The Passion of Joan of Arc (La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc) (1928)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Bob S

  
  Tonight, Sunday 7/22 Midnight E.S.T. Turner Classics

• Graham J

  
  With breathtaking visuals and a potent story, it's hard to believe this was released in 1928.

• Reid V

  
  Four stars for the film, an extra half of a star for how utterly brilliant Falconetti is. Whether it was Dreyer's idea to make her kneel upon stone or her own prowess in acting that allowed her to give such a painfully passionate and nuanced performance, it is simply… More
  Four stars for the film, an extra half of a star for how utterly brilliant Falconetti is. Whether it was Dreyer's idea to make her kneel upon stone or her own prowess in acting that allowed her to give such a painfully passionate and nuanced performance, it is simply breathtaking. As for the film itself, it really never lets you go. Without any establishing shots, the viewer is plunged face first into the drama. From the accusers to the accused, there is a real sense of vehemence that all of the actors exude. It is passionate, relentless, and beautiful all at the same time. While I don't think I will revisit this more than one time in a decade, It is none the less an important film and displays the power that actors such as Falconetti can have in a film.

• AJ V

  
  Wow, this movie is beautifully made. I highly recommend seeing this movie, it's intensely dramatic, and visually brilliant, and the actors are just perfect. I loved it.

• Drew S

  
  What is there to say? There are literally no flaws in this movie. This is film history, living and breathing with unapproachable grace. Allegory, political piece, religious parable; it can be all of them and it can be none, but it is a profound emotional statement about the nature of… More
  What is there to say? There are literally no flaws in this movie. This is film history, living and breathing with unapproachable grace. Allegory, political piece, religious parable; it can be all of them and it can be none, but it is a profound emotional statement about the nature of faith and the faithful above all. An absolute essential.

• Pierluigi P

  
  Maria Falconetti strips her soul before the lens and makes us witnesses of all the anguish and powerlessness suffered by the martyr of france in the sunset of her life.

• Randy T

  
  Wow. Director Carl Dreyer's true medium is the landscape of the human face. His film is carried by the close-up, by the texture of skin and the conveyance of a teardrop. Maria Falconetti's magnificent eyes. The weathered, bloated faces of her persecutors. All contrasted… More
  Wow. Director Carl Dreyer's true medium is the landscape of the human face. His film is carried by the close-up, by the texture of skin and the conveyance of a teardrop. Maria Falconetti's magnificent eyes. The weathered, bloated faces of her persecutors. All contrasted against blank walls and minimalist sets. Intense. Timeless.

• First L

  
  The Passion of Joan of Arc, like most passion plays, recounts the final hours leading up to someone's final destruction at the hands of injustice, in this case St. Joan of Arc, one of the patron saints of France. Director Carl Theodor Dreyer faced a special problem when making a… More
  The Passion of Joan of Arc, like most passion plays, recounts the final hours leading up to someone's final destruction at the hands of injustice, in this case St. Joan of Arc, one of the patron saints of France. Director Carl Theodor Dreyer faced a special problem when making a silent film out of what is basically a "courtroom drama", and that is how to tell a story which relies so heavily on words while using only visuals. His solution was to bring the cameras in close, focusing in on the actors' faces in the most intimate way possible. Emotions that would be lost in wider crowd scenes become the focal point of the story-telling. Joan's (Maria Falconetti) stoic expression rapidly shifts to wide-eyed moments of terror as the men who sit in judgement froth and foam at the mouth. We watch this movie with the knowledge of Joan's fate (or at least we should), and we watch the wheels turn inexorably towards her doom, and one can't help but reflect on the pointlessness of religious persecution. The faces seem cut out of wood blocks or a Pieter Bruegel the Elder painting, the angelic Joan vs. the sneering medieval mob. It may require a little patience for modern sensibilities, but in the end, it's worth the effort.

