Going to the Extreme Close-Up

Rating: 7/10 (3 August 2008)

Here is a film which is easier to understand if you bring some prior knowledge to the viewing; most obviously, it helps if you know who "Jeanne d'Arc" (aka "Joan of Arc") was, because the film really only shows the last part of her story. It's like watching a stretched out final act of a movie; probably, the intended audience knew about the events preceding the drama. For film viewers not interested in doing homework, but possessing some familiarity with Christianity, it shouldn't be too hard to figure out what is happening. Think of it as a "second coming" Jesus Christ story, "updated" to a woman in France.
The film picks up with Maria Falconetti (as Jeanne d'Arc) on trial for her crimes. Ms. Falconetti is teased and tortured. She is not able to read, and provides little information to the wicked judges. She says she is nineteen years old, "Je pense," elle dit, but looks older. Director Carl Theodor Dreyer films Falconetti almost entirely in close-up. She widens her eyes, and emotes fiercely. It almost looks like a close-up screen test. Falconetti suffers well, responding to the director's commands. But it's hard to tell what she is emoting about; at times, she could be sitting on her toilet. Since she brushes a fly away from her face once or twice; it is likely true this film was made from originally rejected footage, after the original Dreyer edit was "accidentally destroyed".
That this film is a compilation of outtakes explains (in part?) its flaws in style and storytelling. Although no substitute for the supposedly superior original, this "La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc" is worth a look. The director, star, and photographer Rudolph Maté demonstrate some courage and creativity in film-making.
******* La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc (4/21/28) Carl Theodor Dreyer ~ Maria Falconetti, Eugene Silvain, André Berley