Product: The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (Region 2) (1999)
Rating: 5.0
From stone(r) to Joan
Having first seen Milla as the stoner chick in Dazed and Confused, I was mightily impressed with her powerful performance in this beautifully made Art Movie - and that's what it is.I totally accept the many valid points about the sketchy casting of certain figures and groups, and even some bending of history, but the movie just has a power of its own, and despite certain shortcomings, I would highly recommend it.The graphic approach to the violence of hand-to-hand combat reminded me of Kenneth Brannagh's stunning interpretation of Shakespeare's Henry V, and Besson's Joan definitely has the same Classic feel to it.Being a top model, I suspect that Milla Jovovich has experienced the same kind of jealousy-based animosity towards her multi-faceted talent (she was also stunning in the Bruce Willis classic The Fifth Element) as David Bowie has. Despite many excellent film performances, especially his superb role in Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, David has also drawn fire from people who seem unwilling to acknowledge that he is also a fine actor as well as a brilliant singer-songwriter.Milla Jovovich portrays a reluctant Warrior Woman who clearly had some kind of ongoing psychic experiences, and who was traumatized by male brutality at an early age. Whether she had a sister or not, she saw other females being raped and killed, as did Queen Boadicea, who was herself raped, along with her daughters.Boadicea made the Romans pay for their brutality, just as Joan of Arc made the English pay for theirs. Neither woman would have been like the simpering milk-toast versions of Joan that we have seen elsewhere. They would have been almost psychotic and able to rouse thousands of male warriors with their fire alone.To me, Milla Jovovich played the part flawlessly.