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.
23rd February 1989
37 years ago
1 hour 33 minutes
Finishes at 2:03am
9 nominations
5.8/10
53%
56%
The One That Got Away
Waiting for Anya
Behold a Pale Horse
The War Below
The Scarlet and the Black
Field of Lost Shoes
The Last Rifleman
Max
The Beast of War
Outlaws - For Greater Glory
Movie data last updated 1 year ago on 31st January 2025 at 4:30am (GMT). Ratings last updated 1 year ago on 8th August 2025 at 1:33am (BST). All film data including images and actor information is provided by the TMDb API, but is not endorsed or certified by TMDb. Film ratings provided by OMDb. IMDb, IMDb.COM, and the IMDb logo are trademarks of IMDb.com, Inc. or its affiliates. All product names, logos, trademarks and brands are property of their respective owners. All company, product and service names used in this website are for identification purposes only. Use of these names, logos, and brands does not imply endorsement.
