DbcultAccessing Vault...
7.3/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 7.3/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. La merveilleuse vie de Jeanne d'Arc remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you're into old silent movies, you've probably seen the Dreyer one with all the close-ups of faces crying. La merveilleuse vie de Jeanne d'Arc is absolutely not that.
You should watch this if you like huge sets, real castles, and movies that feel like a history book coming to life. You'll probably hate it if you can't stand long silent films or if you want a deep psychological study instead of a war epic.
It was released right around the same time as the famous one, which is probably why people forget it exists. But man, the scale of this thing is just wild. 🏰
Simone Genevois plays Joan and she actually looks like a teenager who got stuck in a heavy metal suit. There is this one shot where she’s just sitting there and you can tell the armor is actually heavy on her shoulders.
The movie doesn't just stay in a courtroom. It goes to the actual places where things happened, like Mont Saint-Michel.
The battle scenes have hundreds of extras. It's not like Spartak where things feel a bit more staged; here it just feels like a mess of mud and ladders.
I noticed that the horses in this movie are terrifyingly fast. They charge at the camera and you genuinely wonder if the cameraman survived the day.
There is a bit of a slow spot in the middle. Sometimes the intertitles stay on screen for what feels like a full minute.
I found myself staring at the background extras more than the main actors sometimes. Some guy in the back of the coronation scene looks like he’s bored out of his mind and just wants his lunch. 🥪
The trial at the end is fast. Like, really fast compared to other versions.
It’s weirdly less religious than I expected. It feels more like a movie about a girl who just really, really wanted to save France and happened to hear voices.
Compared to something like The Galley Slave, the drama here feels grounded in actual dirt and stone. It’s not flashy, just big.
There’s this one part where Joan is leaving her parents and the dog just follows her for a second. It’s a tiny detail but it made me feel more than any of the big speeches did.
The film is a bit of a marathon. You gotta be in the right mood for it.
The print I saw was a bit grainy, but it added to the vibe. It felt like watching a ghost story about a war.
If you liked the costume work in Unseeing Eyes, you’ll probably appreciate the textures here. Everything looks rough and used.
It doesn't try to be a masterpiece. It just tries to show you what happened, or at least the 1920s version of what happened.
I think the ending is handled well. It’s sad, obviously, but it doesn't milk it for ten years.
Anyway, it’s a cool piece of history. Just make sure you have a comfortable chair before you start it. 🎬
IMDb —
1924
Community
Log in to comment.
