Saint Joan (1957)

In 1456, French King Charles VII recalls the story of how he met the seventeen-year-old peasant girl Joan of Arc, entrusted her with the command of the French Army, and ultimately burned her at the stake as a heretic.

Director:

Otto Preminger

Writers:

Graham Greene, George Bernard Shaw (play)

Stars:

Richard Widmark, Richard Todd, Anton Walbrook

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

Storyline

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. After winning many battles she is not needed any longer and soon she is thought of as a witch.

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Plot Keywords:

character name as title | joan of arc character | the dauphin character | two word title | period drama | 

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Taglines:

A Brilliant Triumph!

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Audrey Hepburn was originally offered the role of Joan. Rumor had it she turned it down because her husband, Mel Ferrer, wasn't offered the role of the Dauphin, but Ferrer denied this.

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Goofs

The choral and later the organ music heard during and after Charles' coronation mimics the style of Handel and Bach's music that was composed during the 18th century.

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Quotes

De Courcelles: Were you in a state of grace when you stole the Bishop's horse?
Cauchon: The devil take the Bishop's horse.

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Alternate Versions

Also available in computer colorized version (Hal Roach VHS)

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Connections

Version of Heilige Jeanne (1978)

User Reviews

Did she hear Saints telling her to go to war? Were we right to rig a trial and kill her?

Savaged when it came out, this film now looks handsome and sounds great. A feast of intelligent thoughtful acting, from Gielgud, Kenneth Haigh, Harry Andrews and especially Anton Walbrook,and a moving central performance from the beautiful and incredibly young Jean Seberg. Preminger doesn't jump around and show off- his long slow takes encourage you to listen and reflect, and Graham Greene's script condenses Shaw without sacrificing complexity.The piece has the look of a made for TV movie, and is certainly studio bound but none the worse for that. Too many contemporary movies on 'historical' themes cannot resist dumbing down. What would Mel Gibson have made of the Maid? Many drooling shots of her on the rack probably, then crisping up on the BBQ as the flames take hold. Preminger does none of this. The burning is shown mainly through a guilt-stricken reaction. There are a few weak performances, but not enough to cause any serious damage. I caught this movie on TV and was not expecting to watch it through, but I was gripped . In our age of religious fundamentalism and sacrifice, Joan's story has unexpected resonance.

Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 May 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

Saint Joan

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$400,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Wheel Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1