• Cindy I

  
  Silent French film based of the transcripts of the trial of Joan of Arc. I just saw this again, for the fourth time. Renee Maria Falconetti's performance as Joan of Arc is astounding. It's so good you almost can't believe you're not watching news footage of the… More
  Silent French film based of the transcripts of the trial of Joan of Arc. I just saw this again, for the fourth time. Renee Maria Falconetti's performance as Joan of Arc is astounding. It's so good you almost can't believe you're not watching news footage of the actual trial. Is this the best filmed performance ever? It's hard to believe this was her only film. The mind reels at what else she could have done had she stayed in the film business. But almost as effective is the end when Joan is burned at the stake. It is done in fairly graphic detail for the time, and it makes you feel totally emotionally drained after sitting through it. But even more it made me question the motives of a religious institution that would put someone through an ordeal like this, supposedly with God's approval. If you never see another silent film in your life, see this one. And make sure to see the version with Richard Einhorn's newly-composed "Voices of Light" score.

• Luke B

  
  Simply and utterly gorgeous. A silent gem that shows how far cinema can go on simply visuals. Mainly told in close ups, the performances are just restrained enough to avoid the comical silent overacting. An artistic masterpiece.

• Logan G

  
  An immensely dynamic performance at the core of the film solidifies it as an all time great. The soul knows what is right. The flesh has gone through immense sorrow and torture. The flesh is never hopeful, only faithful. Utterly sincere. The close ups will always remind you that… More
  An immensely dynamic performance at the core of the film solidifies it as an all time great. The soul knows what is right. The flesh has gone through immense sorrow and torture. The flesh is never hopeful, only faithful. Utterly sincere. The close ups will always remind you that emotions run high, grace is higher.

• Chris B

  
  A masterpiece of the silent film era, The Passion of Joan of Arc is brought to life with an amazing and only performance by Renee Maria Falconetti. This honest perfectly displays the emotional turmoil of Joan of Arc and really portrays her character with an unheard of sense of… More
  A masterpiece of the silent film era, The Passion of Joan of Arc is brought to life with an amazing and only performance by Renee Maria Falconetti. This honest perfectly displays the emotional turmoil of Joan of Arc and really portrays her character with an unheard of sense of realism. Director Carl Theodor Dreyer, whose films are always a beautiful display of black and white evocative imagery, delivers what is considered his greatest work and one of the greatest films ever made with The Passions of Joan of Arc! This is an amazing and haunting piece of cinema and is amazing considering there is no audio or sound whatsoever, only imagery and really that's all it needs! A must see!

• Alec B

  
  I don't count myself as a particularly religious person, but regardless this is one of the most emotionally powerful films I've ever seen. I love that the film is entirely about Joan's trial and therefore serves as a metaphor for just about every form of persecution… More
  I don't count myself as a particularly religious person, but regardless this is one of the most emotionally powerful films I've ever seen. I love that the film is entirely about Joan's trial and therefore serves as a metaphor for just about every form of persecution imaginable. Joan's torture is psychological and at the hands of corrupt religious officials. The performance of Renee Maria Falconetti is wonderful, she makes you emotionally connect with a woman who might well be insane, but she believes so strongly you cannot help but be on her side. Carl Theodor Dreyer put together some of the most haunting and beautiful images ever put on screen.

• Cinema F

  
  The film is an example of great direction and its concentration on the trial of Joan of Arc shot largely in close-ups achieves a perceptive, poignant and an extraordinary intensity. It is convincing historically while also representing a wider comment on the persecution of those who… More
  The film is an example of great direction and its concentration on the trial of Joan of Arc shot largely in close-ups achieves a perceptive, poignant and an extraordinary intensity. It is convincing historically while also representing a wider comment on the persecution of those who threaten the status quo.

• Duncan R

  
  The best silent film ever made, bar none. Whether you're a Christian or an atheist, whether or not you believe God actually spoke to Jean D'Arc, Maria Falconetti gives a performance that will rip out you heart and put a lump in your throat. Mel Gibson's… More
  The best silent film ever made, bar none. Whether you're a Christian or an atheist, whether or not you believe God actually spoke to Jean D'Arc, Maria Falconetti gives a performance that will rip out you heart and put a lump in your throat. Mel Gibson's "Passion" of a certain other biblical figure doesn't hold a candle to this one. What happened to Jean D'Arc is the true epitome of suffering, more so of mind than body, and it's captured in this movie beautifully.

