Barnes & Noble

Danish director Carl Dreyer's silent masterpiece still looks as astonishingly avant-garde today as it did 70 years ago. And stage actress Renée Falconetti remains the definitive Joan of Arc: As the maiden who led an army in defense of France, was burned at the stake as a heretic, and later canonized as a saint, she gives one of the screen's most remarkable performances. Dreyer chronicles Joan's trial and execution almost entirely in close-ups, isolating faces and objects at startling angles against stark backgrounds. The young martyr's face; tearful eyes cast heavenward; the fleshy, smirking countenances of her merciless judges; the sculpted features of Antonin Artaud (a memorable presence in the film) -- all become monumental canvases upon which every shade of human emotion registers with unparalleled intensity. Dreyer's original version, unearthed in a Norwegian mental institution and beautifully restored, is enhanced here by Richard Einhorn's exquisite choral score, Voices of Light. For those who have only seen inferior prints of the film, this splendid Criterion disc will come as a glorious revelation. Kryssa Schemmerling

All Movie Guide

The Passion of Joan of Arc (La passion de Jeanne d'Arc) is widely regarded as Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer's finest achievement and one of the greatest films of all time. Dreyer recreates the trial and execution of St. Joan with near-documentary authenticity, as if one were present at the actual 15th century event and both defendant and accusers were the genuine article. The director's use of huge, probing closeups--detailing every pockmark and even the saliva at the sides of the mouths--adds a shocking immediacy which makes it hard to believe that this film is nearly seventy years old. As Joan, Maria Falconetti (in her only film) transcends mere praise. Passion of Joan of Arc is a silent film, but the original transcripts of Joan's trial are brilliantly conveyed by the pantomime of the actors. The film's title is supremely double-edged: Joan's "passion" is shown to be as erotic as it is spiritual. Hal Erickson

Product Details

• UPC: 037429139820
• Source: CRITERION
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Pre-1954 Standard (1.33.1)
• Presentation: B&W, Pan & Scan
• Sound: Dolby Digital, stereo
• Subtitles: Français, English
• Time: 1:22:00
• Sales Rank: 7,546

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