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

A young girl receives a vision that drives her to rid France of its oppressors.

Director:

Luc Besson

Writers:

Andrew Birkin, Luc Besson

Stars:

Milla Jovovich, John Malkovich, Rab Affleck

5 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rab Affleck	...	Comrade
Stéphane Algoud	...	Look Out (as Stephane Algoud)
Edwin Apps	...	Bishop
David Bailie	...	English Judge
David Barber	...	English Judge
Christian Barbier	...	Captain
Timothy Bateson	...	English Judge
David Begg	...	Nobleman - Rouen's Castle
Christian Bergner	...	Captain
Andrew Birkin	...	Talbot
Dominic Borrelli	...	English Judge
John Boswall	...	Old Priest
Matthew Bowyer	...	The Bludgeoned French Soldier
Paul Brooke	...	Domremy's Priest
Bruce Byron	...	Joan's Father

Storyline

1429. While the war between France and England (the Hundred Years War) appeared settled in 1420, in England's favour, the death of King Henry V of England reignites it. England occupies large areas of France and appears set to take the whole of it. Into this moment of crisis rides legendary Joan of Arc, a teenage girl who claims to be lead by divine visions.

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Plot Keywords:

soldier | religious conviction | dauphin | trial | joan of arc | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Biography | Drama | History | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong graphic battles, a rape and some language

Details

Country:

France Czech Republic

Language:

English Latin

Release Date:

12 November 1999 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc

Filming Locations:

Bruntal, Czech Republic

Box Office

Budget:

$85,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,360,968, 14 November 1999, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$14,276,317, 14 January 2000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$66,976,317, 31 May 2000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gaumont, Okko Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

158 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital EX SDDS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kathryn Bigelow refused to direct when Luc Besson insisted that Milla Jovovich, his wife at the time, play the lead character.

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Goofs

At the beginning of the film when Joan is lying by the river to the right of the screen you can see someone's pants and then a camera.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Title Card: 1420. Henry V, King of England, and Charles VI, King of France, sign the Treaty of Troyes. The treaty states that the kingdom of France will belong to England upon the king's death. But the two kings die a few months apart. Henry VI is the new king of England and of France, but he is only a few months old. Charles VII, the Dauphin of France, has no intention to abandon his kingdom to a child nor even to his tutor, the Duke of Bedford. A bloody war begins and the English, along with...
[...]

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Alternate Versions

The European release was 10 minutes longer than the US theatrical version, which omits, among others, the scene where Joan's virginity is tested before the court of King Charles VII. The longer version has been released in the USA on DVD.

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Connections

Referenced in Jisatsu sâkuru (2001)

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Soundtracks

My Heart Calling
Lyrics and Music by Éric Serra and Achinoam Nini
Produced by Éric Serra
Performed by Achinoam Nini
With the Special Authorization of Interscope/Geffen

User Reviews

Great looking but awkward drama

I know next to nothing about the Joan of Arc story, but I've liked Luc Besson's work, and the trailer was terrific, so I was looking forward to this movie, even after the bad reviews. As might be expected from a Besson film, it looked incredible. The battle scenes were all well-handled, and as the warrior Joan, Jovovich was quite convincing. The rest of the movie was something else again.

It seems to me Besson and his co-writer, Andrew Birkin, were trying to do what Kenneth Branagh did in his version of HAMLET; look at the lead character not as an icon, but as a normal human being, and try to explain their actions and behavior in that context. Admittedly, since I am unfamiliar with this story, I am more receptive to this approach than those who hold Joan as an icon, but I would have been more than willing to watch a movie which handled this material well. Unfortunately, once Besson established which way he wanted to go, he seemed unsure of how to get there. Most of the drama is handled on a third-grade level(especially her trial), and we never really get into what made Joan tick. Though the scenes with Dustin Hoffman were involving, especially since he was so good, they too fell short in explaining Joan. And Jovovich can't quite access those depths yet.

The rest of the cast is okay. Malkovich and Faye Dunaway are playing types, but they play them well enough. Tchecky Kayro(I know I'm not spelling that right) and Vincent Cassel lend a sense of gravity to their roles as soldiers. But all in all, this is a movie whose reach was beyond its grasp.