Product: The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (Region 2) (1999)
Rating: 3.0
A Tale of Revenge and Madness
It is hard to say if this is a good movie or not. What confuses the issue is that it purports to be the story of Joan of Arc, which it is not. So I ask myself, is it a good movie if we change all the names?. And I would have to say, yes, it's a good story. Implausible perhaps, but gripping, scary, weird, dramatic: a psychological study of frenzied revenge ending in insight, repentance and inner peace. But as a dramatization of the life of Joan of Arc it is a flop, an "F", a Zero. The Milla Jovovich character is as far from the winsome, simple, and tenderhearted peasant girl as the East is from the West. For those of you who want to learn about the real Joan, there is a wealth of information including extensive first hand accounts from the Trial of Nullification. It is well worth the effort. Joan's life is one of the most incredible in all history, very moving and thought provoking.