History Film / TheScarletAndTheBlack

* IOwnThisTown: Kappler uses this as a threat to try and intimidate O'Flaherty. It's undermined somewhat by the fact that while Kappler may "own", Rome he certainly does not "own" the Vatican-in fact, Heinrich Himmler himself warns Kappler against trying to violate Vatican neutrality. Naturally, this is where O'Flaherty runs his organisation.

--> '''Colonel Kappler''': "I... own... Rome. Not you. Not the Pope. Just because you wear a frock, it won't protect you."

* DeadpanSnarker: [[UsefulNotes/PopePiusXII Pope Pius XII]] has his moments, such as in the film's opener when a Nazi officer tells him to communicate in his communications to the outside world that the German army and in particular the SS have been acting correctly towards him and the Vatican. The Pope's witheringly dry response is to say that he will be sure to communicate that he was asked to say that.

''The Scarlet and the Black'' is a 1983 MadeForTVMovie starring Creator/GregoryPeck, Creator/ChristopherPlummer, and Creator/ArthurJohnGielgud, about one of the lesser known heroes of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII: Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty (Peck), an Irish priest assigned to work for the Holy Office (i.e. the Inquisition) at the Vatican. He uses his diplomatic immunity (as the Nazis have sworn to respect Vatican sovereignty on Vatican territory) to run a large and complex network hiding and protecting escaped [=POW=]s from being recaptured by the SS. His foe in this is Herbert Kappler (Plummer), a ruthless SS commander who eventually decrees that O'Flaherty will be shot on sight if he crosses the white line in St. Peter's square that delineates where Vatican power ends....

* IndyPloy: O'Flaherty develops one-forgery of Kappler's signature-in order to get Lt. Manning out of the jail.

* BerserkButton: O'Flaherty gets one when Kappler asks him to transport his wife and children to safety, saying to him that you cannot just demand forgiveness (He still does it, however).

* HollywoodAtheist: Kappler delivers a speech where he expresses viewpoints like this towards the end when it looked like O'Flaherty wasn't going to help him get his family out of Rome-and out of Italy itself-before Italy's partisans find them. This is somewhat ironic, as the final text crawl notes say the real Kappler eventually converted to Catholicism while in prison.

''The Scarlet and the Black'' is a 1983 MadeForTVMovie starring Creator/GregoryPeck, Creator/ChristopherPlummer, and Creator/JohnGielgud, about one of the lesser known heroes of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII: Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty (Peck), an Irish priest assigned to work for the Holy Office (i.e. the Inquisition) at the Vatican. He uses his diplomatic immunity (as the Nazis have sworn to respect Vatican sovereignty on Vatican territory) to run a large and complex network hiding and protecting escaped [=POW=]s from being recaptured by the SS. His foe in this is Herbert Kappler (Plummer), a ruthless SS commander who eventually decrees that O'Flaherty will be shot on sight if he crosses the white line in St. Peter's square that delineates where Vatican power ends....

* BerserkButton: O'Flaherty gets one when Kappler asks him to transport his wife and children to safety, saying that you cannot just demand forgiveness (He still does it, however).

* DeadpanSnarker: [[UsefulNotes/PopePiusXII Pope Pius XII]] has his moments, such as when a Nazi officer urges him to communicate in his communications to the outside world that the German army and in particular the SS have been acting correctly towards him and the Vatican. The Pope's witheringly dry response is to say that he will be sure to communicate that he was asked to say that.

* IOwnThisTown: Kappler uses this as a threat to try and intimidate O'Flaherty. It's undermined somewhat by the fact that while Kappler may "own" Rome he certainly does not "own" the Vatican-in fact, Heinrich Himmler himself warns Kappler against trying to violate Vatican neutrality. Naturally, this is where O'Flaherty runs his organisation.

* DressingAsTheEnemy: O'Flaherty also dresses up as an SS officer on one occasion to hear an imprisoned fellow priest's confession.

