The Passion of Joan of Arc
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| The Passion of Joan of Arc | |
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| Directed by | Carl Theodor Dreyer |
| Written by | Joseph Delteil Carl Theodor Dreyer |
| Starring | Renée Jeanne Falconetti Eugène Silvain André Berley Maurice Schutz |
| Cinematography | Rudolph Maté |
| Release date(s) | Denmark April 21, 1928 France October 25, 1928 |
| Running time | 110 minutes 82 minutes (restored DVD version at 24fps) |
| Country | France |
| Language | silent film French intertitles |
The Passion of Joan of Arc (French: La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc) is a silent film produced in France in 1928. It is based on the trial records of Joan of Arc. The film was directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer and stars Renée Jeanne Falconetti. Antonin Artaud plays an important supporting role. It is widely regarded as a landmark of cinema.[1]
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[edit] Story and style
The film details the last hours of the life of Joan of Arc and takes place after she was captured by the English. It depicts her trial, imprisonment, torture, and execution much as a passion play would.
Written on her confession, Joan is referred to as Jehanne appelée La Pucelle, or "Joan, called The Virgin".
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.[2]
Falconetti was commended for her multifaceted performance as Joan, which was her second and last film role.[3]
[edit] Cast
- Maria Falconetti — Jeanne d'Arc (as Mlle Falconetti)
- Eugène Silvain — Évêque Pierre Cauchon
- André Berley — Jean d'Estivet
- Maurice Schutz — Nicolas Loyseleur
- Antonin Artaud — Jean Massieu
- Gilbert Dalleu — Jean Lemaître
- Jean d'Yd — Nicolas de Houppeville
- Louis Ravet — Jean Beaupère (as Ravet)
- Michel Simon — Judge[4]
[edit] 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 Dutch composer Jon van den Booren wrote a modern score for symphony orchestra[5].
- In 1994 composer Richard Einhorn wrote an oratorio based on the film, entitled "Voices of Light". This piece is now available as an optional accompaniment on the Criterion Collection's DVD release of the film.[6]
- In 1999, American singer/songwriter Cat Power provided musical accompaniment at several screenings of the film in the U.S.
- In 2003, Norwegian electronic music act Ugress released a limited edition CD entitled "La Passion De Jeanne D'Arc: Soundtrack to a silent movie.
- On April 16, 2008, neo-classical/martial electronica group In The Nursery premiered a new sound track for the film at Sheffield Cathedral.
- Danish composer Jesper Kyd 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 Angeles.[7]
- In 2009 the Estonian 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 Lithuanian composer Bronius Kutavičius wrote a score for chamber orchestra (for St. Christopher Chamber Orchestra), which was performed in Scanorama - European film forum in Vilnius.
[edit] Responses and legacy
Pauline Kael wrote that Falconetti's portrayal of Joan of Arc "may be the finest performance ever recorded on film."[3][8] However, 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.[citation needed] Whether or not this request was honored in any way is unknown.
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 out-takes 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.[8] This version is now available on DVD.
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.
The Passion of Joan of Arc has appeared on Sight & Sound's top ten films poll three times:
It placed 31st in the 2002 Director's Poll and 14th on the Critic's Poll. Maria Falconetti's performance was named the 26th greatest film portrayal of all time in Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time[12] giving her the highest ranking silent performance on the list. The film is currently sixteenth on the "1000 Greatest Films" of They Shoot Pictures Don't They? (a ranking based on votes by more than 1,600 critics, filmmakers, and film scholars). It was named by Art and Faith, an online group of critics, one of the "Top 100 Spiritually-Significant Films".[13] The Village Voice ranked it the eighth of the twentieth century in a 2000 poll of critics.[14]
[edit] References
- ^ The Criterion Collection: Passion of Joan of Arc, The Synopsis by Anonymous. Accessed March 22, 2007.
- ^ The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) - review by Roger Ebert (February 16, 1997). Accessed February 11, 2006.
- ^ a b Kael, Pauline (1982). 5001 Nights At the Movies. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York. p. 449. ISBN 0-03-042606-5.
- ^ Simon, best known for Boudu Saved from Drowning and L'Atalante, is visible for two brief moments only.
- ^ http://www.jovandenbooren.nl/composities/compositie_detail.php?comp_id=80&comp_type=600
- ^ http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2008-11-13/article/31599?headline=Moving-Pictures-Chorus-Performs-Dramatic-Oratorio-for-Classic-Film
- ^ Jesper Kyd Online
- ^ a b The Criterion Collection: Passion of Joan of Arc, The - Synopsis by Anonymous. Accessed March 22, 2007.
- ^ "The Sight & Sound Top Ten Poll: 1952". Sight & Sound. http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/history/1952.html. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
- ^ "The Sight & Sound Top Ten Poll: 1972". Sight & Sound. http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/history/1972.html. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
- ^ "The Sight & Sound Top Ten Poll: 1992". Sight & Sound. http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/topten/history/1992.html. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
- ^ Listology: Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time
- ^ Top 100 Spiritually Significant Films
- ^ 100 Best Films - Village Voice
[edit] External links
- The Passion of Joan of Arc at the Internet Movie Database
- The Passion of Joan of Arc at Allmovie
- Criterion Collection essay by Carl Theodor Dreyer
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