Film Review
This depiction of the Joan of Arc story is typical of Robert Bresson's austere style of
cinema, stripping the story to its bare bones and concentrating far more on the nature
of the human ordeal than historical detail. In stark contrast to Dreyer's
La Passion de Jeanne
d'Arc (1928), the film is far more restrained in its use of cinematographic technique
to paint Joan as a victim. If anything, Bresson paints a distinctly atypical view
of Joan, not a Saint or a martyr, but a fairly ordinary peasant girl who is out of her
depth.
As in all of his films, Bresson attempts to go beyond the surface and reveal the soul
of his subject, his purpose here being to show how it was, from an inner perspective,
that Joan was driven to recant her faith and thereby seal her fate. Whilst the film
is far less moving than Dreyer's masterpiece, it is an effective work which says a great
deal about human nature, particularly the resilience of the human spirit. The script
is based on a transcript of notes taken from the actual trial of Joan of Arc, something
which gives the film a curious timeless quality. The film won the Special Jury Prize
at the Cannes Film Festival in 1962.
© James Travers 2001
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Next Robert Bresson film:
Au hasard Balthazar (1966)
Film Synopsis
Rouen, 1431. After falling into the hands of her English enemies, Jeanne,
the young peasant girl who became a figurehead of the French army during
the Hundred Years War, is placed on trial for heresy. The trial is
led by the Bishop Cauchon, who is prepared to use all of the means at his
disposal, including torture, to establish the truth. The fierce questioning
and abuse to which she is subjected does nothing to shake Jeanne's faith,
who maintains that it was God's will that she should lead the French armies
against the English. Physically weakened by the seemingly unending
trial, Jeanne's resistance falters for a moment, and in that moment she recants
her faith. It is the admission the court has been waiting for, playing
into the hands of the English who seek to discredit Jeanne and thereby strengthen
the grip of the English crown on France. Jeanne's confession results
in her being found guilty of witchcraft, and now she must suffer a witch's
fate - to be burnt at the stake in the centre of Rouen...
© James Travers
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