Product: The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (Region 2) (1999)
Rating: 3.0
The Messenger is the Message
After seeing the Messenger only a week after Hallmark's Joan of Arc, I think it's a testimony to the real life enigma that she could be interpreted in such very different ways- from a girl of incredible strength and courage ready to die for her faith to a woman made neurotic by circumstance and visions fueled by her faith in God despite all she had seen. Leelee vs. Milla? I think both women simply found a part of Joan they identified with and ran with it, though I must say, I enjoyed Leelee's portrayal more. It was hard to watch the end though with the conscience (Dustin Hoffman) but when you are called by God to do something it often doesn't make sense- even to you and you are tormented with whether it is really God or your ego. And yet, you must keep these fears silent to accomplish the goal. In that, I think "Messenger" hits both its mark and the heart of Joan of Arc in this beautifully sylistic if gritty epic.