The Suspended Vocation (1978)

Divergent factions within the Catholic Church are plagued by internal ideological quarrels.

Director:

Raoul Ruiz (as Raul Ruiz)

Writers:

Pierre Klossowski (novel), Raoul Ruiz

Stars:

Didier Flamand, Pascal Bonitzer, Gabriel Gascon

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Didier Flamand	...	Jérôme #1
Pascal Bonitzer	...	Jérôme #2
Gabriel Gascon	...	Le père-confesseur
Maurice Bénichou	...	Le membre de la Dévotion #1
François Simon	...	La montagne
Pascal Kané	...	Le membre de la Dévotion #2
Edith Scob	...	Angélique #1
Frédérique Meininger	...	Mère Angélique #2
Alexandre Tamar	...	Le membre de la Dévotion #3
Jean Badin	...	L'ami
Françoise Vercruyssen	...	La femme
Marcel Imhoff	...	Le père-maitre #2
Jean Lescot	...	Le père-maitre #1
Daniel Isoppo	...	Le frère convers
Gérard Berner	...	Le prieur #2

Storyline

Divergent factions within the Catholic Church are plagued by internal ideological quarrels.

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Plot Keywords:

religious institution | religious vocation | art | black and white scene | priest | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

27 July 1978 (France)

Also Known As:

The Suspended Vocation

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Exiles: Raoul Ruiz: Chilean Film Director (1988)

User Reviews

difficult, cerebral and oblique film dealing with Catholic issues

I found "La Vocation suspendue"/Suspended Vocation (1978), the earliest feature from Raoul Ruiz that I've seen thus far, very, very difficult and at times completely incomprehensible -- I really think one has to have some background in or knowledge of Catholicism to fully appreciate it, and clearly though the visual aspects of the film are important, the religious themes are at the heart of it; it is unquestionably a film about something, a film that is dealing intellectually with a subject, but in an oblique enough way that if you start out more or less at ground zero (as I did) it will be hard to take anything away. The black and white photography elements (courtesy of one of the world's greatest cinematographers, Sacha Vierny, in his first collaboration with Ruiz) were quite striking though, and at times it gave off a very Bressonian feel.

This was Ruiz' second French feature and the first of two films based on novels by Pierre Klossowski, the other being "Hypothesis of the Stolen Painting." Probably worth a 6/10 for interest, and I suspect that I'll get more out of it on a second viewing after doing some homework. It appears on an indispensable Blaq Out 2-disc set with the much more accessible and entertaining "Hypothesis" and "Three Crowns of the Sailor." DVD rental