Complete credited cast: | |||
Maria Falconetti | ... | Jeanne d'Arc (as Melle Falconetti) | |
Eugene Silvain | ... | Évêque Pierre Cauchon (Bishop Pierre Cauchon) (as Eugène Silvain) | |
André Berley | ... | Jean d'Estivet | |
Maurice Schutz | ... | Nicolas Loyseleur | |
Antonin Artaud | ... | Jean Massieu | |
Michel Simon | ... | Jean Lemaître | |
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Jean d'Yd | ... | Guillaume Evrard |
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Louis Ravet | ... | Jean Beaupère (as Ravet) |
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Armand Lurville | ... | Juge (Judge) (as André Lurville) |
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Jacques Arnna | ... | Juge (Judge) |
Alexandre Mihalesco | ... | Juge (Judge) | |
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Léon Larive | ... | Juge (Judge) |
Giovanna is taken to the Inquisition court. . After the accusation of blasphemy continues to pray in ecstasy . A friar thinks that Giovanna is a saint, but is taken away by the soldiers. Giovanna sees a cross in the shadow and feels comforted. She is not considered a daughter of God but a daughter of the devil and is sentenced to torture. Giovanna D 'Arco says that even if she dies she will not deny anything. The eyes are twisted by terror in front of the torture wheel and faint. Giovanna is taken to a bed where they are bleeding. Giovanna feels that she is about to die and asks to be buried in a consecrated area. Giovanna burns at the stake while devoted ladies cry. Written by luigicavaliere
This film almost leads one to believe that sound betrays the emotion the eyes capture. Just as the blind develop hearing far better than the average, the deaf develop a keen sense of sight. I am convinced that a lack of dialogue forces us to read the language of the face and body, a verbage unmatched in beauty and nuance. Though the accompanying musical piece (be careful not to identify it as a score), so deliciously inspired by the film, enhances the visual playground; it is the actors' faces that comprise this tour de force. Ms. Falconetti shifts from worry and doubt to unabashed conviction in a single shot, giving the viewer the luck of seeing one's thoughts in progress. She needs no response to the interrogation, it's all in her face. Renee is not superficially beautiful and the lack of make-up only reinforces how bare Joan is, but it is the uncanny ability of an incomparable stage actor to be a window into the soul that makes her so stunning, for the soul we see is one we only wish to attain for ourselves. The Church sees what we see, and they respond just as clearly to her unspoken protest with vehement pomp. The cinematography is so astounding for its time no comment could ever do it justice. Though many comments can be made, and are, surrounding the inspiration and detail for the set, it is at its core an incredible gift from Dreyer to the actors meant to inspire. It plays little part in the film, but to pull an inconceivable last drop of reality from the actors. A testament I can imagine will never be matched to the incredible power of silence.