Product: The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (Region 2) (1999)
Rating: 4.0
Will the real Joan of Arc stand up?
Let's forget about historical truth. OK, people did not go to a private confessional box in the 15th century as portrayed. The map of France did not look as we are shown in the movie's introduction. Military technology had not then invented all the siege devices shown on screen. And nobody but nobody actually understands what made Joan tick. You take your pick from saint to tomboy and from heroine to crazy. But Milla gives a convincing portrayal of a gifted teenager who was used and finally betrayed by the man (the Dauphin) she tried to help. It's a great story, marred only by some silly sequences. The French apparently tried to force open the gates of Paris with three locksmiths and two men on a ladder! Come on now. By contrast, the battle scenes at the siege of Orleans are magnificent. Vive La France.