The Passion of Joan of Arc
Directed by	Carl Theodor Dreyer
Written by	Joseph Delteil Carl Theodor Dreyer
Starring	Renée Jeanne Falconetti Eugene Silvain André Berley Maurice Schutz
Cinematography	Rudolph Maté
Release date	April 21, 1928 (Denmark) October 25, (France)
Running time	110 min 82 min (restored DVD version at 24fps)
Country	France
Language	Silent (French)
IMDb profile

The Passion of Joan of Arc (La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc) was a silent film released in France in 1928 based on the trial records of Joan of Arc. The film was directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer and starred Renée Jeanne Falconetti and Antonin Artaud. It is widely regarded as a landmark of the silent cinema. Image File history File links Passio_joan_arc_dvd. ... Carl Theodor Dreyer (February 3, 1889 - March 20, 1968) was a Danish film director. ... Falconetti in La Passion Renée Jeanne Falconetti [1] (sometimes credited as Maria Falconetti [2] or Renée Maria Falconetti [3]) (July 22, 1892 - December 12, 1946) was a French stage and film actress, notable for her role as Joan of Arc in Carl Theodor Dreyers 1928 silent film... Rudolph Maté (January 21, 1898 - October 27, 1964) was an accomplished cinematographer and film director. ... April 21 is the 111th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (112th in leap years). ... 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... October 25 is the 298th day of the year (299th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 67 days remaining. ... A silent film is a film which has no accompanying soundtrack. ... 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... In legal parlance, a trial is an event in which parties to a dispute present information (in the form of evidence) in a formal setting, usually a court, before a judge, jury, or other designated finder of fact, in order to achieve a resolution to their dispute. ... Joan of Arc, also known as Jeanne dArc or The Maid of Orleans[1] or Jeanne la Pucelle (6 January 1412 – 30 May 1431),[2] is a national heroine of France and a saint of the Catholic Church. ... Carl Theodor Dreyer (February 3, 1889 - March 20, 1968) was a Danish film director. ... Falconetti in La Passion Renée Jeanne Falconetti [1] (sometimes credited as Maria Falconetti [2] or Renée Maria Falconetti [3]) (July 22, 1892 - December 12, 1946) was a French stage and film actress, notable for her role as Joan of Arc in Carl Theodor Dreyers 1928 silent film... Antonin Artaud Antonin Artaud (September 4, 1896–March 4, 1948) was a playwright, actor, and director. ...

Story and style

The film comprises five gruelling cross-examinations and the resultant burning of Joan at the stake. What especially stood out at the time Passion was made was the film's camera-work and emphasis on the actors' facial features. Dreyer shot a great deal of the film in close-up and forbade his actors to wear any makeup, the better to tell the story through their expressions. Falconetti — in her only movie role — was commended for her multifaceted performance as Joan. The Arricam ST, a popular 35 mm film camera currently used on major productions. ... Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed. ...

Passion was originally intended to use the new technology of sound, but Dreyer did not have sufficient financing and so the film is silent. A sound film (or talkie) is a motion picture with synchronized sound, as opposed to a silent movie. ... A silent film is a film which has no accompanying soundtrack. ...

Dreyer intended the film to be watched in complete silence with no musical accompaniment. However, in 1994 composer Richard Einhorn wrote an oratorio based on the movie, entitled "Voices of Light". This piece is now available as an optional accompaniment on the Criterion Collection's DVD release of the film. Richard Einhorn (born in 1952) is a modern classical composer. ... An oratorio is a large musical composition for orchestra, vocal soloists and chorus. ... The Criterion Collection is a joint venture between Janus Films and The Voyager Company that was begun in the mid 1980s for the purpose of releasing authoritative consumer versions of classic and important contemporary films on the laserdisc and DVD formats. ...

Responses and legacy

Actress Renée Jeanne Falconetti in a scene from The Passion of Joan of Arc.

Some critics claimed that Passion was the best silent film ever made, and Pauline Kael wrote that Falconetti's portrayal of Joan of Arc "may be the finest performance ever recorded on film."¹ However, it was banned in Britain for its portrayal of crude English soldiers who mock and torment Joan in scenes that mirror biblical accounts of Christ's mocking at the hands of Roman soldiers. Image File history File links Scene from The Passion of Joan of Arc. ... Image File history File links Scene from The Passion of Joan of Arc. ... Falconetti in La Passion Renée Jeanne Falconetti [1] (sometimes credited as Maria Falconetti [2] or Renée Maria Falconetti [3]) (July 22, 1892 - December 12, 1946) was a French stage and film actress, notable for her role as Joan of Arc in Carl Theodor Dreyers 1928 silent film... A silent film is a film which has no accompanying soundtrack. ...

The original version of the film was lost for decades, after a fire destroyed the master negative. Dreyer himself attempted to reassemble a version from out-takes and surviving prints, but he died believing his original cut was lost forever. Almost miraculously, a virtually complete print of Dreyer's original version was found in 1981 in a janitor's closet of an Oslo mental institution. This version is now available on DVD. 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Scenes from Passion appear in Jean-Luc Godard's Vivre sa Vie (1962), in which the protagonist sees the film at a cinema and identifies with Joan. Jean-Luc Godard. ... Categories: Movie stubs | 1962 films | French films ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ...

Footnotes

• Note 1: Kael, Pauline. 5001 Nights At the Movies p.449.

References

• Kael, Pauline (1982). 5001 Nights At the Movies. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, New York. ISBN 0030426065.

External links

• The Passion of Joan of Arc at The Internet Movie Database
• The Passion of Joan of Arc at the Arts & Faith Top100 Spiritually Significant Films list
• Carl Theodor Dreyer essay at criterionco.com

The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about actors, films, television shows, television stars, video games and production crew personnel. ...