Pope Joan (1972)

In medieval Europe, a pious young woman becomes a scholar of theology, disguises herself as a man, rises through the Catholic Church hierarchy and is elected Pope.

Director:

Michael Anderson

Writer:

John Briley (screenplay)

Stars:

Liv Ullmann, Jeremy Kemp, Natasa Nicolescu

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Liv Ullmann	...	Pope Joan
Jeremy Kemp	...	Joan's Father
Natasa Nicolescu	...	Joan's Mother
Sharon Winter	...	Joan as a child
Margareta Pogonat	...	Village woman
Richard Bebb	...	Lord of Manor
Peter Arne	...	Richard
Patrick Magee	...	Elder monk
George Innes	...	Monk
Nigel Havers	...	Young monk
Lesley-Anne Down	...	Cecilia
Susan Macready	...	Sister Nunciata
Shelagh Wilcocks	...	Sister Louise
Olivia de Havilland	...	Mother Superior
André Morell	...	Emperor Louis

Storyline

This movie is based on the medieval legend of Pope Joan, who was made Pope for a brief period around 855 A.D. Although it is questionable that Pope Joan really did exist, this movie presents her existence as fact, and portrays her relationships with other notables of the time.

---

Plot Keywords:

pope | woman priest | religion | catholicism | character name as title | 

---

Taglines:

Heresy ... or history ?

---

Genres:

Biography | Drama | History

---

Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Helen Mirren and Vanessa Redgrave were approached about taking on the lead role. Susannah York in particular wanted the part.

---

Alternate Versions

The 2009 cut includes the 20th century scenes but omits 20 minutes of scenes with Joan being Pope.

---

Connections

Version of Pope Joan (2009)

---

Soundtracks

Veni Creator Spiritus
Sung by The Sistine Chapel Choir
Under the Direction of Domenico Bartolucci

User Reviews

and the writer?

There is a novel (Pope Joan/ I Papissa Iwanna) by Greek writer Emmanouil Roidis (1836-1904). It's written at the language of those times. Papissa means a woman Pope. Only now there are women in churches. Writer lived at Syros (Ermoupolis). There were many Catholics in that Greek island. This novel was not loved by church... And the writer was a blasphemy for the church exactly for this reason. The film's story is relative to this novel? John Briley knew Roidis' novel? IMDb's review don't say anything about this. If someone knows about it, please write... You can see about the novel and the writer in internet. There 're many relative sites. I 'm waiting for any answers about this. Thank you!

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 October 1972 (UK)

Also Known As:

The Devil's Imposter

Filming Locations:

Brasov, Romania

Company Credits

Production Co:

Big City, Command Production Establishment, Roadshow Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

132 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1