The Dark Night of the Soul

Drama · 1989

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.

Starring

Juan Diego, Andrés Vicente Gómez, Julie Delpy, Gilles Ortion, Teo Escamilla, Fernando Guillén, Pedro del Rey, Manuel de Blas, Francisco Casares, Carlos Saura

Director

Carlos Saura