Home
search
more | tips
SHOP SAINT JOAN
Amazon.com Amazon.ca Amazon.co.uk Amazon.de Amazon.fr
IMDb > Saint Joan (1957)
Saint Joan
[Add to My Movies]
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summaryplot synopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsnews articles
Promotional
taglinestrailers and videospostersphoto gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

Saint Joan (1957)

advertisement
Register or login to rate this title
User Rating: 6.1/10 (195 votes)
Photos (see all 9 | slideshow)

Overview

Director:
Otto Preminger
Writers:
Graham Greene (writer)
George Bernard Shaw (play)
Release Date:
8 May 1957 (USA) more
Genre:
Biography | Drama more
Plot:
Young Joan of Arc comes to the palace in France to make The Dauphin King of France and is appointed to head the French Army... more | add synopsis
User Comments:
Joan the woman. more

Cast

 (Cast overview, first billed only)

Richard Widmark ... The Dauphin, Charles VII
Richard Todd ... Dunois, Bastard of Orleans
Anton Walbrook ... Cauchon - Bishop of Beauvais

John Gielgud ... Earl of Warwick
Felix Aylmer ... Inquisitor
Archie Duncan ... Robert de Baudricourt
Harry Andrews ... John de Stogumber
Margot Grahame ... Duchesse de la Tremouille

Barry Jones ... De Courcelles
Francis De Wolff ... La Tremouille
Finlay Currie ... Archbishop of Rheims
Victor Maddern ... English Soldier
Bernard Miles ... Master Executioner
David Oxley ... 'Bluebeard',- Gilles de Rais
Patrick Barr ... Captain La Hire
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:
110 min
Country:
USA | UK
Language:
English
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
UK:U | West Germany:12 (f) | Finland:K-16
MOVIEmeter: ?
^ 186% since last week why?

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Desmond Dickinson started as DoP but was replaced. more
Quotes:
John de Stogumber: Some of the people laughed at her. They would have laughed at Christ. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Mr. Hoover and I (1989) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
0 out of 1 people found the following comment useful:-
Joan the woman., 30 March 2004
Author: dbdumonteil

Joan of Arc is probably the most extraordinary character in French history.So introducing fantastic elements in the screenplay makes sense.There are so many mysterious things about the Maid of Orleans ,although,thanks to the manuscript of her trial,she 's the most known character of the Middle Ages.BUt this woman definitely eludes human

Otto Preminger did not commit sacrilege when he showed Joan reappearing one night in Charles the seventh's bedroom ,with other dramatis personae:bishop Cauchon,Dunois and the soldier who made a cross for the heroine with two pieces of wood just before she died."They cleared your name" the king says "Can you unburn me?" she says.Robert Shaw 's vision of Joan is not unlike that of Jean Anouilh in "l'alouette":Anouilh ended his play on a glorious note:he demolished the stake and he brought back Joan in Reims cathedral.

I sincerely believe that Otto Preminger's movie has been unfairly dismissed :in my native France,they say it's a static movie ,and however,I had never the impression to be watching a filmed stage production.To my mind ,it's the best Joan of Arc ,with the staggering exception of Dreyer's masterpiece ,of course,which will probably never surpassed.But all the others ,Bresson,Fleming,Rosselini,Besson (Besson???),Rivette ,et al,cannot hold a candle to Preminger:his Joan is a woman of flesh and blood and Jean Seberg (debut) had a strong presence .But the stand-out is definitely Richard Widmark :his fans won't recognize him,particularly in the sequences where he appears as the old king at the end of the road;but he gives a very fine portrayal of Charles the seventh ,probably outré -this king was finally a smart one :he knew when war had to give way to negotiation,which Joan could not understand.But watching Widmark the tough guy of many a western or a film noir playing hopscotch is just a joy.He easily outshines such luminaries as Jose Ferrer,in Fleming 's version or John Malkovich ,in Besson's video game.

There are funny anachronisms:"this horse cost 16 FRANCS" (the franc came much later);or Joan calling Gilles De Rais "Bluebeard" :Charles Perrault ,admittedly inspired by De Rais ,wrote his fairy tale more than two centuries later.But it's not a problem:Joan will come back after her death,and she will know the whole French history ,because ,unlike her contemporaries,she's eternal.The relationship Joan/Dunois is wonderfully treated :it's some kind of love story ,and seeing the young maid mother him brings something romantic .

One can regret a detail:it's not because she was afraid of prison for life that Joan was relapsed :it's because they took away from her her woman's clothes and thus forced her to dress up again as a man.It' minor ;Shaw's lines ,depicting these foolish things which Joan could not live without,if she were buried forever in a hole ,are deeply poetic.

I say it again:one of the best films about Joan Of Arc.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more

Message Boards

Discuss this title with other users on IMDb message board for Saint Joan (1957)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
DVD for Saint Joan Wailmer1990
Woman's Day Article Bloopie
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Joan of Arc Procès de Jeanne d'Arc Mädchen Johanna, Das Passion de Jeanne d'Arc, La The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Add a recommendation | Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
IMDb Biography section IMDb USA section Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.