there is no better film to begin a serious study of film

Rating: 10/10 (5 September 2002)

The Passion of Joan of Arc, especially with the addition of Einhorn's score, is the best film I can imagine using as an introduction to film study. As a student/occasional-teacher of film studies, I tend to watch for all sorts of technical details and usually end up intrigued by films far more often than "moved."
Viewing this film is considerably different for me. It's something of a truism now that this is one of the best-acted, most emotive films ever created, and I couldn't agree more, which is why using this film to begin thinking about the myriad issues in film studies seems ideal.
On the most basic level, there is a wealth of topics related to symbolism and semiotics (silent films "speak" entirely in visual signs). There is also, as many others have pointed out, a use of camera angle and shot framing that is emotionally and narratively powerful, but also seems stylized to contemporary viewers, thereby simultaneously drawing viewers in and allowing a critical distance for examination of the technique.
The addition of Einhorn's score makes this film a wonderful case study in theories of textuality, textual authority and discourse theory. The various theories of authorship (Foucault's "what is an author?" and Barthes' "Work/Text" seem particularly applicable) can be studied at length considering that Dryer is not around to consult about the addition. Einhorn's libretto also raises a number of questions about the relationship between Dryer's film, the other stories of Joan of Arc (explored on the Criterion DVD), Biblical text and the female mystics. Biblical exegesis, textual criticism, semiotics and psychoanalytic theory can all be brought together to elucidate some of the most urgent questions any text can ask: what is the nature of humanity? What is the human relation to (a)god? What are the political/religious/ethical ways gender is dealt with? (or performed?) What is jurisprudence?
Usually, I would try to separate each of these inquires into film, if for no other reason than I know of few texts are both intellectually AND emotionally complex enough to support such a thorough inquiry without boring students. I'm not sure that this film could ever become "boring."

I can recommend to film more highly than this one, especially to beginning students of film.