MOVIES - Dec. 21, 1988

The spiritual father of the new film “The Goldsmith’s Shop”--namely, Pope John Paul II, who wrote the play on which the film is based--was a no-show. But the Vatican City premiere Monday of the movie, which stars Burt Lancaster and Ben Cross, was well attended regardless by many church officials. The play, which the pontiff wrote 20 years ago under the pseudonym Andrzei Jawien, is the story of three marriages as seen through the window of the jeweler’s shop where the couples choose their wedding rings. Sample dialogue: “Nothing takes up more space on the surface of life than love, and nothing is more unknown and mysterious.” The movie opens worldwide in February.