Joan the Woman (1916)

A WWI English officer is inspired the night before a dangerous mission by a vision of Joan of Arc, whose story he relives.

Director:

Cecil B. DeMille

Writers:

Jeanie Macpherson (scenario), William C. de Mille

Stars:

Geraldine Farrar, Raymond Hatton, Hobart Bosworth

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Geraldine Farrar	...	Jeanne d'Arc (Joan of Arc)
Raymond Hatton	...	Charles VII
Hobart Bosworth	...	Gen. La Hire
Theodore Roberts	...	Cauchon
Wallace Reid	...	Eric Trent 1431 / Eric Trent 1917
Charles Clary	...	La Tremouille
James Neill	...	Laxart
Tully Marshall	...	L'Oiseleur
Lawrence Peyton	...	Gaspard
Horace B. Carpenter	...	Jacques d'Arc
Cleo Ridgely	...	The king's favorite
Lillian Leighton	...	Isambeau
Marjorie Daw	...	Katherine
Ernest Joy	...	Robert de Beaudricourt
John Oaker	...	Jean de Metz

Storyline

John Trent, a World War I British officer, finds an ancient sword in his trench bunker just prior to volunteering for what will amount to a suicide mission the next day. That night he is visited by the spirit of Joan of Arc and is transported back to the 15th Century. Joan's career begins when, as a peasant girl, she meets Trent's ancestor, also an English soldier, fighting for the Burgundians. After Trent is captured, Joan is brought to the attention of the beleaguered Dauphin, heir to the French throne, who cannot be crowned because the English hold the royal city of Orleans. The weak Dauphin is impressed by her vision and apparently heaven-sent powers which border on the supernatural and ultimately gives her command of the armies. She is victorious at Orleans and the new King is crowned. Joan resists Trent's entreaties of love and continues her struggle to free the rest of her country from English occupation. Sinister forces, both English and French, conspire against her and she is...

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Plot Keywords:

vision | dauphin | joan of arc | 15th century | peasant | 

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Taglines:

Based on the life of the immortal Joan of Arc

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History | Mystery | War

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Details

Country:

USA

Release Date:

25 December 1916 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jeanne d'Arc

Filming Locations:

Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$302,976 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cardinal Film, Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

138 min 138 min (2003)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Color (Handschiegel Color) Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

First film to use the Handschiegl Color Process.

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Goofs

When Trent discovers the sword, he holds the hilt in his right hand. In the insert close-up the hilt is in his left hand. In the cutback, it has returned to the right. (In fact, the insert shot has been spliced in upside-down.)

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Quotes

Jeanne d'Arc: No sword once drawn for France - shall be thrown down!

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Connections

Featured in Hollywood: In the Beginning (1980)

User Reviews

Extraordinary epic many years ahead of its time

DeMille's JOAN THE WOMAN would be an extraordinary film of any silent year but the fact that it was made when feature films were only two years old is staggering. Its companion epics, BIRTH OF A NATION and INTOLERANCE (1915, 1916 respectively) seem crude next to it. The narrative flows with complete audience absorption for two hours and eighteen minutes. I can only add to the praise of all the reviews on IMDB and Amazon. The print is the crispest and clearest of any restoration I've seen and the tinting is exemplary, especially the hand tinted flames of the final conflagration - one would swear we were watching early Technicolor but that event was still a year away. Farrar is fine in the lead with only a few exaggerated postures. This would certainly have given INTOLERANCE a run for its money had there been Oscars then, also considering this made money but the latter flopped at the boxoffice. Certainly nods for Best Film, Actress, Direction, Cinematography and Editing are in order.

The film is divided into two acts with the first ending neatly at 75 minutes into the feature.

The KINO restoration is well worth the price - do yourself a great favor and add it to your video library.