The Dark Night of the Soul (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.

Released Feb. 23, 1989 93 min None+

Genres: Drama, War

Keywords: imdb.catholic-saint, imdb.toledo-spain, imdb.solitary-confinement, imdb.christian-mysticism, imdb.catholic, imdb.christianity, imdb.catholicism + 17 more, imdb.poet, imdb.temptation, imdb.christian, imdb.dream, imdb.sanity, imdb.sanctity, imdb.female-full-frontal-nudity, imdb.woman-undresses, imdb.female-nudity, imdb.saint, imdb.nudity, imdb.female-topless-nudity, imdb.male-rear-nudity, imdb.male-nudity, imdb.male-frontal-nudity, imdb.religion, soundmix.dolby