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 filed suit in California against Luc Besson for plagiarizing historical research that she had done when she was involved in the project. Besson settled with her amicably out of court.

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Goofs

When the siege tower falls on the gate to the castle, everybody behind the gate door runs away. But on the next clip, there are a lot of people stuffed in under the falling gate.

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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

Beyond all expectations...!

Milla Jovovich may have been the only woman who could have portrayed a 'Joan' believable enough for such a film and approach as that taken by Luc Besson, one which stops just short of suggesting some sort of 'shamanic visionary' as opposed to a character labelled everything from 'deranged schizophrenic' to 'lesbian', simply due to attire, while 'hearing voices' (all historical facts). The key ingredient: the eyes. Not since Faye Dunnaway's unforgetable portrayal in "The Eyes of Laura Mars" (1976), who coincidentally co-stars as an excellent Yolande d'Aragon herewith, has someone captivated an audience simply by a look or a glance. Spell-binding, riveting, and as true to the historical record as one can expect for this most noble of French heroines, while adding a plausible childhood, Besson, Jovovich, an excellent supporting cast and the film were all but ignored for the honours they so richly deserved. Rating five stars (of five) and a film I'll never forget!