Extraordinary

Rating: 10/10 (20 March 2006)

I rewatched this film shortly after viewing Robert Bresson's proces de Jeanne d'Arc, another film, made in 1962, also using the actual trial transcript. In both films, the English looked like soldiers from the First World War. In any event, the Dreyer film is superior (not to denigrate the Bresson film which is a must see). Added to the beauty is the score by Richard Einhorn with singing by the Anonymous 4. After composing for the film, Einhorn composed an oratorio called Voices of Light inspired by the film and it is a beautiful piece of work.
At the end, I was literally crying, not only because of Jeanne's death but because before her body became ashes, the citizens were crying "Saint." (Where were they before?) And then the English beat and killed them. The English kept invading France for the French throne and eventually, after many wars and tens of thousands dead (not to mention bleeding the English treasury dry) gave up. I think the reason Jeanne was destroyed was because she was a woman, encouraging the French to fight back. The English were too stupid to realize that they were making a martyr out of Jeanne. Had they been intelligent, they would have given up on the throne altogether.
A brilliant and haunting film. And buy the cd Voices of Light.