The Passion of Joan of Arc (La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc) was a silent film released in France in 1928 based on the trial records of Joan of Arc. The film was directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer and starred Maria Falconetti and Antonin Artaud.
The film itself is comprised of five grueling cross-examinations and the resultant burning of Joan at the stake. What especially stood out at the time Passion was made was the film's camera-work and emphasis on the actors' facial features. Dreyer shot a great deal of the film in close-up and forbade his actors to wear any makeup, the better to tell the story through their expressions. Falconetti — in her only movie role — was commended for her multifaceted performance as Joan.
Critics raved that Passion was the best silent film ever made, but it was banned in Britain for its portrayal of crude English soldiers who mock and torment Joan in scenes that mirror biblical accounts of Christ's mocking at the hands of Roman soldiers.
As Dreyer began Passion, sound had already arrived in France, but he didn't have sufficient financing to add it to his film. Title cards in the film thus seem disjointed and overwhelming.
Dreyer's original version was lost for many years, until 1981 when a complete print was found in a janitor's closet of an Oslo, Norway mental institution.
Although Dreyer intended for the film to have no musical accompaniment, in 1994, composer Richard Einhorn wrote an operetta based on the movie. Entitled "Voices of Light". it is available as the musical accompaniment on the Criterion Collection's DVD release of The Passion of Joan of Arc.
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