The Passion of Joan of Arc
Encyclopedia
The Passion of Joan of Arc is a silent film
produced in France in 1928
. It is based on the record of the trial of Joan of Arc
. The film was directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer
and stars Renée Jeanne Falconetti
. It is widely regarded as a landmark of cinema, especially for its production, its direction and Falconetti's performance, which has been described as being among the finest in cinema history.
The film summarizes the time that Joan of Arc was a captive of the English. It depicts her trial, imprisonment, torture, and execution.
, telling her to trust in the bearer. When that too fails, Joan is taken to view the torture chamber, but the sight, though it causes her to faint, does not intimidate her. When she is threatened with burning at the stake, she finally breaks and allows a priest to guide her hand in signing a confession. However, she soon recants and is publicly executed.
was in the news in France after the First World War, having been canonised in 1920 as a saint of the Roman Catholic church and adopted as one of the patron saints of France. Dreyer said his film script was based exactly on the records of her trial and execution. What especially stood out at the time when Passion was made was the film's camera-work
and emphasis on the actors' facial features. Dreyer shot a great deal of the film in close-up and did not allow his actors to wear makeup, the better to tell the story through their expressions—this choice was made possible through use of the recently developed panchromatic
film, which recorded skin tones in a naturalistic manner. Dreyer also shot the film "from the first to the last scene ... in the right order."
This was Falconetti's second and last film role. According to film critic Roger Ebert
:
s and surviving prints, but he died believing his original cut was lost forever. In one of the most important discoveries in cinema history, a virtually complete print of Dreyer's original version was found in 1981 in a janitor's closet of an Oslo mental institution. This version is now available on DVD.
film reviewer Mordaunt Hall
raved:
Of the star, he wrote, "... it is the gifted performance of Maria Falconetti as the Maid of Orleans that rises above everything in this artistic achievement." Pauline Kael
wrote that her portrayal "may be the finest performance ever recorded on film." Her performance was ranked 26th in Premiere Magazines 100 Greatest Performances of All Time, the highest of any silent performance on the list.
It was banned in Britain
for its portrayal of crude English soldiers who mock and torment Joan in scenes that mirror biblical accounts of Christ
's mocking at the hands of Roman
soldiers. The Archbishop of Paris
was also critical, demanding changes be made to the film.
The Passion of Joan of Arc has appeared on Sight & Sound
magazine's top ten films poll three times: as number seven in 1952 and 1972, and as number ten (Critic's List) and six (Director's List) in 1992. The Village Voice ranked it the eighth of the twentieth century in a 2000 poll of critics. In 2010, the Toronto International Film Festival
released its "Essential 100" list of films, which merged one list of the 100 greatest films of all time as determined by an expert panel of TIFF curators with another list determined by TIFF stakeholders. The Passion of Joan of Arc was ranked as the most influential film of all time.
Scenes from Passion appear in Jean-Luc Godard
's Vivre sa Vie (1962), in which the protagonist Nana sees the film at a cinema and identifies with Joan. In Henry & June
, Henry Miller
is shown watching the last scenes of the film and in voice-over narrates a letter to Anaïs Nin
comparing her to Joan and himself to the "mad monk" character played by Antonin Artaud
.
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
produced in France in 1928
1928 in film
-Events:Although some movies released in 1928 had sound, most were still silent.* July 28 - Lights of New York is released by Warner Brothers. It is the first "100% Talkie" feature film, in that dialog is spoken throughout the film...
. It is based on the record of the trial of Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc
Saint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...
. The film was directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer
Carl Theodor Dreyer
Carl Theodor Dreyer, Jr. was a Danish film director. He is regarded by many critics and filmmakers as one of the greatest directors in cinema.-Life:Dreyer was born illegitimate in Copenhagen, Denmark...
and stars Renée Jeanne Falconetti
Renée Jeanne Falconetti
Renée Jeanne Falconetti , sometimes credited as Maria Falconetti, Marie Falconetti, Renée Maria Falconetti, or, simply, Falconetti, was a French stage and film actress, notable for her role as Joan of Arc in Carl Theodor Dreyer's 1928 silent film, La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc.Born...
. It is widely regarded as a landmark of cinema, especially for its production, its direction and Falconetti's performance, which has been described as being among the finest in cinema history.
The film summarizes the time that Joan of Arc was a captive of the English. It depicts her trial, imprisonment, torture, and execution.
Plot
Joan is brought to trial. Her judges try to make her say something that will discredit her claim or shake her belief that she has been given a mission by God to drive the English from France, but she remains steadfast. One or two of them, believing that she is indeed a saint, support her. The authorities then resort to deception. A priest reads to the illiterate prisoner a false letter supposedly from her kingCharles VII of France
Charles VII , called the Victorious or the Well-Served , was King of France from 1422 to his death, though he was initially opposed by Henry VI of England, whose Regent, the Duke of Bedford, ruled much of France including the capital, Paris...
