Product: The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (Region 2) (1999)
Rating: 5.0
What do reviewers know anyway?
This is a great film. I am reviewing it because I was taken a back by the fact it had not recieved a 5 star rating. I think Luc Besson is one of the best living international directors. While not entirely "hollywood," his style is approachable by even the most dense popcorn munching, soda guzzling fan of Hollywood, and still his films have a lyrical and often subtle quality which makes for great filmaking.While my favorite film of his is Leon (The Professional), this is my second favorite film of his.Many of the people I saw this film with in the theatre were turned off by its almost macabre sense of the spirit realm. I think Besson has found a unique vision for the telling of this historical story. I think he risks offending people who are unwilling to explore the possibility of human qualities in saints and religious heros. In this telling one is left to wonder if Joan was acting on the voice of God, or merely following the dictates of vain imaginations.It is a beautiful and lyrical film, which seems a virtual impossibilty due to its extremely graphic depiction of violent warware, but somehow Besson manages to give even the scenes of carnage a lyrical mystical quality.The only thing which risks destroying the film is the casting of Dustin Hoffman as the voice of conscious. When i realised it was him, i was pulled right out of the movie, which was sad because I was so happily wrapt in the world Besson had created. This sad fact is why I think this film is very good (considering the multitude of shallow triteness coming out of Hollywood) but not Besson's best.Would I recommend someone buy this film? A heartfelt yes!On a technical note, the DVD encoding is very good. And if you have a decent 5.1 surround system, the audio is extremely engaging.