Passion of Joan of Arc Movie Review 1928

Dreyer's version of the life of France's Joan of Arc ignores all the battlefield dramatics and confines itself to showing Joan in her cell and at her trial, with only one exterior shot--that of Joan (stage actress Falconetti in her only film role) on her way to the stake. The script is drawn from the Latin text of the heresy trial itself and Dreyer uses numerous close-ups (the actors wore no makeup) to show the bewilderment, fear, and anger of the participants. Dreyer refused to have his film shown with musical accompaniment but the tape includes Richard Einhron's oratoria, "Voices of Light."

Distribution

Home Vision Cinema, c/o Image Entertainment, 20525 Nordhoff St., Ste. 200, Chatsworth, CA 91311, URL: http://www.homevision.com

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 114 minutes.
Originally from French.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Biopics: Religious, Order in the Court, Religion, Medieval Romps, France, Silent Films, Historical Drama, Saints, True Stories

Screenplay

Carl Theodor Dreyer, Joseph Delteil

Cast

Renee (Marie) Falconetti, Eugena Sylvaw, Maurice Schutz, Antonin Artaud, Michel Simon

Cinematography

Rudolph Mate

Director

Carl Theodor Dreyer

Other

Carl Theodor Dreyer

Producer

Societe Generale de Films