Pope Joan (1972)

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Liv Ullman portrays a female pope -- based on a long-held rumor that the papacy was held by a woman between the reigns of Leo IV and Benedict III -- in this rambling saga directed by Michael Anderson. The British version of the film has been cut, not only removing twenty-one minutes of the film but… More Liv Ullman portrays a female pope -- based on a long-held rumor that the papacy was held by a woman between the reigns of Leo IV and Benedict III -- in this rambling saga directed by Michael Anderson. The British version of the film has been cut, not only removing twenty-one minutes of the film but also an entire contemporary framing story. In the full version, a modern-day woman evangelist, played by Ullman, who feels an affinity to the legendary Pope Joan, pays a visit to her psychiatrist (Keir Dullea). Searching through her past lives to see whether she is the reincarnation of Pope Joan, the film then flashbacks 1000 years to pick up Joan (Ullman in an earlier incarnation of her character) undergoing a succession of trials and tribulations. Joan then meets up with and becomes the mistress of Adrian (Maximilian Schell), a monk with an artistic bent. After the death of Charlemagne when roving bands of Saxons are raping women and ransacking the countryside, Joan flees the country by cutting her hair short and dressing like a man. Together Joan and Adrian escape to Greece. In Greece, Joan's street-corner preaching draws the attention of Pope Leo IV (Trevor Howard), who is impressed by her impassioned rendering of the Gospel. Still disguised as a man, Pope Leo, clueless as to her true sex, hires her as his secretary. From there, she rises up the ladder of the Roman Catholic Church, becoming a cardinal and then Pope Leo's successor. But then she becomes pregnant by a lover from her past (Franco Nero) and Joan must hide her delicate condition from the papal authorities and the rowdy masses. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: PG, 2 hr. 12 min.
Directed By: Michael Anderson
Genres: Drama, Art House & International, Classics

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1972 Wide
On DVD: Aug 12, 2003

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Cast

            Liv Ullmann as Joan

            Trevor Howard as Pope Leo

            Lesley-Anne Down as Cecilia

            Franco Nero as Louis

            Olivia de Havilland as Mother Superior

            Maximilian Schell as Adrian

            Peter Arne as Richard

            Robert Beatty as Dr. Corwin

            Richard Bebb as Lord of Manor

            Martin Benson as Lothair

            Carl Bernard as Ancient Monk

            Jack Byron as Cardinal Jerome

            Kurt Christian as Prince Charles

            Keir Dullea as Dr. Stevens

            Derek Farr as Cardinal Brisini

            Terence Hardiman as Cardinal Anastasius

            Nigel Havers as Young Monk

            George Innes as 2nd Monk

            Jeremy Kemp as Joan's Father

            Neil Kennedy as Louis' Emissary

            Duncan Lamont as 1st Wounded Soldier

            Susan Macready as Sister Nunciata

            Patrick Magee as Elder Monk

            André Morell as Emperor Louis

            Natasa Nicolescu as Joan's Mother

            Richard Pearson as Father Timothy

            Katherine Schofield as Alma

            John Shrapnel as Father James

            Sharon Winter as Joan as a child

            Mary Healey as Nun

            Philip G. Ross as Peasant In Hut

            Manning Wilson as Bishop

            Margareta Pogonat as Village Woman

            John Arineri as Church Official

            Neville Aurelius as Duty Doctor

            Lorain Bertorelli as Nun

            Ion Grafini as Wounded Soldiers

            Sheelah Wilcocks as Sister Louise
See full cast

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