Truly haunting...

Rating: 10/10 (31 March 2011)

A must see even if one is not religious. The visuals in this film are stark and difficult to watch, the feeling of persecution almost causes the audience to cry out in Joan's defense.
Maria Falconetti is excellent in the title role, devoid of makeup, wan and parched, she is still beautiful and affecting.
Some of the inquisition scenes are noteworthy. The hypocritical religious clerics engineering her demise if she refuses to dress in "normal women's clothes" They see this as a threat and insubordinate.
This film was shown on silent film Sundays TCM channel. It is every bit as effective in this day, as it probably was at its time. According to Robert Osborne the film was restored when it was found in the closet of a patient in a European asylum. One could see how an obsessed or depressed person could fixate on the torture and horrors Joan of Arc had endured.
A must see for anyone interested in history, the direction and photography here is unsurpassed. 10/10.