Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arcby Anonymous
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March 24, 2007:
I have always been a big fan of these type of movies...and I must say, I enjoyed this one very much. Although there were some scenes and a few lines that had to be polished or changed...it was quite good. I liked the fact that the director took a risk and gave a daring approach to the saint of France. It is very different from the original movies about Joan of Arc...but thats what makes it good. Its different! The fight scenes are very well made and the power in Milla's deliverence of Joan of Arc is quite profounding. It almost gives you chills at the sound of her voice booming across the battlefields. Again...this is set in a more modern and daring approach, so it might not please everyones taste. I recommend this movie if you enjoy watching Milla Jovovich, big battle scenes, or anything to do with that time-period. The costumes are excellent and the music is just brilliant. Luke Besson gave a different approach, of what just might have been "Jeanne d'Arc" ( where her voices from God..or was she mental? )
This review was written about the DVD Wide Screen edition.
Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arcby Anonymous
Reader Rating:
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August 12, 2005:
I have read my share of acidic reviews about this movie and, while I agree that it will not echo through the ages, I disagree with a lot of the aficionados of history and cinema who have trashed it mercilessly. By their reasoning, in my opinion, Braveheart should be rolling in the mud right next to this film (but that's another story). In fact, this film is not so abominable as many drama queens have professed. True, Milla Jovovich could stand for a few more acting lessons, for it seems as though she was took the direction to be adamantly religious and channeled all of her energy into being, frankly, a stark raving lunatic. While I respect Luc Besson's daring approach to Saint Joan, I believe he portrayed her as less of the saint that she was and more of the frenzied live-wire that he thought Hollywood would enjoy, which is a shamefully common thing for directors of historical films to do. Joan of Arc was in fact, as Leelee Sobieski portrayed in the made-for-TV version, a calm and insistent woman, upholding more of the Christian ideals of temperance and unwavering faith that made her the prime candidate for canonization when the Catholic Church reexamined her case five centuries later. Besson and Jovovich shifted away from these ideals and placed Joan in the mindset of the mad God-fearing freak, highlighting her suspected schizophrenia and bending the mold of history slightly. Although, as I see it, the historical innacuracies were not appalling, Joan of Arc never slaughtered anyone in battle -- she usually never carried a sword at all. However, I was impressed with the film's portrayal of Medieval warfare. Those who decry the film's gore as disgusting and denounce the film as inaccurate do not know what they are talking about. Medieval warfare was disgusting and brutal -- fifteenth century weapons were not designed to kill in grace or style, nor to end wars with speed (as we see in the name the Hundred Years' War). That is a piece of historical accuracy in the film that audiences with weak stomachs couldn't handle. With regards to the other elements of the film, I found myself satisfied. The sets were complete and attractive to the historically discriminating eye, as I would expect from an on-location shoot, and the music was quite attractive (though it wasn't Danny Elfman or John Williams). Generally, I wasn't impressed with the acting, although both Faye Dunaway and Dustin Hoffman filled their characters well, as many "big-name" actors do not, instead relying on their past fame as a cushion. In conclusion, I'll say in summary that while the film has some gaudy, tasteless Hollywood historical innacuracies, it is still a good movie, and I felt from Jovovich's bizarre representation of Joan's character both empathy and startled reverence toward the obscure peasant martyr. While many facts are known about Joan from the documents of her trial, Jovovich colors the character intensely, although to many picky audiences the colors don't match.
This review was written about the DVD Wide Screen edition.
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