La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc/The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928, France, 82 min.), directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer; screenplay by Dreyer and Joseph Delteil; cinematography by Rudolf Maté; production design by Hermann Warm and Jean Hugo; edited by Dreyer; music from Voices of Light by Richard Einhorn; with Renée Falconetti (Jeanne d’Arc), Eugène Silvain (Bishop Pierre Cauchon), Maurice Schutz (Nicolas Loyseleur), Michel Simon (Jean Lemaître), Antonin Artaud (Massieu), Ravez (Jean Beaupère), Jean d’Yd (Guillaume Evrard). Silent with French titles and English subtitles.

Please jot down answers to all of the following questions, and answer three in depth.

1. Think about the title of the film. "Passion" is a word that is operating on more than one level here: the religious sense (as in the Christ Passion, the last hours of Christ) and in the more general sense of the word. Discuss this title.

 

 

2. Why do you think the director chose to focus the story as he has? That is, why is the story restricted to Joan’s last days? Why do we not get any of the battles, or the miracles, or the encounters with God? Why focus on her trial and execution?

 

 

3. Discuss the character of Joan. How does her religious faith manifest itself? Does she come across as a pure saint without doubts about her beliefs? An ordinary young woman? A complex young woman? Some combination or something else? What does she hope for from her ordeal?

 

 

4. The performance by Falconetti as Joan is considered one of the greatest in film history, silent or sound. What do you notice about her acting? Does it fit with your preconceptions of silent film acting? How or how not? Be specific.

 

 

5. How is the religious community portrayed in this film? Discuss the judges, both in their appearance and in their conduct.

 

 

6. Joan is on trial for religious heresy, but clearly there are political underpinnings to her indictment. What are some of the ways in which the army and the church are shown to be in collusion in their treatment of her?

 

 

7. What are some of the major conflicts in the film, between characters and within characters?

 

 

8. The film’s narrative can be outlined as a series of hopes and disappointments for Joan. Discuss it in these terms.

9. How do you feel about Joan’s final decision to embrace death rather than life? Does it seem appropriate for her at that point?

 

 

10. Discuss the final moments of the film, her execution and the crowd’s reaction. What kind of final message are we given here?

 

 

11. The Passion of Joan of Arc is celebrated for its use of close-ups. What do you notice about them? Who tends to be filmed in close-up, and when? What is accomplished by this technique?

 

 

12. Though it is full of close-ups, this is not a static film--you’ll see lots of camera movement as well. What is accomplished by the moving camera? Give some examples of times that it is used effectively.

 

 

13. The film’s producers shelled out a huge sum of money to build the set for this film, perhaps the most expensive European set built up to that time. Then they were furious with him for not using it more in the picture. What do you notice about the sets, the background? How does Dreyer use the setting? What kind of mood does it create? Was he right to use it this way?

 

 

14. What was your experience of this film as a silent film? Did you find that you were able to grasp the film’s emotional core despite the lack of spoken words?

 

 

15. We have the good fortune to be able to experience this film with a striking music track, Richard Einhorn’s contemporary piece, Voices of Light, which was inspired by Dreyer’s film. (The film was originally accompanied by works by classical composers.) Describe the feel of this music, and discuss what it adds to the film. When does it seem especially appropriate?

 

 

16. This is a film about a religious/historical figure, but it’s much more than a biographical film. In its own way, it’s a meditation on faith and saintliness, something for each of us to ponder individually in terms of our own lives. What is the film saying to us in these terms? What kinds of thoughts does it provoke?

 

 

 

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