when he was trying to fish a Maureen O’Hara interups!  And then want to give her confession in irish…. What a novie