Der Prozeß der Jeanne d'Arc (1962)
37KDer Prozeß der Jeanne d’Arc: Directed by Robert Bresson. With Florence Delay, Jean-Claude Fourneau, Roger Honorat, Marc Jacquier. A Joan of Arc’s trial reconstruction concerning her imprisonment, interrogation and final execution at the hands of the English. Filmed in a spare, low-key fashion.
“The directoru0026#39;s signature style adds pretty much nothing to the story, the subject of one of the greatest works of cinema, Dreyeru0026#39;s The Passion of Joan of Arc. If you donu0026#39;t like Dreyeru0026#39;s melodramatics and that famous silent is indeed enormously melodramatic then maybe Bressonu0026#39;s toned down version will work for you. But, really, most of the film consists of long, dry scenes of question and answer sessions between Joan and her judges. It only runs just over an hour, but a lot of it feels like a chore. Itu0026#39;s not a worthless film, of course. Once in a while Bresson captures a powerful image. I loved the shots of Joan through the peephole, as well as the reverse shots of the Englishmen staring through it. And the final sequence, Joanu0026#39;s ascension to the stake, is as powerful as anything in the Dreyer film (although I usually list The Passion of Joan of Arc among my ten favorite films, I will admit that he missteps during the final sequence with that historically inaccurate riot and the Eisensteinian moments that ensue), and as good as anything else Bresson has made. Also, Florence Delay, who plays Joan, could be mentioned next to Falconetti without embarrassment. She is exceptional.”
