John Goodman Being Sued For Backing Out of 'Pope Joan' Biopic

  • Thread starter Thread starter Timidity
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
T

Timidity

Guest
I posted this in Catholic News because the real news here is that someone’s making a movie about this nonsense.

How can it be a “biopic” if it’s about a fictitious person?
…German film company Constantin Film have filed a $3 million lawsuit against the actor [John Godman] over his failure to commit to the film version of the medieval legend of Pope Joan. The film has already cast Franka Potente as the lead in the story of a woman who managed to hide the fact she was female long enough to become Pope sometime in the 850’s.
The full story…
 
Since they are making this file, boycott all films by Constantin Film.
 
The article makes clear that the Pope Joan story is a legend. What’s to say the film isn’t equally clear about this legendary aspect? If it is, then there’s no more blasphemy involved than a film recounting the Cinderella fairytale.

In fact there’s no blasphemy in the first place in the possibility that a woman might have disguised herself in this way. There are numerous historical cases of women who disguised themselves as men in order to become soldiers, doctors and enter other professions that were closed to women.
 
Lily,

How would you feel about a filmmaker who was making a fictional film about Martin Luther King not being really black, but rather a white actor in blackface?

Purely fictional of course.

But if the NAACP complained about it, would you give them the same analogy of Cinderella?
 
Does anyone else find this fishy:
Pope Joan: Supposedly a woman who disguised herself as a man so that she could be Pope.

St. Joan of Arc: A woman who did disguise herself as a man so that she could be a soldier
🤷
Sounds to me like these Hollywood people need to be more creative in their bashing of the Church.
Or maybe, Catholic women named Joan just really like disguising themselves as men…
 
WanderAimlessly said:
I have no idea but, if they did, I would boycott them.

Zero tolerance for blasphemy
Click to expand...
Surely telling lies about the Papacy isn’t blasphemy. It’s only blasphemy if it’s an offence against God Himself.

Of course, it’s slanderous, and in a way it’s offensive to God because it’s saying that the Holy Spirit isn’t smart enough to discern whether the man chosen to be Pope is a woman. But that’s NOT the same thing as blasphemy.

The Pope is not God, therefore offensive comments and lies against him are not blasphemous, merely offensive and inappropriate.
 
LilyM said:
In fact there’s no blasphemy in the first place in the possibility that a woman might have disguised herself in this way. There are numerous historical cases of women who disguised themselves as men in order to become soldiers, doctors and enter other professions that were closed to women.
Click to expand...
There’s some evidence to suggest that in the early Middle Ages it was accepted in rare cases that a woman who cut her hair and dressed in men’s clothing, and who was willing to forego the benefits of being female (i.e. be subject to feudal work levies, never marry or bear children, be subject to draft for military service, etc.) could enter a ‘male only’ profession and be regarded as ‘male’ for all intents and purposes.

This is the only logical explanation for all the reported cases of women who did this. There is no way that any woman could convincingly play the part of a man if people weren’t prepared to look the other way. If there was a Pope Joan, and I have seen no reliable evidence that there ever was, then her crime was not to be a woman dressed as a man, but to give birth, which broke the strict unwritten contract that existed for women who wished to be treated as men.

For another famous example, try googling “Famous Flower of Serving Men” it’s an old English ballad that has many versions.
 
LilyM said:
The article makes clear that the Pope Joan story is a legend. What’s to say the film isn’t equally clear about this legendary aspect? If it is, then there’s no more blasphemy involved than a film recounting the Cinderella fairytale.

In fact there’s no blasphemy in the first place in the possibility that a woman might have disguised herself in this way. There are numerous historical cases of women who disguised themselves as men in order to become soldiers, doctors and enter other professions that were closed to women.
Click to expand...
There is a hidden agenda that is very obvious. It is a criticism of the all-male clergy. Why not make a movie on any of the true popes? There have been many good ones. Simple- that’s not what they want to push. There are more than a few people who believe this legend is true- this is not your typical legend that people generally don’t believe in.
Supposedly, she was found out when she gave birth during a procession from St. Peter’s – now that must have been an awkward walk home.
Click to expand...
Somehow, I don’t see this happening.
 
