Rome, Italy. Hundred and fifty-nine years ago, at 7:00 in the evening of Agust 26, 1861, in front of the image of the Christ of Pardon at the church of the Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso, near Segovia (Spain), the Lord granted St. Anthony Mary Claret the great grace of conserving the sacramental species intact within him – having the Blessed Sacrament always present, day and night, in his chest, a living tabernacle.
Consecrated and enabled by the sacramental presence, the Lord used St. Anthony Mary Claret to confront, in an effective way, the evils of the Church in Spain and of the society.
His consecration, configuration and conformity with Christ became one of the motors that drove him to use all means possible in preaching the Gospel to confront the church-socio-political issues of his time of which the upcoming film “Claret” very well underlined.
The film highlights the contrast between the saint’s clear missionary commitment and the circumstances and reality of his time. It underlined Claret’s defense of human rights when he was in Cuba and the way he confronted the church-state issues while serving as confessor to the queen of Spain.
“Describir al Padre Claret se convirtió en una tarea tan ardua como la de intentar meter todas las estrellas del firmamento en una foto. Hemos tratado en su película de mostrar unos cuantos destellos de ese hombre lejano, que ahora sentimos tan cercano, tan de carne y hueso: desde el entusiasta y aplicado trabajador del textil, al misionero incendiado de amor hacia los demás y al Evangelio. Del escritor incansable al peregrino andariego y cercano a las gentes. Del hombre libre y luchador por la libertad y dignidad de los esclavos, al hombre prisionero de la Corte Española del siglo XIX, confesor, consejero, promotor, Padre.” – Pablo Moreno (Director) – La Misión Claretiana 2020
[Describing Father Claret was an arduous task as trying to put all the stars in the sky into a single picture. We have tried to show in this film few glimpses of that distant man, who we now feel so close as if he is in flesh and blood: from the enthusiastic and dedicated textile worker to the missionary on fire with love for others and the Gospel. From the tireless writer to the walking pilgrim and close to the people. From the free man and fighter for the freedom and dignity of the slaves to a man confined in the Spanish Court in the 19th century, confessor, advisor, promoter, Father.]
“Tenía clara su misión en este mundo y la persiguió, enfrentándose a muchas vicisitudes y a mucha gente que cuestionó su visión de la vida.” – Alba Recondo (Actress interpreting the queen) – La Misión Claretiana 2020
[He was clear about his mission in this world and pursued it, facing many vicissitudes and many people who questioned his vision of life.]
“Hacer esta película es una oportunidad para contar la historia real de un hombre que siempre intentó hacer lo correcto en tiempos turbulentos. Cabalgó entre los mundos de la iglesia, la política, la Corona y su propia fe para buscar constantemente la verdad. Una verdad que fue deliberadamente distorsionada cuando era conveniente. Como cineastas, buscamos encontrar la verdad a través de la ficción, esta película nos dio la oportunidad de descontar la ficción de biógrafos del pasado y permitir que la verdad del Padre Claret hable más fuerte, como él mismo la escribió.” – Scott Cleverdon (Actor interpreting the Prime Minister Leopoldo O’Donnell) – La Misión Claretiana 2020
[Making this film is an opportunity to tell the true story of a man who always tried to do the right thing in turbulent times. He rode between the worlds of the church, politics, the Crown, and his faith to seek the truth continually. A truth that was deliberately distorted for convenience. As filmmakers, we strive to find truth through fiction. This film allowed us to discount the fiction of past biographers and allow the truth of Father Claret to speak louder, as he wrote it.]
The world premiere, in commercial theaters, was initially scheduled in October this year, coinciding with the 150th anniversary of the St. Anthony Mary Claret’s death. But due to the pandemic we are in, the world premiere is moved to the spring of 2021. The film will shown in cinemas dubbed in four languages – English, Spanish, French, Deutsch.
