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La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc
1928 History Drama
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Credits
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Director: Carl Theodor Dreyer
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Script: Joseph Delteil, Carl Theodor Dreyer
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Photo: Rudolph Maté
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Music: Ole Schmidt, Richard Einhorn
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Cast: Maria Falconetti (Jeanne d'Arc),
Eugene Silvain (Evêque Pierre Cauchon),
André Berley (Jean d'Estivet),
Maurice Schutz (Nicolas Loyseleur),
Antonin Artaud (Jean Massieu),
Jean d'Yd (Guillaume Evrard),
Louis Ravet (Jean Beaupère),
Armand Lurville (Juge (Judge)),
Jacques Arnna (Juge),
Alexandre Mihalesco (Juge (Judge)),
Léon Larive (Juge),
Michel Simon
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Country: France
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Language: French
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Runtime: 110 min; B&W, silent
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Aka: The Passion of Joan of Arc
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Summary
Joan of Arc is put on trial for alleged treason. Once glorified as her nation's saviour,
she has become a mere pawn in a game of political intrigue. Her sacrifice would appear
inevitable...
Review
Unquestionably the best film version of the Joan of Arc story ever made. A masterpiece
of visual poetry which captures not just the brutality of Joan's betrayal and sacrifice,
but the tragic humanity of those involved.
When you see a movie about a well-known subject, you don’t expect to be
surprised anymore. One of these movies is La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc,
directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer (1928). This is what happened with this
movie: I knew every scene, every line that would follow. But, in this
case, maybe it is better this way, because I could concentrate more on
the images and the two actors: Maria Falconetti and Antonin
Artaud. I was thinking... Well, maybe in our time, the role
played by Maria Falconetti could seem a little too dramatic, or maybe
pathetic, for few: a Jeanne that cries all the time. But
for that time I think it’s really unbelievable how she plays her role,
and the gestures are telling everything, that there is no need for the
inserted texts, that are explaining the action. The movie can be one
about Maria Falconetti, an acting exercise, maybe. She manages so well
to pass from one state to another, from ecstasy to interior peace, even
resignation. Jeanne is a Christ, which experiences all the moments of
the passions, from the well-known judgment, to the injury and, finally,
death. I liked Dreyer’s way of representing the group of the so-called
judges, in a Daumier-esque, caricatured way, but at the same time very
representative for that society, with its unstable structure. Antonin
Artaud seems to be like a child, in a confused situation, not knowing
what to do or to believe. His enlightenment takes place in the moment
of Jeanne’s death; he plays his small role wonderfully.
Laura Greere, Romania
See also: Ordet
(1955)
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