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This film
begins with the trial of Joan of Arc, a young woman who claims
she is the messenger of God. The cleric leaders seem predisposed
to finding Joan guilty of something, so they conduct a veritable
inquisition toward her. Joan's torment at the trial is the
main point of focus as the questions and accusations continue,
with even a torture chamber coming into play. The trial ends
when Joan gives in to her accusers. But Joan soon has second
thoughts, even though she knows that reneging on her confession
will lead to certain death.
The Passion
of Joan of Arc is an art film. Not because it is silent, nor
because it is European, although both are factors in preventing
this film from attaining mainstream status. The film's reliance
on emotion through the use of close-ups is what really sets
it apart from everyday films, and it is this composition technique
that also make it less accessible to audiences used to conventional
filmmaking.
The most
troubling aspect of the film concerns where the viewers' sympathy
will lie as they watch the film. It is impossible to sympathize
with Joan's accusers, whose one dimensionality is another
weakness in the film. So if one cannot sympathize with the
accusers, then Joan is the only character that can arouse
sympathy. Some will feel sympathy for Joan's plight. But what
about those viewers who see her as a fraud who made up her
connection with God so that she could obtain power over gullible
people? Or how about those people who do not believe in God?
Obviously they do not believe that Joan was a messenger from
God. If the viewer does not sympathize with Joan, then all
the close-ups in the world will not make the film work. All
of Joan's emoting becomes ponderous and tiresome because it
is not based in truth.
Director
Carl Dreyer says he tried to make the film as realistic as
possible. The plain and unattractive appearance of Joan is
the best example of the realism. However, the sets have a
surrealistic feel that disrupts the realism. It might sound
like I did not like The Passion of Joan of Arc. I did like
it, and I appreciate the artistry of Dreyer. However, it does
not strike me as one of the greatest films of all time. Seemingly
everyone else does, so what do I know, anyway?
Strangely
the release of this DVD coincides with the theatrical release
of The Messenger, another film about Joan of Arc. The choice
of Milla Jovivich to play Joan in The Messenger should tell
you right away that it is a much different film. But then
again The Passion of Joan of Arc does not have much in common
with any film.
Video: How Does The Disc Look?
Criterion
has commissioned restoration work for this one (involving
computerized "cleaning" by Mathematics Technologies),
and it is startling just how good it looks considering the
film's convoluted history. Usually this means that the image
will be average at best, but that is not the case with Joan.
Age blemishes such as scratches and dirt are barely noticeable,
probably in large part thanks to the restoration work that
removed the larger defects. Sharpness is also above average.
This release does not contain any color tinting.
Monitors
with little overscan will show a translucent edge on the right
side. This appears to be an artifact present on the source
print. But it is at the very right edge of the frame, so it
barely distracts. One thing I find more distracting is how
the left side has more picture area blacked out than the right
side (silent films sometimes would blacken the edges to focus
your attention on the middle of the frame, and in this case
the visible picture area was rounded off at the edges). This
is not a debilitating problem, but it is annoying for viewers
that like balanced composition.
Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?
Criterion
has provided two options for the audio. Option 1 is complete
silence. I don't understand why they bothered with an audio
track that does not contain any audio. After all, turning
down the volume should accomplish the same thing. I switched
to option number 2 after "listening" to option 1
for ten minutes, since watching the film feels empty if no
music can be heard. Most silent films were intended to have
some kind of musical accompaniment, whether it be standard
piano or a full orchestra score. The commentary track reveals
that Dreyer liked for films to be shown without music, so
perhaps this is why Criterion felt the need to have the silent
default audio track. (Of course, Dreyer also believed this
film could be accessible to a mainstream audience, so he was
definitely out of touch with the common audience.)
The second
option is an orchestra and chorus arrangement called Voices
of Light that was not recorded specifically as a score
for Joan, but it complements the material well. This music
is in 5.1 and at times sounds quite powerful thanks to good
dynamic range. The music is also divided into movements which
are selectable from a menu.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There? This is
another fine package of extras from Criterion. The
best supplement is the screen-specific audio commentary
by Dreyer scholar Casper Tybjerg. Tybjerg covers just
about everything you would want to know about the film, including
Dreyer's influences, technical aspects, and differences between
this Joan and the real life Joan. A written essay by
composer Richard Einhorn talking about the inspiration he
found in The Passion of Joan of Arc also includes a summary
of the actual history of Joan herself. Another short video
essay is informative but effectively works as a trailer
for Voices of Light.
A gallery
with notes on the production design are accompanied
by several pictures, including photographs taken of the elaborate
outdoor set. This photographs are very significant because
little of the set is shown in the film, even though enough
money was spent on the set to make Joan one of the most expensive
films made up to that time. An archive essay on the
various versions of the film contains an essay and a few clips
from the alternate versions. It is quite informative. For
example, the version on this DVD is Dreyer's first director's
cut, and when the first negative was destroyed he put together
a very similar version of the film using alternate takes.
However, the negative of this second film was also later destroyed!
To add more to the confusion are several butchered versions
that showed up over the years as part of an attempt to censor
parts of the film or just to make it friendlier to audiences.
This is why it is quite miraculous that a print of the original
director's cut was found at all.
Another
supplement is an interview with Helene Falconetti,
the daughter of the actress who played Joan of Arc, but it
is not as enlightening as the other supplements, though of
historical interest I suppose. The restoration demonstration
is also worth a look. One of the comparisons it shows is a
video version versus the DVD version. This video version might
even get a thumb's down from Mr. Magoo for its wretched presentation.
Criterion is smart to include this, since it shows that while
the image might not be perfect, it is a revelation compared
to how it could look.
But wait,
there's more! A Voices of Light Libretto Booklet is
included. This booklet does not do much for me, but some of
you might appreciate it more. A short liner essay by
Dreyer fills out the supplements. No trailer is included,
but if there was one made it was probably lost. This is a
damn good set of supplements considering the age of the film.
Parting Thoughts
The Passion
of Joan of Arc will not entertain the masses. Its unusual
compositions will frustrate some viewers, although the purpose
of the compositions is to heighten the emotional impact. Criterion
has provided a clear image and impressive musical accompaniment
along with several substantive extras. Unfortunately the high
price tag is a deterrent as this is the type of film not friendly
to repeated viewings. Unless you are a film history buff or
a big silent film fan you should probably just rent this DVD.
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