La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc

With the Oscars being given out tonite & a dearth of decent pictures this year (& them ignoring a couple of the few that were good for various reasons), I thought that instead I would talk about a movie I saw Fri nite at a friend's place.

The movie is La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc (The Passion of Joan of Arc). The movie was made in France in 1928 & tells the story of St. Joan of Arc's trial for heresy. The trial took place in Rouen, France in 1431. The trial was presided over by Peter Cauchon, Bishop of Beauvais.

For the few of you unfamiliar with the background, St. Joan was born in Greux-Domremy, Lorraine on 6 January 1412. She began having visions of Ss. Margaret of Antioch, Catherine of Alexandria & Michael the Archangel. Eventually the sent her to the Dauphin, Charles VII to see that he was crowned as king & to help drive the English out of France. After doing what he needed to ensure that she was telling the truth, Charles let her lead a small army. She had many successes. In May 1430 she was captured by the Burgundians & sold to the English. After a trial she was burned at the stake on 30 May 1431 as a heretic, sorceress, and adulteress. In 1456 the Vatican ordered a retrial which exonorated. She was declared a saint by Pope Benedict XV in 1920.

Maria Falconetti plays Joan & Bishop Cauchon was played by Eugene Silvain. It is a silent film & is in Black & White.

Mlle Falconetti is excellent playing Joan. Throughout it seems as she is gazing beyond what is going on & is more focused on eternity. She captures Joan's anguish, pain & at times the few joys perfectly.

Throughout the trial they use various means to get Joan to admit she lied or to get her to say something by which they could convict her of heresy. At 1 point they use the Eucharist as a bribe, saying they will let her recieve Holy Communion if she admits she lied. At several points they try to trick her into saying things that they could then say prove she was a heretic. Several scenes with Joan show the parallels between her suffering & Christ's. There is a scene where she is mocked, crowned & given an arrow as a scepter. At 1 point Joan breaks & signs a confession but quickly recants. In the end she is burned at the stake with a note posted on top of the pole like the placard posted by Pilate on Christ's cross.

The movie effectively uses closeups of Joan as she is undergoing her various torments. & he uses several unusual camera angles to aide in this. It is hard to actually describe the experience of watching the movie. The movie doesn't rush through the events. Rather it slowly builds up to the execution. As you go through the movie you are drawn into Joan's sufferings & even though you know how it its it is still an emotional experience that left me saddened & in awe of Joan's strength that she drew from her faith in God.

Another addition that was not a part of the original movie was the score written for the movie in 1985. The score is called "Voices of Light" & is at times instrumental & at times with vocals that work perfectly with the onscreen action.

This film couldn't be made today, at least not in the way it was done in 1928. Being a silent film much of the dialog isn't shown. Only the parts needed to conveigh the questions & Joan's answers are shown on title cards(with English subtitles). Much is done with shading & as I pointed out, the unique camera angles. & in this day & age to make a film that is respectful of Christianity, let alone having a message that challenges people to live that faith just isn't done. & when it is, like Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, it is criticized, derided, &/or belittled.

Hopefully, this gets a little accross about what I think is an excellent movie. The movie challenged me to be stronger in standing up for my faith. I highly recommend seeing it. My friend & I saw it as a way to kick off Lent & help us to get into the right spirit for this holy season. It suceeded admirably in doing so.