| Pope Joan | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Michael Anderson |
| Written by | John Briley |
| Produced by | Kurt Unger Daniel Unger (uncredited) John Briley (associate producer) Leonard C. Lane (executive producer) |
| Starring | Liv Ullmann Olivia de Havilland Franco Nero |
| Cinematography | Billy Williams |
| Edited by | Bill Lenny |
| Music by | Maurice Jarre |
| Distributed by | Columbia-Warner Distributors (UK) Columbia Pictures (US) |
Release date |
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Running time | 132 minutes (original uncut version) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Pope Joan is a 1972 British historical drama film based on the story of Pope Joan.[1] Even though modern consensus generally considers Pope Joan to be legendary,[2] in the film her existence is treated as fact.
It was directed by Michael Anderson and has a cast which includes Liv Ullmann (in the lead role), Olivia de Havilland, Lesley-Anne Down, Franco Nero and Maximilian Schell. The soundtrack was composed by Maurice Jarre with additional choral music provided by The Sistine Chapel Choir, directed by Domenico Bartolucci.[3]
The film was released on DVD in 2003 on Region 1 format disc.[4] It was also re-titled in some areas as The Devil's Imposter, with much material cut.
The version of the film released in 1972 differed significantly from the version that had originally been filmed. Anderson's original was made with flashbacks and flash-forward sequences about a modern-day Evangelical preacher who believes her life parallels that of Pope Joan. In this version psychiatrists try to send her back through her past lives to establish if she is the reincarnation of Pope Joan.[5] However, the distributor decided to have all of the contemporary sequences removed and released the film as a straightforward historical drama. In 2009, the film was re-edited and the previously unreleased footage set in the 20th century was re-inserted. However, it also cut some of the footage of Joan being pope. It was re-released under the title She… Who Would Be Pope.[6]
- ^ "Pope Joan (1972)". IMDb. 25 October 1972. Retrieved 6 January 2016. [unreliable source?]
- ^ "Catholic Encyclopedia: Pope Joan". Newadvent.org. 1 October 1910. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
- ^ "Pope Joan (1972) Soundtracks". IMDb. Retrieved 6 January 2016. [unreliable source?]
- ^ "Pope Joan". Amazon. 12 August 2003. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
- ^ "She... Who Would Be Pope (2009)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 9 September 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
- ^ Child, Ben (22 June 2010). "Female pope film sparks Vatican row". TheGuardian.com. Retrieved 22 June 2010.