Pope Joan (2009)
"Die Päpstin" (original title)

A 9th century woman of English extraction born in the German city of Ingelheim disguises herself as a man and rises through the Vatican ranks.

Director:

Sönke Wortmann

Writers:

Donna Woolfolk Cross (novel), Heinrich Hadding (screenplay),

Stars:

Johanna Wokalek, David Wenham, John Goodman

2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Johanna Wokalek	...	Johanna von Ingelheim
David Wenham	...	Gerold
John Goodman	...	Pope Sergius
Iain Glen	...	Village Priest
Edward Petherbridge	...	Aesculapius
Anatole Taubman	...	Anastasius
Lotte Flack	...	Johanna von Ingelheim - Age 10-14
Tigerlily Hutchinson	...	Pope Joan - age 6-9
Jördis Triebel	...	Joan's mother
Oliver Cotton	...	Arsenius
Nicholas Woodeson	...	Arighis
Suzanne Bertish	...	Bishop Arnaldo
Richard van Weyden	...	Eusthasius
Branko Tomovic	...	Paschal
Lenn Kudrjawizki	...	Jordanes

Storyline

A 9th century woman of English extraction born in the German city of Ingelheim disguises herself as a man and rises through the Vatican ranks.

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Plot Keywords:

vatican | disguise | 9th century | misogyny | roman empire | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

Germany UK Italy Spain

Language:

English Latin

Release Date:

22 October 2009 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Pope Joan

Filming Locations:

Atlas Corporation Studios, Ouarzazate, Morocco

Box Office

Budget:

€22,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Constantin Film, ARD Degeto Film, Dune Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

149 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Volker Schlöndorff was originally set to direct this movie but left over unspecified differences with the production company.

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Quotes

Johanna von Ingelheim: As for will, woman should be considered superior to man for Eve ate of the apple for love of knowledge and learning, but Adam ate of it merely because she asked him.

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Connections

Version of Pope Joan (1972)

User Reviews

Incredible portrayal of 9th-century life

I'd vaguely heard of Pope Joan, but didn't know until looking her up this morning that she almost certainly didn't exist; I don't know if I would have watched the movie, knowing it was based on a novel I hadn't read. It was kind of slow-moving, and didn't have the lush costumes that are often my favorite part of historical movies, but it did have the most accurate portrayal I've ever seen of life in the middle ages. At the beginning of the movie I was surprised to see the title character's mother giving birth right in front of two other children, but then remembered that, just as people were conceived in full view of the household, they were born that way as well. As the movie went along, there was nothing missing but the smell! Several years of watching The Highlander didn't give me as graphic a view of what a beheading must actually look like as this movie did, and other details were just as they would have been. I'd recommend this movie most heartily to history majors and anyone who thinks the vanished past was glamorous.