Monday 31 October 2022

Joan of Arc (1948 Victor Fleming)

Hollywood religious films of this era take themselves so seriously, they're what I can only describe as 'po faced'. And the dialogue is ridiculously stilted and unconvincing, viz:

"Why - you make a handsome lad."

and

"We're honest men."
"You may be, but I must look at you."

Joseph Valentine won the Oscar for cinematography, with William Skall and Winnie Hoch assisting with the Technicolor. The music's by Hugo Friedhofer. Interesting credit for associate director Slavko Vorkapich.

As a film it's not dramatically great as following Joan's betrayal by the French and her trial, it all goes downhill towards the inevitable burning at the stake after two hours and twenty minutes. (Her last wish was for a steak and chips, but she was misunderstood.)

An interesting subject though for filmmakers - Dreyer made the highly regarded the Passion of Joan of Arc with Renée Falconetti (1928); Bresson's version was The Trial of Joan of Arc in 1962. And I am reliably informed there's a 1999 Luc Besson version, of all things, with Milla Jovovich. And let's not forget Marco de Gastyne's criminally neglected 1929 La Merveilleuse Vie de Jeanne D'Arc... by all means, let's not.





Ingrid's great of course. And Francis L Sullivan perhaps makes the best supporting impression as the English inquisitor. With José Ferrer, George Coulouris, Gene Lockhart, Cecil Kellaway, Aubrey Mather, Ward Bond, Alan Napier.

An independent, Sierra Films / Walter Wanger production.

No comments:

Post a Comment