Brendan said:
Lily,

How would you feel about a filmmaker who was making a fictional film about Martin Luther King not being really black, but rather a white actor in blackface?

Purely fictional of course.

But if the NAACP complained about it, would you give them the same analogy of Cinderella?
Click to expand...
Very bad analogy. Martin Luther King was a real person, any movie seriously suggesting such a thing about him leaves the realm of fiction and becomes libel or slander or something.

Pope Joan is an unverifiable myth. The proposed movie would only fit your analogy if it was suggesting John XXIII or Benedict XVI or any of our *real * historical Popes was a woman in disguise. Which I agree would be awful.

Besides which, if you’re old enough you may remember the movie Barbara Streisand made called Yentl - about a woman who disguises herself as a man in order to study and become a Jewish rabbi. No protests from the Jewish community about that.
 
LilyM said:
Very bad analogy. Martin Luther King was a real person, any movie seriously suggesting such a thing about him leaves the realm of fiction and becomes libel or slander or something.

Pope Joan is an unverifiable myth. The proposed movie would only fit your analogy if it was suggesting John XXIII or Benedict XVI or any of our *real * historical Popes was a woman in disguise. Which I agree would be awful.

Besides which, if you’re old enough you may remember the movie Barbara Streisand made called Yentl - about a woman who disguises herself as a man in order to study and become a Jewish rabbi. No protests from the Jewish community about that.
Click to expand...
I will have to side with Brendan on this. Even though it is a myth, it is one that is perpetuated as true by certain groups to defame the Church. This movie would only further their agenda.
 
LilyM said:
The article makes clear that the Pope Joan story is a legend. What’s to say the film isn’t equally clear about this legendary aspect? If it is, then there’s no more blasphemy involved than a film recounting the Cinderella fairytale.

In fact there’s no blasphemy in the first place in the possibility that a woman might have disguised herself in this way. There are numerous historical cases of women who disguised themselves as men in order to become soldiers, doctors and enter other professions that were closed to women.
Click to expand...

Not to mention hermits & monks 🙂 - from *that *POV, the myth of a Papess makes rather good sense; if there can be disguised ladies farther down the pecking-order, why not be tidy, & think there was one at the very top ? It would, in a way, be symmetrical - & the Middle Ages liked symmetry.​

 
WanderAimlessly said:
I will have to side with Brendan on this. Even though it is a myth, it is one that is perpetuated as true by certain groups to defame the Church. This movie would only further their agenda.
Click to expand...
People who believe the Pope Joan myth will believe it regardless, those who don’t will continue to disbelieve regardless. I don’t think it’ll change anyone’s mind.

Those with an agenda against the Church have much more effective ways to attack than dredging up some hoary old medieval myth.
 
Rats. Franka Potente is going to play “pope” Joan. Another actor I’ll never be able to look at the same ever again. :mad:
 
WanderAimlessly said:
Even though it is a myth, it is one that is perpetuated as true by certain groups to defame the Church. This movie would only further their agenda.
Click to expand...
LilyM said:
People who believe the Pope Joan myth will believe it regardless, those who don’t will continue to disbelieve regardless. I don’t think it’ll change anyone’s mind.

Those with an agenda against the Church have much more effective ways to attack than dredging up some hoary old medieval myth.
Click to expand...
If anyone tells the story of Pope Joan correctly, it supports the idea of an all male clergy. The story explains that God publicly exposed her for her deception, showing that she was a woman. He did this as a way to protect his Church.
 
Joan of Arc didn’t disguise herself as a man. She dressed in men’s clothing. Her troops all knew she was a woman - they called her La Pucelle (the maid) everyone knew she was a woman and she didn’t try to hide her sex.

The woman in the Pope Joan legend did try to hide her sex, you can’t compare the two of them at all.
 
LilyM said:
People who believe the Pope Joan myth will believe it regardless, those who don’t will continue to disbelieve regardless. I don’t think it’ll change anyone’s mind.

I agree. Pope Joan makes a tittillating story for minds needing a little entertainment.
Click to expand...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top