Product: The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (Region 2) (1999)
Rating: 4.0
Triumphant of the Maid...or the Messanger....
Not many would appreciate what portrays Joan of Arc as is in Luc Besson's The Messenger: Joan of Arc. She may be not the one the Church has told us. She may not be the one written according to the historical documentary. But she may be the one she could possibly be.One should not forget Catholicism has been constantly evolving, not to say the least Joan was sainted 500 years after her death by the Church who put her on trial in the English territory, city of Rouen. Our view on the historical heroine might certainly be evolving too.Joan perhaps was the Messenger. Joan perhaps was the Maid. Joan could, certainly, be the Revenger, driven by her own desire to make revenge on the Brits for her sister death. We should remember that we are sometimes the servants (or the maids) of God, sometimes we are just driven by our own internal desires. God knows it certainly well. One could not become a saint on earth while he/ she struggles, but only after his/ her death. On the contrary, the Holy Mother Church would not turn away (as the Bishop vividly said in the movie) anyone who repent, who make confession to the Church.Yes, Joan constantly asked for confession. The concept of confession is very important in the Catholicism and in the path to saint. Luc Besson couldn't be more accurate in portraying Joan's feverish faith in God: her confession in the beginning of the movie till the last, the continuous examination by the Conscience, her absolute confidence in God when she was burned at stake. That she won battle after battle, that she saved France from the foreigner in the 15th century, that her single-mindedness and devotion to her country are only penalized by her fellow countrymen out of greed, jealousy and power.Luc's sense of black humor and MTV-style of cinematography might not appeal to everyone. And Milla Jovovich sometimes is too dramatic. But to the fans of Luc Besson, you are completely satisfied by his vision, fast-cut, and enthralling exploration.