Originally airing on Canadian TV amidst a storm of controversy, director John N. Smith's searing dissection of physical and sexual abuse in a Catholic orphanage for boys avoids the Movie-of-the-Week syndrome by offering good scripting, artful editing, and a knockout performance by Henry Czerny as Brother Lavin, the head of the orphanage. As distasteful as the subject is, the film works precisely because Czerny is such a recognizably human monster. Chilling, bold (some scenes of nude young boys will, no doubt, cause a bit of a stir), and compelling, Boys belongs in larger film collections. Highly recommended. (R. Pitman)[DVD Review--October 5, 2004--New Yorker, 186 min., not rated, $29.95--Making its debut on DVD, John N. Smith's 1991 The Boys of St. Vincent bows on an extra-less disc that sports a solid if unremarkable transfer (with some minor scratches and dirt) and Dolby Digital stereo sound. Bottom line: given the highly publicized scandals revolving around sexual abuse by Catholic priests, this is still a very timely film. Highly recommended.]
The Boys of St. Vincent
(New Yorker, 186 min., R) Vol. 11, Issue 3
The Boys of St. Vincent
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: