Product: The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (Region 2) (1999)
Rating: 5.0
A riveting, spellbinding tale of Joan of Arc.
This movie completely and totally blew me away in every sense of both words. Not much can be known about the true Joan of Arc, but it is known that she supposedly found a sword in a field and used the cause of God to attack the British and try and save her fellow French. And, just so people know, where do you think the "F" word got its start?? It was back in the middle ages, and thus the evil English like to use it a few times. But, I'd hardly say its overused. I counted no more than half a dozen uses of the word, myself, and there is little other swearing in the movie. Other than that, this movie got 'R' for its very violent and thematically tense content. This is not a movie for the weak or stomach or heart. It's take on the reasons for Joan's crusade is displayed perfectly and while this movie doesn't offer any solid view of its own on how her life really happened, it gives us a good idea of what it was like. All in all, this movie may be better than even Braveheart. The acting is superb, the music by Eric Serra is outstanding (the song that plays as Joan was getting burned at the stake ALWAYS sends chills up and down my spine). All in all, if you like medieval movies about famous war figures, don't miss out on The Messenger. It's a dramatic and very realistic portrayal of one of the key icons of medieval history that deserves more respect and attention than its gotten.