• Ed Fucking H

  
  Watched this for my Film History course. Not a proper review, just saying it\s probably the best silent film I've ever seen.

• Lauren D

  
  For years, I would see the cover of it and think 'Damn that dude is ugly'. Turns out, the ugly dude is an ugly woman. Anywho.. I am an atheist and I thought Joan was a complete retard for being religious. Having said that, I LOVED the movie. I don't even understand… More
  For years, I would see the cover of it and think 'Damn that dude is ugly'. Turns out, the ugly dude is an ugly woman. Anywho.. I am an atheist and I thought Joan was a complete retard for being religious. Having said that, I LOVED the movie. I don't even understand why, because this is the kind of movie I should hate. It was an amazing performance and I think that was really what 'made' the movie. I mean, I don't even know who Joan of Arc was, let alone care about her. But it was really amazing.

• cody f

  
  Visually stunning with amazing acting from Falconetti. This movie is simple it's about Joan's trial and execution and Dreyer used the court transcript so it would be exact. About 85% of this film is done with close ups and hardly any make up was used, therefore the starkness… More
  Visually stunning with amazing acting from Falconetti. This movie is simple it's about Joan's trial and execution and Dreyer used the court transcript so it would be exact. About 85% of this film is done with close ups and hardly any make up was used, therefore the starkness and realism of the actors is breathtaking. The movie is slow at times and the rewatching value isn't very high, but it is a must see for filmakers and entusiast. The movie really picks up in the second half and the execution scene is realistic and really holds up. Dreyer's camera angles are original and the set design is simple but effective. A definate must see just because it influenced The Legend Of Billie Jean.

• Eduardo C

  
  There has never been a testament to pain and endurance as profound as "The Passion of Joan of Arc". It is a singular, hypnotic achievement held together by Maria Falconetti. It is oddly fitting that this was her one and only screen appearance as she delivered what is quite… More
  There has never been a testament to pain and endurance as profound as "The Passion of Joan of Arc". It is a singular, hypnotic achievement held together by Maria Falconetti. It is oddly fitting that this was her one and only screen appearance as she delivered what is quite likely the greatest filmed performance in the history of cinema. <p> To stare into her eyes is to be marked forever. She conveys such physical agony, such primal terror with a mere glance that it takes courage to hold her gaze for the duration of the film. It could very well have proven to be an impossible task were it not for the otherworldly calm she projects of one who has accepted their fate and forgiven those who sealed it. <p> Flawless, eternal, sublime.

• Jared H

  
  The story of how this film was believed to have been lost for 50 years until it was discovered in a closet at a mental institution is amazing in itself. But apart from that... Man. This is probably the most moving film I have ever seen. I'll man up and admit that I saw this at… More
  The story of how this film was believed to have been lost for 50 years until it was discovered in a closet at a mental institution is amazing in itself. But apart from that... Man. This is probably the most moving film I have ever seen. I'll man up and admit that I saw this at school, in the media room of the library, with headphones, and some people scattered about in the room (just think of the most uncomfortable place to watch a movie). Regardless, I seriously could not stop crying, almost throughout the entire movie. I'm talking straight up tears and snot running down my face. I had to put my hood on just in case anybody saw me. I don't know if it was Maria Falconetti's performance (which has to be one of the best performances ever caught on film), or Carl Dreyer's revolutionary direction, or Richard Einhorn's beautiful "Voices of Light" score that was recently written just for this movie, or if it was simply Joan's unwavering and selfless loyalty to God and her country...or it could possibly be that I just have my own issues. It was all of that, and more. Watching this was such a powerful experience. I'm seriously crying right now just thinking about it. This is mandatory viewing for every human being.

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