''The Suspended Vocation'' (french: La vocation suspendue) is a 1978 French drama film directed by Chilean filmmaker Raúl Ruiz. It is a free adaptation of the

perverse Perversion is a form of human behavior which deviates from what is considered to be orthodox or normal. Although the term ''perversion'' can refer to a variety of forms of deviation, it is most often used to describe sexual behaviors that are co ...

theological Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

1950 novel of the same name by

Pierre Klossowski Pierre Klossowski (; ; 9 August 1905 – 12 August 2001) was a French writer, translator and artist. He was the eldest son of the artists Erich Klossowski and Baladine Klossowska, and his younger brother was the painter Balthus. Life Born in Par ...

.Goddard, Michael (2013). ''The Cinema of Raúl Ruiz: Impossible Cartographies'', Wallflower Press, pp. 39-45

Plot

The film centers on a Dominican monk named Jérôme (played by one actor in colour and another actor in black-and-white) and his interactions with various higher-ups within the French

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Cast

Didier Flamand Didier Flamand (born 12 March 1947) is a French actor and theatre director. He has appeared in more than 200 films and television shows since 1973. He starred in Raúl Ruiz's 1978 film '' The Suspended Vocation''. Theater Filmography Actor ...

as Jérôme # 1 *

Pascal Bonitzer Pascal Bonitzer (; born 1 February 1946) is a French screenwriter, film director, actor, and former film critic for '' Cahiers du cinéma''. He has written for 48 films and has appeared in 30 films since 1967. He starred in Raúl Ruiz's 1978 fi ...

as Jérôme # 2 *

Daniel Gélin Daniel Yves Alfred Gélin (19 May 1921 – 29 November 2002) was a French film and television actor. Early life Gélin was born in Angers, Maine-et-Loire, the son of Yvonne (née Le Méner) and Alfred Ernest Joseph Gélin. When he was ten, ...

as Malagrida *

Édith Scob Édith Scob (21 October 1937 – 26 June 2019) was a French film and theatre actress, best known for her role as the daughter with a disfigured face in '' Eyes Without a Face'' (1960). Early life and family Scob was born Édith Helena Vladimirov ...

as Angélique *

Gabriel Gascon Gabriel Gascon (8 January 1927 – 30 May 2018) was a Canadian stage and film actor. Born in Montreal, Quebec to parents Charles-Auguste Gascon and Marie-Rose Dubuc, Gascon began his acting career after joining the Compagnons de Saint-Laurent_with ...

as The father-confessor *

Geneviève Mnich Geneviève Mnich (born 19 February 1942), is a French actress. She has appeared in 80 films since 1972. She was born in Cuffies, Aisne, France. Selected filmography * ''Joséphine, ange gardien'' (2006) (1 Episode : "La Couleur de l'amour") * ...

as Sister Théophile *

Maurice Bénichou Maurice Bénichou (23 January 1943 in Tlemcen, French Algeria – 14 June 2019) was a French actor. His best known roles include three collaborations with director Michael Haneke ('' Code inconnu'', '' Le Temps du Loup'', and '' Caché''), and ...

as Member of the Devotion # 1 * Pascal Kané as The member of Devotion # 2 * Alexandre Tamar as Member of Devotion # 3 * Jean Badin as L'ami * Huguette Faget as The Seller of Statues * Jean Rougeul as Euthanasien Persienne * Françoise Vercruyssen as The Woman * Jean Lescot as The Father-Master # 1 * Marcel Imhoff as The Father-Master # 2 * Daniel Isoppo as The lay brother * Isidro Romero as The Prior # 1 * Gérard Berner as The Prior # 2 * Éric Burnelli as The Painter Brother * Jean-Robert Viard as Bishop (as Jean Robert Viard) * Paul-Eric Shulmann as Child (as Paul-Eroc Schulman) * Sylvie Herbert as Sister Vincent * Raoul Guillet as The Superior * Jean Frapat as The black abbot

References

External links

* 1978 films 1978 drama films French drama films 1970s French-language films Films directed by Raúl Ruiz French black-and-white films 1970s French films {{1970s-drama-film-stub