Brilliantly filmed but with an odd performance by Joan.

Rating: 8/10 (6 April 2010)

"La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc" is probably the most famous work of Danish film maker Carl Theodor Dreyer. Unlike the typical biographical film, this one is based completely on the court proceedings in the trial of Joan--not some fictional or semi-fictional story written in 1928. This is pretty wild, as many historical films view truth as very flexible--with the real emphasis being on entertainment. If this means inventing characters or changing history--so be it! But, fortunately, not in this film! It's a history teacher's delight! When the film began, I sure was bowled over by the powerful soundtrack filled with Latin liturgical singing. While annoying normally, here with the intensity of the film and the subject matter is managed to work. In addition, the film is an artistic piece due to the director Dreyer's artistic vision. First, his choices of actors was truly amazing--as he chose some of the most amazing faces I've seen in a film--such character, such intensity and such acting from these people is truly amazing. Plus the camera pulls so much from the actors due to fantastic lighting and clarity of focus--you can even very clearly see the pores on many of the actor's faces! Second, unlike almost all other silent films and even sound ones, this one makes great use of closeups and inventive camera angles to heighten the intensity of the action as well as the impact on the audience. The result is a film that hits you in the face--hard, forceful and impossible to ignore. Especially strong in its impact is the execution itself--Dreyer chose to make incredibly vivid (so much so, some might find it very disturbing).
Now I must say that although I greatly admired this, there was, at times, a downside. The actress that played Joan (Maria Falconetti) often looked downright crazed--like she was off her medication and reeeaalllly needed it!! While this could actually be true (after all, she was seeing things and having conversations with dead folks), I doubt if Dreyer wanted his audience to think Joan of Arc was nuts--as she so often appeared in the film. This is sad, really, as at other times, Ms. Falconetti did a masterful job--showing great sorrow and crying most convincingly. But, in many cases, after crying and emoting wonderfully, moments later she was staring off into space like she was stoned. I know this film is considered one of the great films of the silent age, but I don't know how this can be based on the truly bizarre and inconsistent characterization of Joan. Yes, I dare question Dreyer's brilliance in this respect. Overall, there's a lot to love and a lot that makes you question the film's "classic" status. Very good...just not great.