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IMDbPro

The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc

Original title: Joan of Arc
  • 19991999
  • RR
  • 2h 28m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
68K
YOUR RATING
Milla Jovovich in The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999)
Theatrical Trailer from Columbia Pictures
Play trailer2:28
1 Video
93 Photos
AdventureBiographyDrama
A young girl receives a vision that drives her to rid France of its oppressors.A young girl receives a vision that drives her to rid France of its oppressors.A young girl receives a vision that drives her to rid France of its oppressors.
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
68K
YOUR RATING
    • Luc Besson
    • Andrew Birkin
    • Luc Besson
  • Stars
    • Milla Jovovich
    • John Malkovich
    • Rab Affleck
    • Luc Besson
    • Andrew Birkin
    • Luc Besson
  • Stars
    • Milla Jovovich
    • John Malkovich
    • Rab Affleck
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 414User reviews
    • 113Critic reviews
    • 54Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards

    Videos1

    The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc
    Trailer 2:28
    Watch The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc

    Photos93

    Milla Jovovich and Desmond Harrington in The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999)
    Milla Jovovich and Desmond Harrington in The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999)
    Milla Jovovich in The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999)
    Milla Jovovich stars as Joan of Arc
    Faye Dunaway plays Yolande D'Aragon
    A battle scene
    Milla Jovovich stars as Joan of Arc
    Joan enters battle
    Dunois & Aulon
    Milla Jovovich as Joan
    Joan in battle
    Aulon, Charles VII, de Chartres and Tremoille

    Top cast

    Edit
    Milla Jovovich
    Milla Jovovich
    • Joan of Arc
    John Malkovich
    John Malkovich
    • Charles VII
    Rab Affleck
    Rab Affleck
    • Comrade
    Stéphane Algoud
    • Look Out
    • (as Stephane Algoud)
    Edwin Apps
    Edwin Apps
    • Bishop
    David Bailie
    David Bailie
    • English Judge
    David Barber
    • English Judge
    Christian Barbier
    • Captain
    Timothy Bateson
    Timothy Bateson
    • English Judge
    David Begg
    David Begg
    • Nobleman - Rouen's Castle
    Christian Bergner
    • Captain
    Andrew Birkin
    Andrew Birkin
    • Talbot
    Dominic Borrelli
    • English Judge
    John Boswall
    John Boswall
    • Old Priest
    Matthew Bowyer
    Matthew Bowyer
    • The Bludgeoned French Soldier
    Paul Brooke
    Paul Brooke
    • Domremy's Priest
    Bruce Byron
    • Joan's Father
    Vincent Cassel
    Vincent Cassel
    • Gilles de Rais
      • Luc Besson
      • Andrew Birkin
      • Luc Besson
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Most of the characters in the film, including Joan's Captains, were real historical people. Giles de Rais (Vincent Cassel) was a real person who, after the war, and Joan's death, retired to his lands. Many years later, he was arrested for the murder of more than one hundred young boys and was executed. Some historians believe that his crimes became the basis for the French fairy tale "Bluebeard", about a rich man who murders his wives and hides their bodies in his grand house.
    • Goofs
      Joan's older sister was not murdered by soldiers, but survived to adulthood and married. She died ultimately in childbirth.
    • Quotes

      Joan of Arc: I've always been faithful to God and I've followed everything He's ever said and I've done everything He's ever asked me to do.

      The Conscience: God asked you to do something?

      Joan of Arc: Yes. Yes, lots of things.

      The Conscience: You mean God said, "I need you, Jeanne."

      Joan of Arc: No. But He sent me signs.

      The Conscience: Signs? What signs?

      Joan of Arc: The wind. The wind. And the clouds, ringing!

      The Conscience: Ringing clouds?

      Joan of Arc: The dance. The dance. The dance. The dance.

      The Conscience: The dance.

      Joan of Arc: The sword! The sword lying in the field. That was a sign.

      The Conscience: No. That was a sword in a field.

      Joan of Arc: No. No, that was a sign!

      The Conscience: No. That was a sword. In a field.

      Joan of Arc: It can't just get there by itself! It can't. A sword just doesn't get there by itself. It can't just get there by itself.

      The Conscience: True. Every event has an infinite number of causes, so why pick one rather than another? There are many ways a sword might find itself in a field.

    • 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.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: The Bone Collector/Last Night/Liberty Heights/The Bachelor/American Movie/The Legend of 1900 (1999)
    • 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 reviews414

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    So good it made me want to give Ultraviolet another try
    My first Milla Jovovich movie was Ultraviolet, which has spawned more "worst movie ever" threads on IMDb than any other. Well, I wouldn't call it that bad, but still... it hardly gave me any faith in Milla's career as a dramatic performer.

    So I popped this flick in the DVD player not expecting much. Sacrée merde! What a surprise. It seems, stripped of her futuristic-mutant-motorcycle-riding-vampire persona, she's really quite good. This film--probably the least glamorous of her entire repertoire--really gives her a chance to show her full dynamics. I can't say much more without giving away the plot, so I'll drop it for now.

    Now on to the director Luc Besson. For the first half hour or so, he seems to suffer from "I wanna be Kenneth Branagh" syndrome (which is almost as painful as the avian flu). We get a dozen scenes of someone running down a corridor with the camera chasing behind. We get a dozen overhead-camera-twirly shots of someone lying on the ground. We get so many crane shots, you start thinking you're on a construction site. What's wrong with all this? I'll tell you. When the camera swings & sways too much it detracts from the actors' performances. Sure it adds visual drama, but so can a good fireworks scene (with just as much subtlety).

    But suddenly, right around the halfway mark, the camera man simmers down. The whole tone of the film changes, becomes darker and more intense, relying on the power of the actors instead of the gimmicky camera-work. This works brilliantly, especially when Dustin Hoffman finally steps in.

    This is the break that takes the movie in an entirely different (and possibly offensive) direction. It looks like some IMDb reviewers weren't too happy. I'm sure plenty of others got bored (because the swordfights stop). But me, I thought this change of mood was what made the movie. Suddenly it becomes a spooky, psychological thriller with a lot of great dialogue and a ton of good acting. THIS is the payoff.

    My biggest gripe with the movie is that after seeing the 2nd half, I kept saying to myself "why the hell did Besson waste so much time getting here?" There were a few too many insignificant fluff scenes in the beginning (like the virginity test lol) that should have been replaced with more of the powerful Milla-Dustin dialogue toward the end.

    I won't comment on historical accuracy, religious sacrilege, lack-of-realism or the fact that there were a few too many American accents for 15th century France. These flaws fall by the wayside if you're instead paying attention to the complex conflict brewing in Milla's character. This is really her movie, and a damn good one at that. Like my title implies, it's good enough to make me want to give Ultraviolet another try.
    helpful•9
    1
    • rooprect
    • May 4, 2007

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 12, 1999 (United States)
      • France
      • Czech Republic
      • United States
      • English
      • Latin
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Bruntal, Czech Republic
    • Production companies
      • Gaumont
      • Okko Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 2 hours 28 minutes
      • Color
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital EX
      • SDDS
      • Dolby Digital

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