Procès de Jeanne d'Arc (1962)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Robert Bresson

Writer:

Robert Bresson (writer)

Release Date:

18 October 1974 (Finland)

Genre:

Drama | War

Plot:

A reconstruction of the trial of Joan of Arc (based entirely on the transcripts of the real-life trial)...

Plot Keywords:

Trial | Interrogation | French Court | Heresy | Burned At The Stake

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Florence Delay	...	Jeanne d'Arc (as Florence Carrez)
Jean-Claude Fourneau	...	Bishop Cauchon
Roger Honorat	...	Jean Beaupere
Marc Jacquier	...	Jean Lemaitre
Jean Gillibert	...	Jean de Chatillon
Michel Herubel	...	Isambert de la Pierre - French Monk
André Régnier	...	D'Estivet
Arthur Le Bau	...	Jean Massieu
Marcel Darbaud	...	Nicolas de Houppeville
Philippe Dreux	...	Martin Ladvenu - French Monk
Paul-Robert Mimet	...	Guillaume Erard
Gérard Zingg	...	Jean-Lohier

Also Known As:

The Trial of Joan of Arc (USA)

Runtime:

65 min

Country:

France

Language:

French | English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-8 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M

Company:

Agnes Delahaie Productions

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: Although the story takes place in 1431, Jeanne's hairstyle is strictly a popular mode of the early 1960s. This is not a "goof" but an intention on the director's part to help young people identify with the character.

Movie Connections:

Version of La passion de Jeanne d'Arc (1928)

Saint or terrorist?

A superb demonstration of Bresson's talent as one of the last century's greatest film-makers. It is a short film, set minimally in a courtroom, then Joan's cell and finally, with immense power, at the stake. The actors are amateurs, as usual with Bresson, but the message they convey is universal - and as relevant to the 21st century as to the 15th century, when the events, realistically described in the film from court texts, took place.

Was Joan really a freedom-fighter and a saint, receiving messages from God through her saintly visions? Or was she a 15th century terrorist, opposing both the power of the English occupying army and the tenets of the Catholic Church and its bishops? As the trial is enacted, there are no obvious villains - not even the English officer representing the occupying secular power. And Joan needs to be discreetly prompted by a white-clad priest, whose motives are obscure, casting some doubts on the certainties of her visions. The triumph of the director and the actors is that you feel that the viewer is totally involved in the interactions - and I had to rush to the history books to learn more about the main characters as soon as the film finished.