When Will Pope Joan -- AKA the Lady-Pope Biopic -- Come to the U.S.?
There is so very much to recommend the new film Pope Joan, the epic German-made, English-language biopic of the legendary (and, many would say, apocryphal) ninth-century woman who ascended to the papal throne while posing as a man. First of all, there's the idea of a woman ascending to the papal throne, which is endlessly intriguing. Then there's the other part of her myth, which involved her having a secret lover and a child before she was discovered and torn apart by a vicious mob. Last and hardly least, John Goodman plays her successor, Pope Sergius III, who is the only pope thought to have ordered the murder of a another. Pulpy! And of course the Vatican hates it. So when can we see it in the U.S.?
Summit Entertainment has final say on that, and as of this writing, no Stateside release date has been set. But the House That Twilight Built might look with encouragement to Italy, where Vatican scorn hasn't stopped the film from soaring near the top of the box-office -- right below Sex and the City 2. Obviously. The Brits are apparently next, already looking forward to the opportunity to see how the two-and-a-half hour biopic -- based on Donna Woolfolk Cross's novel (and preceded by a 1972 version of the same story starring Liv Ullmann) fares in England.
And there's a German-language trailer with subtitles (and, er, menstrual blood):
Again, the Catholic Church (and most historians) vehemently denies the possibility of a Lady Pope at any time in its history, writing Pope Joan's story off as a "hoax" and calling the film one of "extremely limited vision." In other words, it's no Blues Brothers. Surely Goodman's casting must count for something? The Blues Brothers 2000 connection? No? OK. Well, for the rest of us, keep an eye out.
· Female pope film sparks Vatican row [The Guardian]
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Comments
I really hope this is a great as it's premise. SOLD!
No Lady Popes!
Just Pedo Popes. And incestuous Popes. And murderous Popes. And Nazi sympathizer Popes. And secretly married Popes. And terrible fucking Popes.
Gee stolidog you don't deal with facts much do you?
The Borgias alone fit all of my pope descriptors (except the Nazi part of course, although I'm sure they would have had the timing been right)
Stolidog, By "The Borgias" (why the plural) I presume you mean Pope Alexander VI. Yes by most accounts he seems a nasty fellow, and the Church (Priests and Lay people alike) were glad to see his reign end. But that's just one Pope out of the 265 the Church has had over the last 2000 years. Yes you might find another one or two bad Popes. But having just a few bad Popes out of 265 is more than a reasonable record.
I do hope you're not so gullible as to believe in the legend of the girly pope.
facts are facts. just because one doesn't know about them, doesn't mean they don't exist. there were more than one or two bad popes, and they did murder, rape, and were secretly married. documentation of these facts is out there for any one to read. in the end, we all choose to believe what we will. i like to make informed choices.
as far as one or two bad apples, is there ever any excuse for a vicar of Christ to be anything but pure and holy, ever? i don't want there to be any bad apples, ever! if these guys are chosen by God, appointed by God, then am i to believe that God chooses bad apples?
oh, and there is also documentation about the female pope. when one wants to keep something a secret, they usually try to eradicate all the evidence...but sometimes it is not possible rid of it all and it comes back to haunt you. that is not so hard to believe.
No, he is correct. Popes and priests represent the worst in society because they have the pretense of being "pure" while they turn a blind eye to unrelenting child abuse among their own. The ones who stand up get kicked out, so the entire institution is corrupt and the pope as leader is ultimately responsible for it all. Arrest the Pope!
Saw PJ when it was at the theater. It is a VERY good movie and I also see why the narrow minded Catholic church would not want it to see the light of day. Hope they lose this one and the DVD (in English) becomes available soon in the states.