, telling her to trust in the bearer. When that too fails, Joan is taken to view the torture chamber, but the sight, though it causes her to faint, does not intimidate her. When she is threatened with burning at the stake, she finally breaks and allows a priest to guide her hand in signing a confession. However, she soon recants and is publicly executed.
Cast
- Maria Falconetti as Jeanne d'ArcJoan of ArcSaint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...
- Eugène Silvain as ÉvêqueBishopA bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
Pierre CauchonPierre CauchonPierre Cauchon , bishop of Beauvais. A strong partisan of English interests in France during the latter years of the Hundred Years' War, his role in arranging Joan of Arc's downfall led most subsequent observers to condemn his extension of secular politics into an ecclesiastical trial... - André BerleyAndré Berley-Selected filmography:* The Passion of Joan of Arc * Juanita * Les mutinés de l'Elseneur * Monsieur Personne...
as Jean d'Estivet - Maurice SchutzMaurice SchutzMaurice Schutz was a French film actor.He starred in some 91 films between 1918 and 1952.-Filmography:Selected films include:* Quatre-vingt-treize * Au-delà des lois humaines...
as Nicolas Loyseleur - Antonin ArtaudAntonin ArtaudAntoine Marie Joseph Artaud, more well-known as Antonin Artaud was a French playwright, poet, actor and theatre director...
as Jean Massieu - Gilbert Dalleu as Jean Lemaître
- Jean d'YdJean d'YdJean d'Yd was the stage name of Jean Paul Felix Didier Perret. He was a French actor and comedian, and was born in Paris in the on 17 May 1880...
as Nicolas de Houppeville - Louis Ravet as Jean Beaupère (as Ravet)
- Michel SimonMichel SimonMichel Simon , was a Swiss actor. The actor François Simon is his son.-Early years:...
as Judge
Production
Historically important in the 15th century, Joan of ArcJoan of Arc
Saint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...
was in the news in France after the First World War, having been canonised in 1920 as a saint of the Roman Catholic church and adopted as one of the patron saints of France. Dreyer said his film script was based exactly on the records of her trial and execution. What especially stood out at the time when Passion was made was the film's camera-work
Movie camera
The movie camera is a type of photographic camera which takes a rapid sequence of photographs on strips of film which was very popular for private use in the last century until its successor, the video camera, replaced it...
and emphasis on the actors' facial features. Dreyer shot a great deal of the film in close-up and did not allow his actors to wear makeup, the better to tell the story through their expressions—this choice was made possible through use of the recently developed panchromatic
Panchromatic
Panchromatic film is a type of black-and-white photographic film that is sensitive to all wavelengths of visible light. A panchromatic film therefore produces a realistic reproduction of a scene as it appears to the human eye. Almost all modern photographic film is panchromatic, but some types are...
film, which recorded skin tones in a naturalistic manner. Dreyer also shot the film "from the first to the last scene ... in the right order."
This was Falconetti's second and last film role. According to film critic Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
:
For Falconetti, the performance was an ordeal. Legends from the set tell of Dreyer forcing her to kneel painfully on stone and then wipe all expression from her face--so that the viewer would read suppressed or inner pain. He filmed the same shots again and again, hoping that in the editing room he could find exactly the right nuance in her facial expression.
Rediscovery
The original version of the film was lost for decades after a fire destroyed the master negative. Dreyer himself attempted to reassemble a version from outtakeOuttake
An outtake is a portion of a work that is removed in the editing process and not included in the work's final, publicly released version. In the digital era, significant outtakes have been appended to CD and DVD reissues of many albums and films as bonus tracks or features, in film often, but not...
s and surviving prints, but he died believing his original cut was lost forever. In one of the most important discoveries in cinema history, a virtually complete print of Dreyer's original version was found in 1981 in a janitor's closet of an Oslo mental institution. This version is now available on DVD.
Reception and legacy
The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
film reviewer Mordaunt Hall
Mordaunt Hall
Mordaunt Hall was the first regularly assigned motion picture critic for The New York Times, from October 1924 to September 1934....
raved:
... as a film work of art this takes precedence over anything that has so far been produced. It makes worthy pictures of the past look like tinsel shams. It fills one with such intense admiration that other pictures appear but trivial in comparison.
