Film Review: The Passion of Joan of Arc (La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc, 1928)

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(source: tmdb.org)

Silent films didn’t suddenly disappear after the arrival of sound technology. Transition period was relatively quick, but silent films, with their creators at the peak of their visual skills and unburdened with limitations of primitive microphones, continued to be made and some of them even became classics. One of those great silent classics is The Passion of Joan of Arc, 1928 French historical drama directed by Carl Theodore Dreyer, known among cinephiles and film scholars as immensely influential film ahead of its time and featuring the best screen acting performance of the silent era.

The protagonist, played by Renée Jeanne Falconetti, is Joan of Arc, 19-year French peasant girl, who had two years earlier successfully rallied her countrymen against the English and turned the tide of the Hundred Years War. The plot begins in 1431, after she has been betrayed, captured and handed over to the English under Lord Warwick (played by Camille Bardou) who arrange to be tried for heresy. The clerical court in Rouean Castle, led by Pierre Cauchon (played by Eugène Sylvain), is made of pro-English priests and lawyers who do everything in their power to make Jeanne confess that she was guilty of charges and thus, as heretic guided by Satan, renounce her liberation mission being guided by God. Jeanne is visibly shaken by ordeal that includes cynical deceptions, psychological manipulation and threats of torture but refuses to yield. Only at the last moment, when she is threatened with being burned alive at stake, she confesses. But immediately afterwards she again claims that she was guided by God and, as relapsed heretic, she seals her fate and is being brought to the stake.

In 1920s France, partly sparked by patriotic fervour during WW1 and partly by recent canonisation by Catholic Church, there was increased interest in Joan of Arc, already considered as the greatest national heroine in the history of the country. Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer, already for known for the series of well-received films made in his native country and Germany, was hired by French studio Société Générale des Films, was hired to make the film about that particular subject. Dreyer, who was initially thinking about making historic epic in France about Marie Antoinette or Catherine De Medici, accepted and took very meticulous approach towards the subject. He spent year and half researching the historical records and the script, co-written by Joseph Delteil, was based on actual trial transcripts. In order to achieve extra authenticity, he has built concrete set that served as replica of actual Rouean Castle. This made The Passion of Joan of Arc the most expensive of all European silent films.

Ironically, those very sets are very rarely used or seen in actual film. Dreyer has based his film on more intimate drama based on acting performances and, more importantly, close ups. They are not only extensively used in the film, but also the cast members don’t wear make up. Use of specific lighting technique and newly discovered panchromatic film by cinematographer Rudolph Maté creates sharp contrast between saintly Joan and their accusers that are presented as physically unappealing and grotesquely dislikeable old men. Dreyer also uses suggestive editing, tracking shots and various unusual angles to underline this effect. But the most valuable asset at his disposal is Renée Jeanne Falconetti, relatively unknown stage actress for whom The Passion was her second and the last film. She invested a lot of energy and talent in her role, apparently being guided by Dreyer’s often unpleasant direction, which included kneeling on cold concrete floor in order to make Falconetti express discomfort felt by her character as believable as possible. The result is the most legendary performance in the history of the silent film.

Although based on real events and not straying a little bit from French national mythology, The Passion of Joan of Arc was even before the premiere subjected to attacks from French nationalist and Catholic circles. The film in France and various countries was subjected to heavy censorship and numerous cuts and, as a result, was later known and distributed in many different versions. Dreyer’s original version was believed to be lost in 1929 film laboratory fire and its surviving copy by rediscovered by pure chance in 1980s Norway. Even its originally mutilated state, The Passion of Joan of Arc was recognised as important film, received good critical reviews and influenced plenty of film makers in sound era. Its importance was recognised by first major polls among critics and film scholars in 1950s that considered it one of the greatest films ever made. Those who watch it today, even with limitations created with lack of sound (or various soundtracks artificially stuck to it) can easily see how The Passion of Joan of Arc can enjoy its stellar reputation even in 21st Century.

RATING: 8/10 (+++)

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6 comments
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