Search - Mother Joan of the Angels (Matka Joanna od Aniolow) on DVD

A convent of nuns possessed by demons in the 17th century

Richard J. Brzostek | New England, USA | 07/03/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Matka Jonna od Aniolow" (Mother Joan of the Angels) is a creepy film about exorcism in the 17th century. A convent of nuns is troubled by demonic possession, including the Mother Superior, who is possessed by eight demons. The four local priest/exorcists summon the help of another priest specializing in exorcism to help them. What he finds at the convent will be the test of his lifetime as he tries to help them.

The priest feels sympathetic and concern for helping others, but his efforts to exercise the demons are not instantly successful. In his labors, he begins to develop affection for Mother Joan. The priest begins a journey of self-reflection and brings us along on his meditative search for meaning. My favorite part of this search was when he consults a Rabbi, and their philosophical discussion that follows. The way I interpreted the deeper meaning of this movie was that love is the answer.

The fact that "Matka Jonna od Aniolow" (1960) was made in black and white gives it an intensely creepy feeling. There isn't anything gruesome shown, but the nature of the story itself, the spooky feeling of the convent, and the behavior of the possessed nuns create an amazing effect of uneasiness. One could easily place the film in the category of horror based on the suspenseful nature of the film. "Matka Jonna od Aniolow" is an intriguing story and a work of art.
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A film that manages to show the way in which faith, supersti

M. B. Alcat | Los Angeles, California | 03/06/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Mother Joan of the Angels" (= "Matka Jonna od Aniolow") is a strange 1961 film directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz, that manages to show the way in which faith, superstition and fanaticism can mix.

The story that this film tells is set in 17th century Poland, and it is, to say the least, unusual. The main character is Father Suryn (Mieczyslaw Voit), a priest that arrives to a convent in order to exorcise a group of nuns possessed by the demon. Their leader is the abbess, Mother Joan (Lucyna Winnicka), a beautiful young woman that seems to embrace the choice of being possessed by the demon, given that she is aware that she cannot be a saint, and would rather be damned than like everybody else. Father Suryn begins to care too much for her, having his faith tested while he strives to save the nuns and not lose his soul in the process.

Even though this film is loosely based on real facts, I think that its real power comes from the subjective way in which the director chose to tell it. When you finish watching this powerful movie, you don't know whether you liked it or not, but you are sure that "Mother Joan of the Angels" is an enduring work of art worth-seeing. Recommended...

Belen Alcat"