romanorum1 In the brilliant "Passion of Joan of Arc" (1928), Maria Falconetti probably performed the greatest acting feat on the silent silver screen. Her facial emotion and suffering during an incredibly intense historical trial remain legendary. Those close-up shots remain stunning, while the overall circus atmosphere was absolutely electrifying! The one drawback in the Passion though is Ms. Falconetti's age, which was twice that of Joan during the latter's ordeal in 1431.In "The Trial of Joan of Arc" (1962), Florence Delay plays Jeanne D'Arc realistically. Her film age was only a few years older than the real Joan. Ms. Delay was quite attractive, and it is easy to focus on her. But beyond her looks, her performance, while not in the league of Ms. Falconetti, is still commendable. Ms. Delay does demonstrate courage, serenity, and integrity in a dry, unemotional manner. Note that Joan did not even have a legal representative at the trial. And, instead of a church prison, Joan was rather unsafely incarcerated in a secular jail guarded by the English. Brave teen-aged Joan never betrayed herself or her faith, and she received Holy Communion before her martyrdom at Rouen. Most of our attention is centered on the tense trial itself, of which the court transcript still survives. Director Bresson's focus was more on "The Maid of Orleans" and less on the jurors. Nevertheless the characters are developed. The modest film runs only slightly more than an hour in length.It is very important to note that the film does explain why Joan was sentenced in the end. The court was totally in the control of Anglophiles – many from the University of Paris – or those Frenchmen who supported England in the attempt to conquer France in the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453). Note that it is the English authorities who are in real charge. And since it was Jeanne D'Arc who solely changed the tide of war at Orleans (1429), she was the leading target. When events became clear after the long war, the pope reopened the trial (1455). The result was that Joan was posthumously exonerated of any heresy (1456). Eventually Joan was elevated to sainthood (1920).

Robert_Woodward The Trial of Joan of Arc (1962) chronicles the last days of the fifteenth-century French patriot, from her interrogation by members of the Parisian clergy to her execution by burning at the stake. In the entire film there are only three locations: the courthouse, the jail and the place of Joan's execution. The words of Joan and her prosecutors, lifted almost exclusively from transcripts of the trial, take centre stage.The clergymen probe relentlessly into Joan's religious beliefs. Twisting her words at every turn, they insinuate that she is a pagan and a heretic. Joan, parrying each thrust of their argument, appeals to a higher religious authority to prove her innocence. The clergymen, however, are mere stooges of the British, and resolve to brand her a heretic. Facing death, Joan initially recants her heresy, but then reaffirms it, thus sealing her fate. Her meagre possessions are placed at the foot of the stake, echoing the way in which her testimonies have been used against her. A clergyman holds aloft a crucifix for her but this image of Christianity is lost in the smoke from her burning pyre.The Trial of Joan of Arc features an impressive cast of non-professional actors. Florence Delay is superb in the role of Joan, radiating defiance behind her impassive countenance. A few of the performances elsewhere are a bit wooden, but the grave manner of Bishop Cauchon and the benign gaze of the sole sympathetic priest testify to the overall strength of the casting.Running to little more than an hour in length, The Trial of Joan of Arc might seem on paper to be an insubstantial work. Yet this is an extraordinarily intense film, thick with powerful dialogue and requiring the full concentration of the viewer. For someone not fluent in French, it is a challenge to read the subtitles and follow the images on screen, but, whether you are French-speaking or not, I highly recommend this powerful piece of cinema.

moonspinner55 French filmmaker Robert Bresson used the actual transcripts from the trial of Jeanne d'Arc in order to reveal her character through her words in these final days. Bresson keeps leading actress Florence Carrez, a non-professional as are the others in the cast, speaking in a forthright monotone, without much vocal inflection or facial exaggeration in order for the viewer to concentrate solely on her words. His film is intentionally without scope (and has very little exposition) and some may find the cut-and-dried handling a bit pedestrian. Certainly it was financed on a minimal-budget, and some of the players are stilted, but the film's compact running time of 68 minutes works to Bresson's advantage: he's able to get right to the heart of things, and he leaves us with a haunting climax. That said, there were three things I didn't care for: the musical intro is so severe for an opening that it may provoke an indifferent response (the matching closer is less irritating); Joan seems to have a believer in one of the priests at her trial (he sends her subtle signals) but this isn't explained (which may again be intentional); and barefoot Joan's geisha-like quick steps leading up to the gallows are peculiar--was it her decision not to walk with shoes, and was the ground so hot she had to practically dance to her death? **1/2 from ****

gray4 A superb demonstration of Bresson's talent as one of the last century's greatest film-makers. It is a short film, set minimally in a courtroom, then Joan's cell and finally, with immense power, at the stake. The actors are amateurs, as usual with Bresson, but the message they convey is universal - and as relevant to the 21st century as to the 15th century, when the events, realistically described in the film from court texts, took place.Was Joan really a freedom-fighter and a saint, receiving messages from God through her saintly visions? Or was she a 15th century terrorist, opposing both the power of the English occupying army and the tenets of the Catholic Church and its bishops? As the trial is enacted, there are no obvious villains - not even the English officer representing the occupying secular power. And Joan needs to be discreetly prompted by a white-clad priest, whose motives are obscure, casting some doubts on the certainties of her visions. The triumph of the director and the actors is that you feel that the viewer is totally involved in the interactions - and I had to rush to the history books to learn more about the main characters as soon as the film finished.