The Trial of Joan of Arc (1963)
Rouen, Normandy, 1431, during the Hundred Years' War. After being captured by French soldiers from an opposing faction, Joan of Arc, the Maid of Orléans, is unjustly tried by an ecclesiastical court overseen by her English enemies.
- Robert Bresson
- Françoise Collin
- Alain Ferrari
- Hugo Santiago
- Serge Roullet
- Marcel Ugols
- Robert Bresson
Rating: 7.179/10 by 134 users
Alternative Title:
Jeanne d'Arc - FI
Proces Joanny d'Arc - PL
Jeanne d'Arc'ın Yargılanması - TR
Prosessen mot Jeanne d'Arc - NO
Processen mot Jeanne d'Arc - SE
잔 다르크의 재판 - KR
Country:
France
Language:
English
Français
Runtime: 01 hour 02 minutes
Budget: $0
Revenue: $0
Plot Keyword: warrior woman, based on true story, historical figure, trial, hundred years' war, young woman, religious fundamentalism, martyrdom, french court, witch hunt, political corruption, joan of arc, 15th century, medieval france, medieval history, jeanne d'arc
There is something especially evocative about the way in which this quite short film has been put together by Robert Bresson and Léonce-Henri Burel. In just over an hour, it offers us a startlingly bleak interpretation of the last weeks of Joan of Arc's life, imprisoned, manipulated and subjected to immense amounts of intellectual cruelty by a church and a state that was determined that she should burn - regardless of any guilt or innocence. Florence Delay is very effective in the tital role - probably the best characterisation of this woman I have ever seen. Jean-Claude Fourneau is also at the top of his game as the prosecuting bishop "Cauchon" offering us a vision of a man as devoid of any Christian kindness as it is possible to imagine. Given everyone knows what did happen to this tortured soul, Bresson still manages to elicit a considerable degree of optimism: might things end differently this time? The dialogue is bland. Not in any dull sense, but in a matter-of-fact, non-florid fashion. The photography is basic and almost rudimentary - indeed, that also adds a great deal to the authenticity of just what it might well have been like at the time. If you ever watch any films about this historical event, then this ought to be the one...
