The one thing everyone should know about this movie is...

Rating: 10/10 (20 August 2009)

That the script was based on the transcripts of the actual trial of Jeanne d'Arc in Rouen in February and March of 1431. The same is true of much of George Bernard Shaw's play, "Saint Joan."
There is no question that the film would be powerful even to anyone who had never heard of Joan of Arc. It is impressive in every way-- the structure, the camera-work, the acting, even the fact that make-up wasn't used, which heightens the brutal reality of her story.
But the most astounding thing is the script. I can't think of another SILENT FILM with a script this important and memorable. All it takes is one look at the original trial transcripts to understand why both Dreyer and Shaw relied them. Joan's intellect is impressive, as is her faith, which embraces all that is good about Christ's teachings. In contrast, the ignoble church interrogators ask questions that expose the shallow hypocrisy of the corrupted Roman Catholic hierarchy-- blind, self-serving, intolerant faith that is still evident among too many passionate Christians today.