Product: The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (Region 2) (1999)
Rating: 2.0
Burn this film at the stake!
The first fifteen minutes of the film are mesmerizing as young Joan of Arc is explored with her leanings towards enjoying confession and how she got her calling. A fascinating openning.The only justification for the two stars I gave it.Then unfortuneately, Mila Jovanivich takes over as the grown up Joan of Arc. A very unfortunate casting choice. She runs the gamut of acting emotions ranging from a to b. She gawks in amazement and her eyes bulge with absolutely nothing underneath. She is unconvincing and annoying in this role.To add to this, her hair color changes from scene to scene. One scene she is blonde then she is brunette. Is this to distract us from her acting? Is this a God given hair color change? Or is it a vision from Clairol?Faye Dunaway and John Malkovich give good performances but they are not in enough of the movie to save it. By the time Dustin Hoffman shows up at the end, who even cares?Aside from the great opening, the hole mishmash shows no insight into Joan of Arc. After the fascinating opening--the ball is dropped and that is the director and lead actor's fault. Lead a nation in battle? This woman can't lead a movie.Haven't seen other versions of the Joan of Arc Story but this definitely isn't the one to see.