* HollywoodAtheist: Kappler delivers a speech where he expresses viewpoints such as this towards the end when it looked like O'Flaherty wasn't going to help him get his family out of Rome-and out of Italy itself-before Italy's partisans find them. This is somewhat ironic, as the final text crawl notes say the real Kappler eventually converted to Catholicism while in prison.
* IndyPloy: O'Flaherty develops one-forgery of Kappler's signature, in order to get Lt. Manning out of prison
* IOwnThisTown: Kappler uses this as a threat to try and intimidate O'Flaherty. It's undermined somewhat by the fact that while Kappler may "own" Rome he certainly does not "own" the Vatican - in fact, Heinrich Himmler himself warns Kappler against trying to violate Vatican neutrality. Naturally, this is where O'Flaherty runs his organisation.

* OhCrap: Kappler's reaction when he hears that Himmler is in Italy and wants to ask him about Kappler's progress in stopping O'Flaherty, and that Hitler himself has explicitly forbidden ANY violation of Vatican sovereignty.

* HollywoodAtheist: Kappler delivers a speech where he expresses viewpoints such as this towards the end when it looked like O'Flaherty wasn't going to help him get his family out of Rome-and of Italy itself-before Italy's partisans find them. This is somewhat ironic, as the final text crawl notes say the real Kappler eventually converted to Catholicism while in prison.

* HollywoodAtheist: Kappler delivers a speech where he expresses viewpoints such as this towards the end when it looked like O'Flaherty wasn't going to help him get his family out of Rome before Italy's partisans find them. This is somewhat ironic, as the final text crawl notes that the real Kappler eventually converted to Catholicism while in prison.

* BerserkButton: O'Flaherty gets one when Kappler asks him to transport his wife and children to safety, saying that you cannot just demand forgiveness. [[spoiler: He still does it, however]]

* BerserkButton: O'Flaherty gets one when [[spoiler: Kappler asks him to transport his wife and children to safety]], saying that you cannot just demand forgiveness. [[spoiler: He still does it, however]]

* DressingAsTheEnemy: O'Flaherty also dresses up as an SS officer on one occasion.

* IndyPloy: O'Flaherty develops one in order to get Lt. Manning out of prison

* OhCrap: Kappler's reaction when he hears that Himmler is in Italy and wants to ask him about Kappler's progress in stopping O'Flaherty, that Hitler himself has explicitly forbidden ANY violation of Vatican sovereignty.

* OhCrap: Kappler's reaction when he hears that Himmler is in Italy and wants to ask him about Kappler's progress in stopping O'Flaherty,
that Hitler himself has explicitly forbidden ANY violation of Vatican sovereignty.

* OhCrap: Kappler's reaction when he hears that Himmler is in Italy and wants to ask him about Kappler's progress in stopping O'Flaherty, saying
that Hitler himself has explicitly forbidden ANY violation of Vatican sovereignty.

* OhCrap: Kappler's reaction when he hears that Himmler is in Italy and wants to ask him about Kappler's progress in stopping O'Flaherty, telling
Kappler that Hitler himself has explicitly forbidden ANY violation of Vatican sovereignty.

* OhCrap: Kappler's reaction when he hears that Himmler is in Italy and wants to ask him about Kappler's progress in stopping O'Flaherty
and tells Kappler that Hitler himself has explicitly forbidden ANY violation of Vatican sovereignty.

and personally tells Kappler that Hitler himself has explicitly forbidden ANY violation of Vatican sovereignty.

* OhCrap: Kappler's reaction when he hears that Himmler is in Italy and wants to ask him about Kappler's progress in stopping O'Flaherty.
** And when [[spoiler: Himmler personally tells Kappler that Hitler himself has explicitly forbidden ANY violation of Vatican sovereignty.]]

* OhCrap: Kappler's reaction when he hears that [[Himmler]] is in Italy and wants to ask him about Kappler's progress in stopping O'Flaherty.

