Pope Joan

Pope Joan is an international epic film produced by Bernd Eichinger, based on American novelist Donna Woolfolk Cross' novel of the same name about the legendary Pope Joan. Directed by Sönke Wortmann, it stars Johanna Wokalek as Joan, David Wenham as Gerold, her lover, and John Goodman as Pope Sergius II. The film's world premiere occurred in Berlin on 19 October 2009, with its general release in Germany on 22 October 2009. Plot Shortly after the death of Charlemagne a girl called Johanna is born in Ingelheim am Rhein. She is the daughter of a village priest (Iain Glen). He also rules his wife (Jördis Triebel) and family with a rod of iron, though his Saxon wife still secretly worships the pagan god Wotan. Even so, Johanna grows up to be an articulate girl, who intensively studies the Bible, unbeknownst to her father. After her eldest brother's sudden death, their father wants to send his second son Johannes to the cathedral school in Dorestad, but when the teacher Aesculapius (Edward Petherbridge) visits them in Ingelheim, Johanna proves to be far more capable of dealing with the Scriptures than Johannes. Against her father's wishes, Johanna is taught by Aesculapius, who introduces her to literary works such as Homer's Odyssey. When a messenger comes from the bishop to collect Johanna to take her to the cathedral school, her father claims there has been a mistake and allows him to ride away with his other son. Johanna flees her home at night and finds her brother, next to the body of the slain messenger. They reach Dorestad together, where the bishop reacts to Johanna's strong words with great surprise, and the teacher Odo (Marc Bischoff) unwillingly takes her into his class. Count Gerold (David Wenham), however, supports the now-adolescent Johanna by taking her into his home. Later Gerold falls in love with her. Soon afterwards, Gerold has to go to war in the army of Lothair I and his wife Richilde (Claudia Michelsen) takes advantage of his absence to try to arrange a marriage for Johanna and thus get rid of her rival for Gerold's affections. However, the vikings break into the city during the wedding ceremony and carry out a bloody massacre, which Johanna barely manages to survive, but her brother Johannes is killed in the attack. Johanna flees the town in a male disguise, entering the Fulda monastery of Benedictines as "Brother Johannes Anglicus".