aghialos
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!
vika-evdokimenko
"What a surprise! Not only the story, but what a cast! Liv Ullmann, Trevor Howard, Olivia de Havilland, Maximilian Schell, Franco Nero, Leslie Ann Down! And the texture of the movie - the crude medieval villages, the halls of the ancient Vatican, the incredible 10th Century nunnery, the countryside of Saxon Germany, in peace and war, scene after scene that could never have been shot in Hollywood. But the greatest discovery is the performance of Liv Ullmann. If anything ever deserved an Academy Award. She creates more passion and sexual desire with her eyes and the movement of a hand than the whole pantheon of current sex goddesses could with all their bodies and a ravishing musical score behind them. And when it comes to tragedy and fear those same eyes dig so deeply into the soul they leave a mark that haunts you for weeks. This is a wonderful, wonderful picture."
loza-1
Based on a supposedly true story of an Englishwoman who became pope for a short time and was lynched by a crowd after giving birth, this film could have been done much better, since the story on which it is based - true or not - is little more than a footnote in history.Being set among cardinals and clergy, there was a marked lack of intrigue. The clandestine affair from which pope Joan's child was conceived is a sordid, grotty scene, totally lacking any passion. The final scene, where the crowd lynch their pope, was little more than a playground brawl.Because this film was such a disaster, I do not see any film maker daring to touch this subject again. So we can therefore regard this film as an opportunity well and truly wasted.
moonspinner55
"Pope Joan" always gets panned in movie review tomes and, worse, the final edit of the picture was severely tampered with by the studio, yet the picture does have some merit, particularly in the performances (which are all excellent). Based on a popular legend about a 9th century nun who disguises herself as a man and--after some rather innocent deception--becomes Cardinal in Rome and later Pope. Good-looking picture was hacked up in post-production, giving the end result a half-baked feel, but I loved Liv Ullmann's work in the lead and Maximilian Schell is very sexy as a randy monk. Worth a look for Liv's admirers. **1/2 from ****
AD
