Product: The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (Region 2) (1999)
Rating: 5.0
What Becomes a Legend Most?
Based on the polarity of reviews here, I knew this was a film that would leave a strong impression. I land on the very positive side. This is a fascinating film- gorgeous in its settings and costumes, powerful in its depiction of medieval war, and profound in its exploration of the life of a paradoxical heroine.Milla Jovovich's take on Joan is an intriguing blend of shy farm girl, zealot, religious fanatic, saint, and tormented soul. There is some interesting casting here: Dustin Hoffmann is appropriately eerie as God/Satan/Joan's conscience/Joan's subconscious; John Malkovich, although perhaps a bit too old (the Dauphin/King was only about 9 years older than Joan), is effectively petulant and ethics-free. Faye Dunaway looks absolutely horrid, thanks in part to the bizarre attire and hair style of the time, and in part to really, really bad plastic surgery. A large supporting cast demonstrates the extremes that Joan provoked: loyalty, hatred, fear, and adulation.The criticism for the film's lack of historical accuracy makes me laugh. Some reviewers fervently deride some of the films events, as if they were witnesses to the historical reality. These events happened almost 600 years ago. Much of the "facts" about Joan's life come from testimony twenty years after her death, when her family was trying to reverse the guilty verdict. Joan was already a legend, and the testimony of her reality was certainly already tinged by her fame.If you want a 100 percent historically accurate version of the life of Jehanne Darc, find a time machine and head back to Doméremy, France, January 6, 1412 (or thereabouts-the exact year of her birth is not known). If you want a film that vividly and passionately tells a tale of a mythical legend, buy The Messenger.