The Trial of Joan of Arc

The Trial of Joan of Arc (French: Procès de Jeanne d'Arc) is a 1962 French historical drama film written and directed by Robert Bresson. The title role is played by Florence Delay.[1]

This article is about the 1962 film. For the historical event the film is based on, see Trial of Joan of Arc.
The Trial of Joan of Arc
Australian DVD cover
Directed byRobert Bresson
Written byRobert Bresson
Produced byAgnès Delahaie
Starring
CinematographyLéonce-Henri Burel
Edited byGermaine Artus
Music byFrancis Seyrig
Release dates
18 May 1962 (Cannes)
Running time
65 minutes
CountryFrance
Languages
  • French
  • English

Synopsis

In 1431, Jeanne d'Arc, a peasant girl who has led the French troops against the English during the third phase of the Hundred Years' War, is imprisoned for heresy and brought to trial by an pro-English court in Rouen. From the trial's beginning, it is made clear by English representatives that the courts' verdict has to be Jeanne's execution by fire. Despite constant interrogations by the judges, Jeanne's faith in her mission, which she insists was assigned to her by God, remains unshaken. During the trial, she is not only questioned, but also tortured, her virginity examined, and molested. In a moment of weakness, Jeanne recants her faith, but later retracts her earlier confession. She is sentenced to death and burned at the stake.

Cast
  • Florence Delay (credited as Florence Carrez) – Jeanne d'Arc
  • Jean-Claude Fourneau – Bishop Cauchon
  • Roger Honorat – Jean Beaupère
  • Marc Jacquier – Jean Lemaître
  • Jean Gillibert – Jean de Chatillon
  • Michel Herubel – Frère Isambert de la Pierre
  • André Régnier – D'Estivet
  • André Brunet – Jean Massieu
  • Marcel Darbaud – Nicolas de Houppeville
  • Philippe Dreux – Frère Martin Ladvenu
  • Paul-Robert Mimet – Guillaume Erard
  • Richard Pratt – Warwick
  • Gérard Zingg – Jean Lohier
  • André Maurice – Tiphaine
  • Harry Sommers – Bishop of Winchester

Production

As with all of Bresson's films after 1945, The Trial of Joan of Arc stars non-professional actors.[2] In his version of the historical events, Bresson tried to "avoid 'theater' and 'masquerade', but to arrive at a non-historical truth by using historical words."[3] He spoke unfavourably of Carl Theodor Dreyer's 1928 film, which covered the same subject, calling the actors' performances "horrible buffoonery".[4] The screenplay is drawn from the transcriptions of Joan's trial and rehabilitation.[5]

Release

The Trial of Joan of Arc premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 1962.[6] It was screened the following year at the first New York Film Festival and saw a limited New York theatrical release in 1965.[7]

Reception

The Trial of Joan of Arc was not warmly received by critics on its original release[2] and for a long time regarded a minor work in the director's oeuvre,[3][8] including critic Susan Sontag, who otherwise spoke highly positive of Bresson's work.[3][8] An exception was director Jean-Luc Godard, who ranked the film as number one on his list of Ten Best Films of 1963.[9] On the occasion of the film's 1965 New York release, Bosley Crowther (The New York Times) commented that Florence Delay delivered her dialogue "without change of expression and in a muted monotone" and faulted the overall "lack of dramatic highs and lows".[7]

Retrospective reviews have been more positive, titling it a "gripping courtroom drama" (Kevin Maher, The Times)[10] which features Delay as "one of the director's most perfect 'models'" (Melissa Anderson, The Village Voice)[8] and culminates in an "unforgettable final image" (Gilbert Adair, Time Out).[11]

Awards

The film won the Special Jury Prize at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival.[6]

References
  1. "The Trial of Joan of Arc". British Film Institute. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  2. Cardullo, Bert, ed. (2009). The Films of Robert Bresson: A Casebook. Anthem Press. ISBN 9781843317968.
  3. Sarmiento, José (March 2012). "Voices With(out) a Face: On Robert Bresson's Procès de Jeanne d'Arc". Senses of Cinema. No. 62. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  4. Schrader, Paul (1972). Transcendental Style in Film: Ozu, Bresson, Dreyer. University of California Press.
  5. Bawden, Liz-Anne, ed. (1976). The Oxford Companion to Film. Oxford University Press. p. 559.
  6. "Festival de Cannes: The Trial of Joan of Arc". Festival de Cannes (in French). Retrieved 24 February 2009.
  7. Crwother, Bosley (12 February 1965). "Screen: The Trial of Joan of Arc' at New Yorker. Entry in '63 Fete Here Back for Short Run". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  8. Anderson, Melissa (15 December 2009). "The Trial of Joan of Arc at Anthology". The Village Voice. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  9. Pipolo, Tony (2010). Robert Bresson: A Passion for Film. Oxford University Press. p. 380. ISBN 9780195319798.
  10. Maher, Kevin (12 August 2022). "The Trial of Joan of Arc (1962) review — the last word on a medieval icon". The Times. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  11. Time Out Film Guide (7 ed.). Penguin Books. 1998. p. 719.
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