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The Passion of Joan of Arc - Criterion Collection | Year: 1928 Classification: Drama Directed: - Carl Theodor Dreyer Actors/Actresses: - Maria Falconetti - Eugene Silvain Wow! This is one incredible movie! Made in 1928? Yep! But you wouldn't know it because the camera work is so modern looking and creative compared to other films of that era. The new soundtrack by Richard Einhorn is perfect! So great that I bought the soundtrack (Voices of Light). Maria Falconetti's performance as Joan is stunning and realistic. I was just totally absorbed into this movie. I couldn't believe I was this enamored with a silent picture! It was that good! Oh my! It was better than good; it was excellent! Most of all, more than any admiration of how the movie was produced or filmed, this movie was inspiring to me. There is so much emotion that this film produces that it's almost agonizing. I don't know how else to describe it. There's just something really "deep" about this film that draws you into Joan's life as she endured her trials near the end of her life. The themes of grace, compassion, longsuffering, boldness, and unwavering devotion to God flood every scene. You will feel a real emotional connection to what Joan must have felt as her accusers ridiculed, tormented and angrily despised her, all because she dared to say she heard from God and would only answer to Him. I will say, and I mean this in a completely positive way, this is a hard movie to watch. I say that because it is not typical. It's not a grab a bag of popcorn and get ready for action and humor... It's kind of dark and solemn. It is a drama. If you have trouble listening to an hour of opera, or can't stand reading sub-titles, or watching black and white film, well... watch it anyway! And then make up your mind. I thought I wouldn't be able to endure it because I had seen another black and while silent film about Joan of Arc that was even older than this one (1918) and it was pretty [bad], but this one has now become a favorie of mine. If you are intrigued with Joan of Arc stories, are a movie buff, or just looking for a little inspiration and drama, please check this movie out. I have the DVD version and it's fantastic. Well crafted and unusual film Carl Dreyer's "Passion of Joan of Arc" is one of the best made silent films. The editing, camerawork, narrative, and lighting all add up to a stand out piece of movie making. As far as technique goes, it belongs with the one hundred or so best films of the pre-sound era. I can't say that it is an enjoyable experience, though. The subject is grim: the trial and execution (by burning) of Joan of Arc who was a seer, saint, and -remarkably- military leader (at age 19). The setting is even grimmer: the medieval church in all its narrow, hardheaded and hardhearted infamy. There is an oppressive, claustrophobic religiosity about this film that will seem positively creepy to Christians born after Vatican 2. The film isn't inspiring; rather, it gives one the "willies" to see how easily people were charged with being witches and burned alive at the stake-by high placed clerics no less! Many people praise Falconetti's performance as Joan but I found her performance to consist of nothing more than two or three very anquished expressions. This is the type of film you admire for its technique and historical importance while not actually "liking". A true classic of cinema This review is for the Criterion Collection DVD edition of the film This movie is one of the most well known classics of Europe. The 2nd original print, long thought to be lost to fire, was miraculously found in the closet of a mental hospital in Norway in 1981. The 1st original was burned though. The recent film, "Passion of the Christ" was not the only "passion" film to generate controversy. This film was thought to be anti-England due to its protrayal of their treatment to Joan of Arc. The French were also upset that a non-French and non-Catholic man directed the film. The film's dialoge (by intertitles as it is a silent film) is based on actual transcripts of Joan's trial which have managed to survive also. The film is said to be very moving for some people just like Gibson's "Passion of the Christ." Not being Catholic, I am not sure of what many of the elements of either film may refer to. The DVD has numerous special features as always. Audio commentary by Dryer scholar Casper Tybjerg of Copenhagen University (he has a thick Danish accent that is very nice)<BR>Optional soundtrack for Richard Einhorn's "Voices of Light" (a musical piece inspired by the film)alsong with an essay about the music and a libretto booklet.<BR>Production design archive<BR>History of the many different cuts and alternat versions of the film<BR>Audio-only interview with the star's daughter, Hélène Falconetti. Buy The Passion Of Joan Of Arc at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on The Passion Of Joan Of Arc Search with the Priority Search Engine on The Passion Of Joan Of Arc This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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