Pope Joan (2009 film)
Pope Joan | |
---|---|
Directed by | Sönke Wortmann |
Screenplay by | Heinrich Hadding Jodi Ann Johnson Sönke Wortmann |
Based on | Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross |
Produced by | Oliver Berben Martin Moszkowicz |
Starring | Johanna Wokalek David Wenham John Goodman |
Cinematography | Tom Fährmann |
Edited by | Hans Funck |
Music by | Marcel Barsotti |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Constantin Film (Germany) Medusa Film (Italy) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 149 minutes |
Countries | Germany United Kingdom Italy Spain |
Language | English |
Budget | €22,000,000 (estimated) |
Box office | $27,412,220 (Worldwide) (8 June 2010) |
Pope Joan (German: Die Päpstin) is 2009 epic historical drama film produced by Bernd Eichinger, based on American novelist Donna Woolfolk Cross' novel of the same name about the legendary Pope Joan. Directed by Sönke Wortmann, it stars Johanna Wokalek as Joan, David Wenham as Gerold, her lover, and John Goodman as Pope Sergius II.[1] The film's world premiere occurred in Berlin on 19 October 2009, with its general release in Germany on 22 October 2009.
Plot
Shortly after the death of
When a messenger comes from the bishop to collect Johanna to take her to the cathedral school, her father claims there has been a mistake and allows him to ride away with his other son. Johanna flees her home at night and finds her brother, next to the body of the slain messenger. They reach Dorestad together, where the bishop reacts to Johanna's strong words with great surprise, and the teacher Odo (Marc Bischoff) unwillingly takes her into his class. Count Gerold (David Wenham), however, supports the now-adolescent Johanna by taking her into his home. Later Gerold falls in love with her. Soon afterwards, Gerold has to go to war in the army of Lothair I and his wife Richilde (Claudia Michelsen) takes advantage of his absence to try to arrange a marriage for Johanna and thus get rid of her rival for Gerold's affections. However, the vikings break into the city during the wedding ceremony and carry out a bloody massacre, which Johanna barely manages to survive, but her brother Johannes is killed in the attack.
Johanna flees the town in a male disguise, entering the
Johanna decides to re-assume her male disguise and goes on a pilgrimage to Rome to use her medical knowledge to become a Medicus there. In Rome she wins a great reputation by curing Pope Sergius II of gout with her herbal remedies. Sergius makes her his personal physician and eventually Nomenclator. When the pope threatens Lothair I for not confirming his election, Lothair marches to Rome to subdue Sergius. Using a hydraulic device, the great door of the papal palace closes all by itself, seen as an Act of God. Pope Sergius threatens Lothair and his soldiers with God's wrath if they do not pay their respect. Lothair's soldiers all kneel, with Lothair reluctantly following. Fascinated by what he has seen, Gerold—who came with Lothair—recognizes Johanna and reveals his desire for her. She is torn between her male and female identities.
Meanwhile, Lothair's ally
Anastasius succeeds her but soon afterwards he is deposed by the Roman people and exiled to a monastery. There he writes the Liber Pontificalis, a list of the popes, from which he omits Johanna, as a final act of revenge. Many years later the story of the female pope is made known by Bishop Arnaldo, who is revealed to be, in fact, Arnalda, the daughter of Arn.
Cast
- Johanna Wokalek as Johanna
- Lotte Flack as Johanna - age 10-14
- Tigerlily Hutchinson as Johanna - age 6-9
- Tabitha Christina Rieger as Johanna - baby
- Iain Glen as Johanna's father, the village priest
- Jördis Triebel as Gudrun, Johanna's mother
- Jan-Hendrik Kiefer as Johannes, Johanna's brother
- William Stütz as Johannes - age 9-12
- Jack Flack as Johannes - age 3
- Sandro Lohmann as Matthew, Johanna's brother
- Lukas T. Berglund as Matthew - age 6
- Edward Petherbridge as Aesculapius, the teacher
- Oliver Nägele as Bishop Fulgentius
- Marc Bischoff as Odo, the teacher
- David Wenham as Count Gerold
- Lenn Kudrjawizki as Jordanes
- Claudia Michelsen as Countess Richild
- John Goodman as Pope Sergius II
- Anatole Taubman as Anastasius Bibliothecarius, Sergius' Papal Nomenclator
- Oliver Cotton as Arsenius, Anastasius' father
- Nicholas Woodeson as Arighis, Johanna's Papal Nomenclator
- Gerald Alexander Held as Emperor Lothar
- Suzanne Bertish as Bishop Arnaldo / Arnalda, the narrator
Production
The film's production took a long time and was marked by financial and cast difficulties. The Oscar-winner
Shooting began in early August 2008 at Burg Querfurt in
. Principal shooting was completed in 2008 in Germany and Morocco.Reception
The Guardian noted the film's appearance in the Italian box office top 10 and noted Vatican criticism of the film and L'Avvenire, the newspaper of the Italian Bishops' Conference, described it as being of "extremely limited vision".[2]
Awards
Pope Joan was nominated in four categories in the 2010
See also
- Pope Joan (1972 film)
- List of historical drama films
References
- ^ a b "John Goodman back in "Pope Joan" after lawsuit". Vancouver Sun. 30 July 2008. Retrieved 14 December 2008.
- ^ Child, Ben (22 June 2010). "Female pope film sparks Vatican row". The Guardian. London.
External links
- Pope Joan at IMDb
- Pope Joan at Rotten Tomatoes
- Pope Joan at AllMovie
- Pope Joan at the TCM Movie Database