Of the star, he wrote, "... it is the gifted performance of Maria Falconetti as the Maid of Orleans that rises above everything in this artistic achievement." Pauline Kael
Pauline Kael
Pauline Kael was an American film critic who wrote for The New Yorker magazine from 1968 to 1991. Earlier in her career, her work appeared in City Lights, McCall's and The New Republic....
wrote that her portrayal "may be the finest performance ever recorded on film." Her performance was ranked 26th in Premiere Magazines 100 Greatest Performances of All Time, the highest of any silent performance on the list.
It was banned in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
for its portrayal of crude English soldiers who mock and torment Joan in scenes that mirror biblical accounts of Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
's mocking at the hands of Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
soldiers. The Archbishop of Paris
Archbishop of Paris
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Paris is one of twenty-three archdioceses of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The original diocese is traditionally thought to have been created in the 3rd century by St. Denis and corresponded with the Civitas Parisiorum; it was elevated to an archdiocese on...
was also critical, demanding changes be made to the film.
The Passion of Joan of Arc has appeared on Sight & Sound
Sight & Sound
Sight & Sound is a British monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute .Sight & Sound was first published in 1932 and in 1934 management of the magazine was handed to the nascent BFI, which still publishes the magazine today...
magazine's top ten films poll three times: as number seven in 1952 and 1972, and as number ten (Critic's List) and six (Director's List) in 1992. The Village Voice ranked it the eighth of the twentieth century in a 2000 poll of critics. In 2010, the Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
released its "Essential 100" list of films, which merged one list of the 100 greatest films of all time as determined by an expert panel of TIFF curators with another list determined by TIFF stakeholders. The Passion of Joan of Arc was ranked as the most influential film of all time.
Scenes from Passion appear in Jean-Luc Godard
Jean-Luc Godard
Jean-Luc Godard is a French-Swiss film director, screenwriter and film critic. He is often identified with the 1960s French film movement, French Nouvelle Vague, or "New Wave"....
's Vivre sa Vie (1962), in which the protagonist Nana sees the film at a cinema and identifies with Joan. In Henry & June
Henry & June
Henry & June is a 1990 American film directed by Philip Kaufman and stars Fred Ward, Maria de Medeiros, and Uma Thurman. It is loosely based on the book of the same name by the French author Anaïs Nin, and tells the story of Nin's relationship with Henry Miller and his wife, June.-Plot:The story...
, Henry Miller
Henry Miller
Henry Valentine Miller was an American novelist and painter. He was known for breaking with existing literary forms and developing a new sort of 'novel' that is a mixture of novel, autobiography, social criticism, philosophical reflection, surrealist free association, and mysticism, one that is...
is shown watching the last scenes of the film and in voice-over narrates a letter to Anaïs Nin
Anaïs Nin
Anaïs Nin was a French-Cuban author, based at first in France and later in the United States, who published her journals, which span more than 60 years, beginning when she was 11 years old and ending shortly before her death, her erotic literature, and short stories...
comparing her to Joan and himself to the "mad monk" character played by Antonin Artaud
Antonin Artaud
Antoine Marie Joseph Artaud, more well-known as Antonin Artaud was a French playwright, poet, actor and theatre director...
.
Music
Music for the film was played live in the theatre and there is no evidence that Dreyer ever selected a definitive score for his film. Numerous composers have attempted to contribute scores for this film.- In 1988 the DutchDutch peopleThe Dutch people are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common culture and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Suriname, Chile, Brazil, Canada, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, and the United...
composer Jon van den Booren wrote a modern score for symphony orchestra. - In 1994 composer Richard EinhornRichard EinhornRichard Einhorn is a modern classical composer.Graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Columbia University in New York City in 1975, studied composition and electronic music with Jack Beeson, Vladimir Ussachevsky, and Mario Davidovsky....
wrote an oratorioOratorioAn oratorio is a large musical composition including an orchestra, a choir, and soloists. Like an opera, an oratorio includes the use of a choir, soloists, an ensemble, various distinguishable characters, and arias...
based on the film, entitled "Voices of LightVoices of LightVoices of Light is a 1994 musical composition by Richard Einhorn. It was inspired by the silent film The Passion of Joan of Arc directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer. Live performances of the composition have accompanied screenings of the film...
