Product: The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (Region 2) (1999)
Rating: 3.0
Give this movie a chance -- you might be surprised.
Because the critics universally panned The Messenger, I had very low expectations for it. I was surprised that I found it interesting. Bresson's direction and pacing are not sure enough for this to be a quality film, but his story of a conflicted, manic Joan nevertheless has appeal. I have often wondered how Saints were in real life. Bresson's Joan is both self-confident and self-effacing. Her self-confidence wins her fame, but it is her honest examination of conscience, her total self-effacement that ultimately makes her a Saint. Joan loves God passionately; her spirituality is real. She eschews amulets as a false and facile form of spirituality. But she is still fallen in her humanity (as all saints are) and her motives to serve God are perhaps tinged with pride and, possibly, a desire for revenge. Joan's hunger to 'be confessed' is a touching recognition of her sinfulness. 'The Messenger' is a flawed film but not without merit.