The Dark Night of the Soul (La noche oscura) 35 years old

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.

Credits

The Dark Night of the Soul Cast

Name	Character
Julie Delpy She was 19, now 54 years old
Juan Diego He was 514, 73 years old when he died
Fernando Guillén Gallego He was 56, 80 years old when he died

The Dark Night of the Soul Crew

Name	Department
Carlos Saura as Director. He was 57 (now 92) years old	Directing