Mother Joan of the Angels (1961)
In a remote convent on the barren plains of 17th-century Poland, a young priest arrives to exorcise the demons from a group of possessed nuns. When he meets the beautiful head of the convent, her blasphemies against the church both repel and excite him, with tragic consequences.
Based on the same historical events that inspired Ken Russell's 1971 film
The Devils, but actually the events of MJOA take place immediately after the "wicked" priest (who was later to be the central male character of THE DEVILS, played by Oliver Reed) has been burned at the stake as a sorcerer, and accuses by the 'possessed' nuns. So, when the film starts the possession and exorcism attempts are already well under way. Given the ten-year gap between the two films, the scenes here of rampaging nuns are nowhere near as explicit as in Russell's film...especially since it mainly concentrates on the man's inner torture and crisis of faith (somewhat like Ingmar Bergman's
Seventh Seal fashion) portrayed with high contrast black and white cinematography.
Nevertheless the possession & exorcism scenes in the first half are beautifully done, however, with the first revelation of evil being particularly unsettling and brilliantly handled. Even the first meeting between the two main characters is fascinating; black beard and black robe of priest against possessed Mother Joan's pure white habit & headdress…the classic colors of good and evil are actually reversed here.
Overall in MOTHER JOAN OF THE ANGELS the Polish director Jerzy Kawalerowicz showed a disturbing exploration of faith, oppression, and desire. It’s indeed a spellbinding character drama & a highly accomplished piece of film making in its own right.
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