* DressingAsTheEnemy: O'Flaherty also dresses up as an SS officer on occasions.
* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Kappler and his family.

* HollywoodAtheist: Kappler delivers a speech where he expresses viewpoints such as this towards the end [[spoiler: when it looked like O'Flaherty wasn't going to help him get his family out of Rome]]. This is somewhat ironic, as the final text crawl notes that the real Kappler eventually converted to Catholicism while in prison.

* OhCrap: Kappler's reaction when he hears that [[spoiler: Himmler]] is in Italy and wants to speak to him.

''The Scarlet and the Black'' is a 1983 movie starring Creator/GregoryPeck, Creator/ChristopherPlummer, and Creator/JohnGielgud, about one of the lesser known heroes of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII: Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty (Peck), an Irish priest assigned to work for the Holy Office (i.e. the Inquisition) at the Vatican. He uses his diplomatic immunity (as the Nazis have sworn to respect Vatican sovereignty on Vatican territory) to run a large and complex network hiding and protecting escaped [=POW=]s from being recaptured by the SS. His foe in this is Herbert Kappler (Plummer), a ruthless SS commander who eventually decrees that O'Flaherty will be shot on sight if he crosses the white line in St. Peter's square that delineates where Vatican power ends....

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/68eeb99df2a849b62641baae800a4880.jpg]]

''The Scarlet And The Black'' is a 1983 movie starring Creator/GregoryPeck, Creator/ChristopherPlummer, and Creator/JohnGielgud about one of the lesser known heroes of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII: Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty (Peck), an Irish priest assigned to work for the Holy Office (i.e. the Inquisition) at the Vatican. He uses his diplomatic immunity (as the Nazis have sworn to respect Vatican sovereignty on Vatican territory) to run a large and complex network hiding and protecting escaped [=POW=]s from being recaptured by the SS. His foe in this is Herbert Kappler (Plummer), a ruthless SS commander who eventually decrees that O'Flaherty will be shot on sight if he crosses the white line in St. Peter's square that delineates where Vatican power ends....

* HollywoodAtheist: Kappler delivers a speech where he expresses viewpoints such as this towards the end [[spoiler: when it looked like O'Flaherty wasn't going to help him get his family out of Rome]]. This is somewhat ironic, as the final text crawl notes that the real Kappler eventually converted to Catholicism while in prison

* OhCrap: Kappler's reaction when he hears that [[spoiler: Himmler]] is in Italy and wants to speak to him

** DressingAsTheEnemy: O'Flaherty also dresses up as an SS officer on occasions.

''The Scarlet And The Black'' is a 1983 movie starring Creator/GregoryPeck, Creator/ChristopherPlummer, and Creator/JohnGielgud about one of the lesser known heroes of World War II: Monsignor Hugh O'Flaherty (Peck), an Irish priest assigned to work for the Holy Office (i.e. the Inquisition) at the Vatican. He uses his diplomatic immunity (as the Nazis have sworn to respect Vatican sovereignty on Vatican territory) to run a large and complex network hiding and protecting escaped [=POW=]s from being recaptured by the SS. His foe in this is Herbert Kappler (Plummer), a ruthless SS commander who eventually decrees that O'Flaherty will be shot on sight if he crosses the white line in St. Peter's square that delineates where Vatican power ends....

* FakeNationality: the Canadian Christopher Plummer as the German Kappler, the American Peck as the Irish O'Flaherty, and the English Gielgud as the Italian Pius, amongst others
** Not shown in the movie, but one of real life O'Flaherty's assistants was a British officer (of Irish descent) named Sam Derry who escaped from a POW train. He worked openly under O'Flaherty after being issued a Vatican ID card that identified him (using the same name) as an Irishman.

* WholesomeCrossdresser: one of O'Flaherty's disguises is as a nun.
* DressingastheEnemy: O'Flaherty also dresses up as an SS officer on occasions.