The Passion of Renee Falconetti

Rating: 10/10 (12 June 2006)

Much has been written about this film, so I will give some of my own perceptions on it. Mimicking the quote from Paulene Kael, I also think this is "perhaps the finest performance captured on film". The face of Maria Falconetti in the movie is indelibly etched into my brain. At first, she is enlightened, sassy and doe-eyed, then after several interrogations, threats of torture, a real bloodletting (actually an extra was used for the stabbing), and having her own hair clipped off to the roots, her eye lids eventually droop until she is barely squinting. Her performance is almost beyond acting, as Carl Dreyer's gentle, but almost unbearably stubborn persistence made Renee demonstrate her true pain and suffering.
The Criterion Collection restoration is superb. The beginning of the film is rather grainy, as is the beginning of each of the six reels. But as each reel progresses, the quality improves to a point where you forget you are watching a film that is close to 80 years old! One warning, this is not a movie for kids. Even though it is black and white, silent, with French subtitles (with English translations), the movie is one of the most intense I have ever seen. But it is well worth watching for those who are in tune with the history of JOA and are seeking a movie that goes far beyond entertainment. Dreyer's film is a masterpiece, and mysteriously, the only movie that R. Falconetti starred in.