If I were to hazard a guess, I’d say most people know roughly how Joan of Arc died: she burned at the stake, She had been a leader of French troops against some invaders from England trying to claim the French crown for their own king. Joan, claiming she was told by God to lead the Dauphin’s forces to victory, had led a string of sudden victories against the English, but she was later captured, tried for heresy, and executed.
The French film The Trial of Joan of Arc is basically the end of Joan’s life, as recreated using courtroom transcripts.
The movie opens with Joan at the start of her trial, and the questioning is a bit contentious from the start as the Church-men present, all loyal to the English, can’t even get Joan (Florence Delay) to swear to tell them everything. Joan, whose voice never really rises above a steady calm, says she can’t tell them everything because some of the things she was told by God through various visions and voices were not to be shared with just anyone. And that more or less sets the tone for the rest of the movie. Joan insists that she was assured by God of various things, the men ask for more information, and Joan says she can’t for one reason or another.
And then, at the end of the movie, they burn her at the stake.
In terms of plot, well, there isn’t much. The movie runs for a little over an hour and is mostly a debate. Joan is steadfast, and as near as I can make out, the only woman in the movie. Most of it is in French, but there is one English speaker, and that guy clearly is secretly in charge and just wants Joan taken care of.
Director Robert Bresson focuses this movie on Joan’s refusal to quit while the men around her continue to watch her, sometimes through a hole in the wall of her cell. Joan doesn’t waiver, be it vocally, with her posture, or her beliefs. Her one fear is burning at the stake, and even then she doesn’t panic when she finally goes there. Bresson mostly creates a feeling of strength under duress with Joan essentially refusing to do anything she sees as wrong, whether its tell her questioners everything they want to know or wear a dress instead of her men’s garb. And that is more than enough for a solid film.
Grade: A-
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