A seminal landmark for the artistic stylization of French film

Rating: Null/10 (29 December 2000)

Carl Theodor Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc is a seminal landmark for artistic stylization in French film. The Danish director champions individualism using the persecution of Joan (Renée Falconetti) as a vehicle. This is achieved with the uncompromising use of close-ups, low angle shots, quick cuts and the strong influence of the art movements of the early 20th century.
The trial and execution of Joan of Arc is condensed into a single afternoon. This revision serves Dreyer's primary theme of the struggle for autonomy between the individual and society. Joan represents a threat to the status quo and Dreyer plays on this binary opposition. Joan's direct communication with God undermines the rule of the Catholic Church. Traditional gender roles are questioned by Joan's refusal to take off her masculine clothing, thereby refusing to relinquish power to the patriarchal society. Her resistance to signing the written confession brings the church's hypocrisy to surface. The church's mandate is not to prove Joan a heretic, but to stop the spread of her insubordination.
To convey Joan's isolation, Dreyer employs a never-ending barrage of extreme close-ups. This unconventional technique serves to heighten the effect of individualism in Dreyer's rendition of Joan. This overuse of the close-up would inevitably falter, were it not for the remarkable performance of Renée Falconetti.
Joan's captors are filmed at sharp low-angles, ensuring an unquestionable level of authority. These low angles become increasingly oblique as the tension mounts towards Joan's execution. The result of this extremity is disorienting, creating spatial confusion and uncomfortable monotony for the viewer.
Dreyer is unrelenting in his use of fast cuts throughout the film. Touching on elements of French Impressionism and Soviet cinema, these cuts dart between Joan's exasperated close-ups and the austere low-angle shots of the French judges and English guards. The influence of German Expressionism can be noted within the stylized mise en scène. Joan is often disproportionately framed with the crucifix, displayed in the form of barred windows and their resulting shadows.
By employing these tactics, Dreyer successfully brings to light the humanity of Joan of Arc. Conversely, her persecutors are convincingly depicted for their insurmountable position of power. The result is an artistically realized silent film that has earned a deserved place in the history of French cinema.