While not a nunsploitation film at all, it's hard not to at least consider the analogy given the content, or at least the form. Within the context of nun films, this qualifies as the best of the lot, easily surpassing even "Flavia the Heretic". However, there is not a hint of exploitation here - this is a highly artistic work that values subtle and minimalist approach. All the excesses take place off screen. Instead, the film concentrates on the man's inner torture and crisis of faith, delivered with stern black and white cinematography. These factors are used to a great effect and sometimes do, in fact, lead to the atmosphere of veritable horror, particularly the devastating scenes leading up to, and following the murder of the two peasants. All in all, criss cross Bergman circa his "death of god" trilogy with snippets of "Incubus" (the one with William Shatner), Czech Republic's "Witches'Hammer", Japan's "School Of The Holy Beast" and "Excorcist", and you will end up in the ballpark next to "Matka Joanna..." Made in the early 60's, the film has obviously been quite offensive to the Catholic church, which always had a huge influence in Poland, even during the communist years. The scene of the priest going to a rabbi for advise (Mieczyslaw Voit doubling in the main role of a tortured priest and a rabbi)and being accused of ignorance is unsettling enough for any good Samaritan. But in those days the church must have had less leverage if, for instance, it wanted to have the film banned, I reckon. Overall, though, the movie takes stabs at both the insular macrocosm of the church as well as the secular world. The latter, for example, with the scene of a nobleman seducing a gullible nun and then abandoning her the morning after. And the former - with the scenes of priests impotently attempting to exorcise the sinful nuns. The exorcism sequences, namely those of the nuns, are wonderful actually - once again, subtle and also theatrical and surreal, but without the silly "Exorcist"-type horror bombast, although there are traces of it in the scene depicting the first encounter between the priest and mother superior. But since this movie was made way before the "Exorcist" - you can disregard the whole thing. Anyhow, this piece is way up there in the left-field Polish pantheon along with "Saragosa Manuscript" and early works of Andrzej Zulawski. Highest recommendations.
Review of Mother Joan of the Angels
