The Passion of Joan of Arc by Carl Dreyer

Having worked for a number of years at Barnes & Noble, I am well aware of the Criterion Collection. If you don't know about this collection of films, you should. The Criterion company takes films that they feel are important and do everything they can to provide the viewer with the best visual and aural experience. They also pack their dvds with so much supplementary material - from restoration comparison footage, to essays on the director/author/actor, to video essays, historical information, etc, etc, etc. If you want to see a classic film and learn about it - Criterion is the way to go.

That being written, the subject of this specific film came up in a recent conversation. I was aware of the director Carl Dreyer, and this film but beyond the cover art I knew nothing about it. When I received it from Netflix I saw that it was only 90 min or so. I sat down and watched it. Black and white, silent, filmed in 1928... stunning. I'm a collector and fan of Hitchcock's and so I have seen quite a few silent films. I have no issue with watching them, though some can be tiresome as they try to pack so much action in via language - but with very limited intertitles. Then there are those like the films of Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, and Chaplin (though I have yet to watch a Chaplin film), where the films are silent but so action filled that you don't really need intertitles. The Passion of Joan of Arc is a near perfect combination.

The film takes place on the last day of her life. She is on trial and the panel of judges are trying to get her to confess that her visions are from Satan. The film shows some dialogue taking place between the judges but the important questions have intertitles. Joan's typical response is either a "oui" (which you can read her lips saying it), or a shake of the head. The intertitles are regular and exact so the viewer knows exactly what is happening while also feeling like they are not missing anything. Because it is a trial there is not much action towards the front half of the film. Yet it didn't feel still or stagnant either. There is great camera work and some amazing facial expressions to keep you interested and involved. Maria Falconetti as Joan has the most incredible face and such amazing expressions. You could watch the film for her alone and forget about the story - and still be mesmerized. As a side note, the famed theater director/writer/actor Antonin Artaud is in the cast...and he has an incredible face as well.

I re-watched this same film yesterday. Why? Because the Criterion version has an option to watch it with a score by Richard Einhorn. The score was released as an album on it's own named "Voices of Light." The score was inspired by the film and fits perfectly with the film. The film is incredible as a silent, and just as incredible with the Einhorn score. WOW. So, do yourself a favor and watch this film...twice. You will not regret it.