Joan the Maid 1: The Battles (1994)

A part of Joan of Arc's life. At the beginning, Jeanne (Joan) has already left Domremy, she is trying to convince a captain to escort her to the Dauphin. It ends during Jeanne's first ... See full summary »

Director:

Jacques Rivette

Writers:

Pascal Bonitzer, Christine Laurent

Stars:

Tatiana Moukhine, Sandrine Bonnaire, Jean-Marie Richier

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tatiana Moukhine	...	Isabelle Romée
Sandrine Bonnaire	...	Jeanne d'Arc
Jean-Marie Richier	...	Durand Laxart
Baptiste Roussillon	...	Baudricourt
Jean-Luc Petit	...	Henri Le Royer
Bernadette Giraud	...	Catherine Le Royer
Jean-Claude Jay	...	Jacques Alain
Olivier Cruveiller	...	Jean de Metz
Benjamin Rataud	...	Bertrand de Poulengy
Cyril Haouzi	...	Jean de Honnecourt
Réginald Huguenin	...	Colet de Vienne
Patrick Adomian	...	Richard l'archer
Nicolas Vian	...	Julien
André Marcon	...	Charles, Dauphin de France
Jean-Louis Richard	...	La Trémoille

Storyline

A part of Joan of Arc's life. At the beginning, Jeanne (Joan) has already left Domremy, she is trying to convince a captain to escort her to the Dauphin. It ends during Jeanne's first battle, at Orleans. Meanwhile, Jeanne is depicted more as a warrior than a saint (all cliches are avoided), with only her faith for strength.

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Plot Keywords:

joan of arc character | reference to joan of arc | reference to the passion of joan of arc | female knight | dauphin | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | War

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

9 February 1994 (France)

Also Known As:

Az Orléans-i szűz, 1. rész

Filming Locations:

France

Company Credits

Production Co:

France 3 Cinéma, La Sept Cinéma, Pierre Grise Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

160 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Followed by Joan the Maid 2: The Prisons (1994)

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Soundtracks

Générique
Music by Jordi Savall

User Reviews

Most historically accurate Joan of Arc movie to date

In the November 15th 1999 issue of "The New Yorker," Joan Acocella called Rivette's "Joan the Maid Parts 1 and 2" "the best Joan of Arc movie ever made." I couldn't agree with her more. It's also the most historically accurate to date. The scenes and dialogue are taken practically word for word from primary source accounts made by her contemporaries. Unlike Hollywood's big-budget Joan of Arc "epics," Rivette's film is modestly low-budget, but its simplicity makes it all the more charming. It focuses on the character of this extraordinary 15th century woman rather than the big battle spectacles. As "Sight and Sound" magazine put it, "Rivette takes us not onto the stage of history but backstage -- to its green room." I found Sandrine Bonnaire's performance very moving. Most film portrayals of Joan of Arc fail what I call the essential "leadership test." (Would anyone follow Milla Jovovich's Joan of Arc into battle? We'd sooner put her in a padded cell.) But Sandrine Bonnaire portrays Joan as an intelligent, confident young woman that anyone would follow. She charms the audience as much as the real Joan charmed her countrymen.