The one and the only Joan of Arc of the movie world is Renée Falconetti, from the 1928 silent film of Carl Dreyer. I don't give credit to Jean Seberg in Preminger film, and to Ingrid Bergman, both in Fleming and Rosselini movies. One pretty good Joan of Arc movie was a French TV Movie of 1989 : Jeanne d'Arc: le pouvoir et l'innocence (it is not listed on IMDB!) featuring Cécile Magnet. And please, I don't want to think of that ugly 1999 film by Luc Besson. And here comes veteran Jacques Rivette, with this two part production of 1994. As many viewers have pointed out, it is very strong on an historical point of view. Sandrine Bonnaire is also very good, especially in the second part. But, like most of the Rivette's movies, it is too long. I know that it is his style, but sometimes, it's a little bit boring (like the crowning of the dauphin.) And everybody knows that the real Joan of Arc was a teenager. Everybody knows it, except movie directors. Sandrine Bonnaire is in her mid thirties! Why not take a younger actress? I think, for this film, that young very good actress like Marie Gillian or Élodie Bouchez (I love you, Élodie!) could have been more realistic. I don't mean to say that miss Bonnaire is bad, but it should be more realistic with a younger actress. There is also a sense of respecting the language of the priest, of the dauphin, but some soldiers talks a lousy 20th century french, which sounds very strange in this movie. One says : J'en ai plein l'cul (which means : My ass!) - oups! sorry! - and another says : J'vais t'casser la gueule = I'm gonna knock you out. Oh yeah? Really? In 1429? Despites these little annoying facts, I still think of the film as one of the best Joan of Arc movies of all time.
Review of Joan the Maid 1: The Battles
