Though this site is still under construction, here is my fourth review, the spiritual journey of the 1928 French silent classic The Passion of Joan of Arc.
Title: The Passion of Joan of Arc
Year: 1928
Director: Carl Dreyer
Country: France
Language: French
Running Time: 82 Minutes
Rating: N/R
To see Carl Dreyer’s Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) and not weep tears of incredible sadness seems like an impossibility, especially with the combination of close-ups, Renee Maria Falconetti’s impressive performance as the ultimately doomed Joan of Arc and Richard Einhorn’s chilling Voices of Light score. Passion of Joan of Arc is truly a remarkable silent film that will live throughout the ages.
“Long thought to have been lost to fire, the original version was miraculously found in perfect condition in 1981—in a Norwegian mental institution” Dreyer’s Passion of Joan of Arc tells the legendary story of a country maid who claimed that she had divine visions, sent from God, to lead the French to victory against the English. Dressed as a boy, she eventually did lead the French to victory over the occupying forces of the British. Unfortunately she was captured and brought to a church court, where they laid down severe charges of heresy against her. I praise the director, Carl Dreyer for his writing contributions to this film, he was given a script and threw it away. Instead he focused on the actual transcripts of Joan’s trial. Had he kept the script given to him, the film would not be as authentic and heartbreaking as it is.
Saint or Mentally disabled woman, does it matter? Fearful and consumed with heartache Renee Maria Falconetti’s first, and only, onscreen performance is hauntingly beautiful. She is profoundly human; full of suffering, sorrow and despair as Joan of Arc. Falconetti’s eyes are a window into Joan’s tortured soul.
A reason Falconetti’s performance is so great has to do a lot with Passion of Joan of Arc’s unique visual style and camerawork. There are no long or establishing shots, rather the film is comprised entirely of medium, close-ups and extreme close ups. These incredible shots create a fearful, convicting and confrontational mood between Joan of Arc and her accusers, a bunch of self righteous religious hypocrites, who have either sent a saint or a woman with a severe mentally disability to her untimely fate. Dreyer knew the impact close-ups had on the viewer, he knew that if he was going to make such a solemn and emotional film he would need as many close-ups as possible. As well, for a film of such historical content, there is very little scenery. This was obviously intentional, to make the viewer feel like the film was located in a closed off environment and Joan was being treated like an animal in an enclosure.
The sets are very German Expressionistic, very odd sizes and lengths. This was also intentional, to create a nightmare-like feel. The sets give us a feeling of imbalance, disharmony and doom, showing Joan’s horrors of finding out that the Church wasn’t a happy place, but a place of great evil and conviction where she would ultimately be burned at the stake. Richard Einhorn’s Voices of Light score brings even more emotion to this film, it’s a heartbreaking and emotionally draining score that, combined with the imagery of Passion of Joan of Arc, will bring you to tears at the injustice Christianity has gotten away with for centuries.
In conclusion, Passion of Joan of Arc is an incredibly beautiful film about pain, suffering and the evils and hypocrisy of Early Christianity. Passion of Joan of Arc is a plunge into the soul, a voyage into human history and a trek through great film making. There is a lot to be gained from watching Carl Theodore Dreyer’s 1928 silent masterpiece. This film is an uneasy, unsettling, intimate experience in which we may find out more truths about life than we could watching any other film. I urge anyone who has ever been interested in films to take this journey, for it will truly be life altering. 5/5
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