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.
Directing | Carlos Saura | Director |
Writing | Carlos Saura | Screenplay |
Production | Andrés Vicente Gómez | Producer |
Camera | Teo Escamilla | Director of Photography |
Editing | Pedro del Rey | Editor |
Art | Gerardo José Vega | Production Design |
Art | Koldo Vallés | Set Decoration |
Costume & Make-Up | Romana González | Makeup Artist |
Costume & Make-Up | José Antonio Sánchez | Makeup Artist |
Directing | Carlos Saura Medrano | Assistant Director |
Art | Gerardo Vera | Art Direction |
Sound | Carlos Faruolo | Sound |
Sound | Gilles Ortion | Sound |