POPE JOAN
UK, 1972, 132 minutes, Colour.
Liv Ullmann, Olivia De Havilland, Franco Nero, Maximilian Schell, Lesley Anne Down, Trevor Howard, Jeremy Kemp.
Directed by Michael Anderson.
A prologue states that Pope Joan was a legend and this film presents Joan's career as such. However, although the story itself and many details are far-fetched, the film shows how plausible so much of the legend is. One of the best qualities of the film is its graphic presentation of the barbaric Church and society of the 9th century Dark Ages. This carries through the too numerous predictable lines, situations and contrived acting. Liv Ullmann's mixture of fright and ambition makes Joan's career interesting to follow. Many well known stars make welcome appearances in cameo roles. This is colourful historical melodrama, a legend and no more.
1. What presuppositions do audiences have about this film? Religious presuppositions, presuppositions about women and their role in the church, the role of the pope in the church, the role of tradition of the church and men in the church, the vision and memory of the medieval church? How did the film take account of these presuppositions? Did it allow for them and make the story acceptable for modern audiences? Did it clash with presuppositions?
2. Was the film well made? Originally it had modern sequences paralleling Joan with the fantasies of a modern evangelist in the Southern states of America. Did the film lose by excision of the modern period? Did the film come across as straightforward narrative? Did it seem to be history or legend? Did the film intend to be fact or legend? Were the situations contrived or convincing? The quality of the dialogue to communicate fact or legend? How much satire was there in the presentation of the story? How attractive a story, how gloomy a story?
3. Were the events portrayed, be they history or legend, credible? The portrayal of the 9th century background? The detail of this Dark Ages world? The credibility of religion and the functionaries of church and state?
4. How attractive a character was Joan? The style of Live Ullmann's portrayal? The understanding of her as a girl ? with her mother, her conman priest father, her reading, the experience she gained in her travels? The importance of her going to the abbey, the effect of the rape on her? Could she have lived happily at the abbey? Her work in the library? Her pride, her romanticism, her jealousy of the pregnant nun? What effect did the pillage of the monastery have on her? The horror and her escape? Why did she rely so much on Br. Adrian? Her changing her appearance for safety's sake? Did she come to think like a man and a religious nun? The nature of her preaching? Her skill in diplomacy in Rome? The effect on the Pope? Why did she not reveal the truth? The fact that Br. Adrian was continually there and the effect on her? Why did she allow herself to be seduced by Louis? As a crisis of faith and morals? The reality of her death wish: was it a martyrdom or was it mere execution of justice? Joan's attitudes towards good and evil? The quality of her conscience? The influence of chastity in her life? The attitude towards holiness? Her confronting of her moral dilemmas? What would her attitude toward her execution have been?
5. What insight into 9th century Germany and religion did the film give in its background ? the father and his preaching, his teaching his daughter to read, her reading and people thinking it a miracle, the portrayal of life in the courts, life in the abbeys?
6. How attractive was life in the abbey? The wisdom of the superior? Joan's work in the library? The moral standards within the abbey? The impact of Br. Adrian? Joan's relationships with the nuns? The reality of the siege of the Saxons and the destruction?
7. Was Adrian an interesting character? His protection of Joan? As a continual conscience for her and the effect his presence had on her?
8. How interesting was the portrayal of Papal Rome? The life and style of the church? The wisdom of Pope Leo and his style? The Pope's wisdom in choosing Joan as his successor?
9. How well portrayed was the emperor Louis and his grandson? The younger Louis and his influence? Attracted and repelled by Joan? His seduction of her: how much diplomacy, how much real feeling? As an evil influence in Joan's life? Or as a humanising influence for her?
10. What was the impact of the ending and the viciousness of the crowd? The emotional response for the audience at the end of the film, the sudden ending?
11. How much did the photography, colour, backgrounds, music and atmosphere contribute?
12. What insight into a religious world did the film give? The insights of another world compared with ours? The hardness of life in the middle ages compared with the modern life? The role of conscience, guilt, holiness at all times?
