The Trial of Joan of Arc (1962)

A reconstruction of the trial of Joan of Arc (based entirely on the transcripts of the real-life trial), concerning Joan's imprisonment, interrogation and final execution at the hands of ... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Bresson

Writer:

Robert Bresson

Stars:

Florence Delay, Jean-Claude Fourneau, Roger Honorat

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview:
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

Storyline

A reconstruction of the trial of Joan of Arc (based entirely on the transcripts of the real-life trial), concerning Joan's imprisonment, interrogation and final execution at the hands of the English, filmed in a spare, low-key fashion.

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Plot Keywords:

trial | joan of arc | interrogation | torture chamber | torture threat | 

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Genres:

Drama | History

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

French English

Release Date:

15 March 1963 (France)

Also Known As:

The Trial of Joan of Arc

Company Credits

Production Co:

Agnes Delahaie Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

65 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

An almost completely verbatim piece of cinema.

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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.

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Quotes

Jeanne d'Arc: I wish to die, yes, but not by burning. My body is pure. It mustn't be reduced to ashes.

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Connections

Version of The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

User Reviews

What you see is what you get

Judging by the movie (and Bresson as a person) Jean d'Arc has obviously been a really inspirational person to Bresson. That's basically the constitutive problem with this picture. All of the humaine virtues that are most significant to him, are combined in this historical character: The willpower, the faith, the moral persistence...

The movie's an ode to a role model of his - a moral statement. There's nothing wrong with being political or making a statement, just as long as it's all part of the dramaturgical entirety, and not the dramaturgical entirety. Sadly, in this case, that's just what's happened.

The other main problem with the movie, is it's structure. All of the court dialogues - which concist about 90% of the whole picture - are reenactments of the inquisition, based on the actual found documents from the trials. There's very little dramatization, as the whole picture could be seen more as a documentary of these historical events, than a self-reliant piece of storytelling.

The storyline, nor the characters, do not develop due the course of the movie. There's very little aspects presented of the main character, and it leaves very little room for interpretation. Basically, what you see is what you get.