The Dark Night of the Soul

Pantheon filmmaker Carlos Saura bounced back from a handful of failures with 1989's La Noche Oscura (The Dark Night). Juan Diego stars as San Juan de la Cruz (St. John of the Cross), the legendary 16th-century poet-prophet. Galvanized into action by the spirit of Santa Teresa de Jesus, San Juan fought to install reforms in the Carmelite Order. Like many another visionary, he was regarded as a heretic, and promptly subjected to the most appalling of tortures. Writer-director Saura manages to draw several parallels between the religious persecution of the 1700s and the political despotism of Fascist Spain.

Cast

Juan Diego San Juan de la Cruz Julie Delpy Virgen María Fernando Guillén Vailer Manuel de Blas Prior Francisco Casares Fray José Fermí Reixach Fray Gerónimo Tostado Abel Vitón Fray Jacinto María Elena Flores Superiora

Adolfo Thous Fray María

Metadata from the source database.