The Passion of Joan of Arc

CinemaSerfJun 2022

3.5

Maria Falconetti is superb as the eponymous tortured soul betrayed and tried for heresy in 15th century France. The history is well known, and Carl Theodor Dreyer sticks fairly faithfully to the more established, traditional, chronology which leaves us, the audience, to focus much more on the wonderfully emotive, gritty and poignant efforts from the cast and the wonderfully creative talent behind the camera. The combination of innovative, intimate and intense photography coupled with the beautifully expressive facial expressions from Miss Falconetti; the subtle but potent brutality of her persecutors - personified well by Eugene Silvain's Bishop Cauchon but also well exemplified by the cold and soul-less panel of judges all make this an effective and chilling film. The score - semi angelic, frequently intimidating but always powerful helps create an atmosphere that genuinely makes you feel fear and trepidation for this young woman, a pawn in things she little understands, but sticking faithfully to her beliefs of divine intervention and pureness of spirit. That emotional link is contagious, and even as a man of little faith myself, I found myself feeling an overwhelming pity for this person caught up in a trap of very much earthly ambition and deceit. It's a tough watch at times, especially as the chronicles remove even the slightest of chances for this woman. It is also pretty short - and that helps keep that momentum moving really well; there is no time for extended and sprawling cinematography to lessen the impact - it's a film about humanity, trauma and fear; and takes some beating...

There are a few different versions of this movie with different audio tracks. Dreyer himself criticized a bastardized version in the 1950s that changed the vignettes and audio to better fit for audiences of the time. I saw this movie long ago from a poor reproduction with what I assume was the original score and it was pretty good. Years later showed it to someone else and we saw the remastered Voices of Light version. It had been elevated to a true masterpiece. The higher video quality really lets us see Dreyer's decision to not use the extremely common heavy makeup found in the silent film era. The missing puzzle piece was found in the form of perfectly fitting vocals. Dreyer will simply have to excuse us for modifying his film.