Joan of Arc (TV 1999)

Ten years before her death, Joan hears voices. Six years later, from the village of Domremy, she begins her mission to unite France under King Charles. First she leads a defense of ... See full summary »

Director:

Christian Duguay

Writers:

Michael Alexander Miller, Ronald Parker

Stars:

Leelee Sobieski, Chad Willett, Jacqueline Bisset

Nominated for 4 Golden Globes. Another 6 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Leelee Sobieski	...	Joan D'Arc
Chad Willett	...	Jean de Metz
Jacqueline Bisset	...	Isabelle D'Arc
Powers Boothe	...	Jacques D'Arc
Olympia Dukakis	...	Mother Babette
Neil Patrick Harris	...	The Dauphin, later King Charles VII of France
Robert Loggia	...	Father Monet
Maximilian Schell	...	Brother Jean le Maistre
Peter Strauss	...	La Hire
Jonathan Hyde	...	Duke of Bedford
Maury Chaykin	...	Sir Robert de Baudricourt
Shirley MacLaine	...	Madame de Beaurevoir
Peter O'Toole	...	Bishop Cauchon
Cliff Saunders	...	Bertrand de Poligny
Ron White	...	Dunois

Storyline

Ten years before her death, Joan hears voices. Six years later, from the village of Domremy, she begins her mission to unite France under King Charles. First she leads a defense of Vaucouleurs against the Burgundians, then obtains safe passage to Charles, the Dauphin. He uses her, as the embodiment of the mythical "Maid of Lorraine," to raise an army, and he sends her to the rescue of Orléans. After Charles is crowned, Joan leads a disastrous campaign in Paris, where her brother dies. Then she's the victim of Charles's manipulations: she's captured in Burgundy, sold to the English, examined by Bishop Cauchon, found a heretic by the Inquisition, and burned at the stake.

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Plot Keywords:

burgundy | heretic | stake | orléans | inquisition | 

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Taglines:

A legend. A saint.

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Genres:

Adventure | Biography | Drama | History

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Website

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 May 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jeanne d'Arc

Filming Locations:

Krivoklát, Czech Republic

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alliance Atlantis Communications, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

140 min 60 min (3 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

As the king is leaving his coronation, a long shadow is seen behind him, as if he is walking toward an open door. In the next shot, the shadow is gone, but it reappears as someone opens the door for him.

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Quotes

Joan D'Arc: Why are you punishing me for talking to God?

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Connections

Version of The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999)

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Soundtracks

"Panis Angelicus"
Written by César Franck
Arranged by Julian Smith
Performed by Charlotte Church
Courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment (UK) Ltd.

User Reviews

A challenging role

Joan is perhaps the most female difficult role to cast. The actress must be attractive but not conventionally alluring; magnetic but not intellectual; a towering figure but physically slight. You must understand why people would die for her. Above all, the performer must convey an authentic sense of religious piety, a virtual impossibility for young actors today. Sandrine Bonnaire--a wonderful star in every other respect--tried her hand in the recent French version but was too sexy for the part.

As Joan, Sobieski juggles the disparate requirements astonishingly well. This is emphatically not the kind of movie in which the actress can merely show up and look decorative; you have to work at it, but as Sobieski revealed in Uprising, she has the capacity for challenging period roles. And that also means that in contrast to her female peers in the business, she has a long professional future.

Watch out for O'Toole in an astonishing performance as a Cardinal who gradually realizes that Joan is the real thing.

The culminating scene--no details provided, you must see it yourself--is curiously uplifting and properly theological rather than merely unpleasant.