The first part runs tomorrow night. Another reasonably-favorable review. Excerpt:
CBS's miniseries has any number of advantages over ``Have No Fear,'' starting with a longer running time that allows it to be more expansive in its storytelling.
Written and directed by TV film veteran John Kent Harrison (``What the Deaf Man Heard''), it is the more opulent production. It features a cast that brings considerable weight to the proceedings, notably an engaging performance by Jon Voight as the older John Paul that brings some life to the film's last half. And it had an access to the Vatican itself that's missing from ``Have No Fear.''
Of course, access can come at an artistic price. In the case of the CBS miniseries, it was achieved through the involvement of Lux Vide, an Italian production house whose president, Ettore Bernabei, is a prominent member of Opus Dei, the conservative Catholic group. Not only did Lux Vide arrange unprecedented filming inside the Vatican but it also enlisted Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls as an adviser.
As a result, the script often comes across as if it had been written by the papal press office. Any hint of controversy -- including the sex scandal in the American church -- is dealt with quickly and in the most positive manner.