". This piece is now available as an optional accompaniment on the Criterion Collection's DVDDVDA DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
release of the film. - On 27 August 1995 Nick CaveNick CaveNicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
and the Dirty ThreeDirty ThreeDirty Three are an instrumental trio consisting of Warren Ellis , Mick Turner and Jim White , originating from Melbourne, Australia. Since the Dirty Three formed in 1992, they have spent a lot of time overseas...
played a live soundtrack to the film at the National Film Theatre in London. - In 1999, AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer/songwriter Cat PowerCat PowerCharlyn Marie Marshall , also known as Chan Marshall or by her stage name Cat Power, is an American singer/songwriter and occasional actress and model. Cat Power was originally the name of Marshall's first band, but has come to refer to her musical projects with various backing bands...
provided musical accompaniment at several screenings of the film in the U.S. - In 2003, American ambient guitarist Rob Byrd performed a live to score to the film at the Burning Man Festival in Nevada's Black Rock Desert. Subsequent live score performances took place May 2004 at the Red Tail Loft in Boston, April 2008 at Monkeytown in Brooklyn, and November 2010 at the Lyndsay Chapel in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
- In 2003, NorwegianNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
electronic musicElectronic musicElectronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
act UgressUgressUgress is an electronica project from Bergen, Norway, the main project of prolific electronic musician Gisle Martens Meyer . Among Meyer's other projects are Nebular Spool, Shadow of the Beat and Ninja9000 as well as scoring soundtracks for moving pictures and several TV-shows. Ugress means weed in...
released a limited edition CD entitled "La Passion De Jeanne D'Arc: Soundtrack to a silent movie. - On April 16, 2008, neo-classicalNeoclassical (Dark Wave)Neoclassical Dark Wave refers to a music genre within the Dark Wave movement. It is characterized by the use of ethereal atmosphere and angelic female voices but also adds strong influences from classical music. Neoclassical Dark Wave is distinct from the academic art music form known as...
/martial electronica group In The NurseryIn The NurseryIn the Nursery are a neo-classical/martial electronica band, known for their cinematic sound. The duo has provided soundtracks to a variety of TV programmes and films, and is known for its rescoring of silent films.- Career :...
premiered a new sound track for the film at Sheffield Cathedral. - Danish composer Jesper KydJesper KydJesper Jakobson Kyd is a Danish video game and film score composer.Kyd combines sounds of dark ambient, electronic and symphonic music and has won many awards. He is also notable for his early work in the Amiga demoscene, where he composed a large amount of music in his teenage years, in...
was commissioned by Danish Film Festival founders Christian Ditlev Bruun and Lene Pels Jorgensen to provide a new score for the Danish Film Festival: Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. - In 2009 the EstoniaEstoniaEstonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n composer Tõnu Kõrvits wrote a score for small orchestra (for L´Ensemble De Basse-Normandie 2009/10 concert season) for this film. - In 2009 the LithuaniaLithuaniaLithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
n composer Bronius Kutavičius wrote a score for chamber orchestra (for St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra), which was performed in Scanorama - European film forum in VilniusVilniusVilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
. - In 2010, AmericanUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
electronic/chamber composer/arranger George Sarah provided an original score along with a string quartet and choir featuring members of the LA Master Chorale at a screening of the film in Los Angeles U.S. - In 2010, Canadian composer Stefan Smulovitz wrote a score for string quartet, brass, percussion, pipe organ, & solo voice, which premiered at the PuSh International Performing Arts FestivalPuSh International Performing Arts FestivalThe PuSh International Performing Arts Festival is held in Vancouver, British Colombia each year. Produced over 20 days each January, the PuSh Festival presents work in the live performing arts: theatre, dance, music and various hybrid forms of performance...
in Vancouver, BC. - On 7th May 2010, a score by Adrian UtleyAdrian UtleyAdrian Francis Utley is an English musician and a member of the band Portishead.-Biography:Utley is self-taught on guitar, bass and keyboards, and played professionally from the age of 18 in working men's clubs, night clubs, holiday camps, and in cabaret, backing soul artists...
and Will GregoryWill GregoryWilliam Owen Gregory is best known as a songwriter, and the lead keyboards/synthesizer player & producer of the electronic music group Goldfrapp. Originally a classical music student at the University of York, Gregory is the son of an actress and an opera chorus-line singer...
premièred at the Colston HallColston HallThe Colston Hall is a concert hall and grade II listed building situated on Colston Street, Bristol, England. A popular venue catering for a variety of different entertainers, it seats approximately 2,075 and provides licensed bars, a café and restaurant....
in Bristol. It was created as a collaboration between Utley, Gregory, the Colston Hall and the Watershed Media CentreWatershed Media CentreWatershed opened in June 1982 as the United Kingdom's first dedicated media centre. Based in former warehouses on the harbourside at Bristol, it hosts three cinemas, a café/bar, events/conferencing spaces, and office spaces for administrative and creative staff. It occupies the former V and W sheds...
. - On 14th April 2011, indie rock outfit Joan of ArcJoan of Arc (band)Joan of Arc are an American indie rock band from Chicago, Illinois. They formed in 1995, following the breakup of Cap'n Jazz.Singer Tim Kinsella has been the only permanent member of the group; he has also recorded as a solo artist....
accompanied this film at Chicago International Movies & Music Fest (CIMM Fest).