the convent and cries with Mother Joan, neither saying a word. Cast Lucyna Winnicka as Mother Joan of the Angels Mieczyslaw Voit as Father Jozef Suryn/Rabbi Anna Ciepielewska as Sister Malgorzata Maria Chwalibóg as Antosia Kazimierz Fabisiak as Father Brym Stanislaw Jasiukiewicz as Chrzaszczewski Zygmunt Zintel as Wincenty Wolodkowicz Jerzy Kaczmarek as Kaziuk Franciszek Pieczka as Odryn Jaroslaw Kuszewski as Juraj Lech Wojciechowski as Piatkowski Marian Nosek as Dominican Priest Jerzy Walden as Dominican Priest Marian Nowak Zygmunt Malawski as Exorcist Background This film is very loosely based on the real life outbreak of mass hysteria in the French town of Loudun in 1634 that occurred when a convent of Ursuline nuns, led by the hunchbacked Sister Jeanne of the Angels, became obsessed with a handsome, womanising priest, Urbain Grandier. When Grandier turned down the nun's invitation to become their spiritual director, Jeanne accused Grandier of using black magic to seduce her and her sisters and possess them with devils. Grandier's enemies, including Cardinal Richelieu, used the accusation as an excuse to have him found guilty of witchcraft and executed. Unlike Ken Russell's The Devils (1971), which depicts Grandier's trial and death, Mother Joan of the Angels instead depicts the events after his death. The nuns continued to be possessed for four years after his death, and further exorcisms were carried out by the sincere and deeply spiritual Father Joseph Suryn whose main concern was helping Sister Jeanne. Critical reception The film was recommended by Philip Jenkinson in the Radio Times. The film is among 21 digitally restored classic Polish films chosen for Martin Scorsese Presents: Masterpieces of Polish Cinema. See also Cinema of Poland List of Polish-language films References External links U.K. DVD release of the film by Second Run 1961 films 1961 drama films Polish drama films 1960s Polish-language films Polish black-and-white films Films based on short fiction Films set in religious buildings and structures Films set in Poland Films set in the 17th century Films directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz Films about Catholic nuns Nunsploitation films