Noche oscura, La 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.

Cast:

Juan Diego
 

Julie Delpy
 

Fernando Guillén
 

Manuel de Blas
 

Francisco Casares
 

Fermí Reixach
 

• La nuit obscure
• The Dark Night of the Soul