Procès de Jeanne d'Arc (1962)

Réalisateur:

Robert Bresson

Scénariste:

Robert Bresson (writer)

Date de sortie:

18 octobre 1974 (Finland)

Genre:

Drame | Guerre

Intrigue:

A reconstruction of the trial of Joan of Arc (based entirely on the transcripts of the real-life trial)...

Plot Keywords:

Trial | Interrogation | French Court | Heresy | Burned At The Stake

Récompenses:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Avis des utilisateurs:

History brought to life

Ensemble

Florence Delay	...	Jeanne d'Arc (as Florence Carrez)
Jean-Claude Fourneau	...	Bishop Cauchon
Roger Honorat	...	Jean Beaupere
Marc Jacquier	...	Jean Lemaitre
Jean Gillibert	...	Jean de Chatillon
Michel Herubel	...	Isambert de la Pierre - French Monk
André Régnier	...	D'Estivet
Arthur Le Bau	...	Jean Massieu
Marcel Darbaud	...	Nicolas de Houppeville
Philippe Dreux	...	Martin Ladvenu - French Monk
Paul-Robert Mimet	...	Guillaume Erard
Gérard Zingg	...	Jean-Lohier

Autre(s) titre(s):

The Trial of Joan of Arc (USA)

Durée:

65 min

Pays:

France

Langue:

Français | Anglais

Couleur:

Noir et Blanc

Rapport de forme:

1,66 : 1

Son:

Mono

Classification:

Finland:K-8 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M

Société:

Agnes Delahaie Productions

Goofs:

Considéré à tort comme goofs: Although the story takes place in 1431, Jeanne's hairstyle is strictly a popular mode of the early 1960s. This is not a "goof" but an intention on the director's part to help young people identify with the character.

Connexions De Film:

version de La passion de Jeanne d'Arc (1928)

History brought to life

The Trial of Joan of Arc (1962) chronicles the last days of the fifteenth-century French patriot, from her interrogation by members of the Parisian clergy to her execution by burning at the stake. In the entire film there are only three locations: the courthouse, the jail and the place of Joan's execution. The words of Joan and her prosecutors, lifted almost exclusively from transcripts of the trial, take centre stage.

The clergymen probe relentlessly into Joan's religious beliefs. Twisting her words at every turn, they insinuate that she is a pagan and a heretic. Joan, parrying each thrust of their argument, appeals to a higher religious authority to prove her innocence. The clergymen, however, are mere stooges of the British, and resolve to brand her a heretic. Facing death, Joan initially recants her heresy, but then reaffirms it, thus sealing her fate. Her meagre possessions are placed at the foot of the stake, echoing the way in which her testimonies have been used against her. A clergyman holds aloft a crucifix for her but this image of Christianity is lost in the smoke from her burning pyre.

The Trial of Joan of Arc features an impressive cast of non-professional actors. Florence Delay is superb in the role of Joan, radiating defiance behind her impassive countenance. A few of the performances elsewhere are a bit wooden, but the grave manner of Bishop Cauchon and the benign gaze of the sole sympathetic priest testify to the overall strength of the casting.

Running to little more than an hour in length, The Trial of Joan of Arc might seem on paper to be an insubstantial work. Yet this is an extraordinarily intense film, thick with powerful dialogue and requiring the full concentration of the viewer. For someone not fluent in French, it is a challenge to read the subtitles and follow the images on screen, but, whether you are French-speaking or not, I highly recommend this powerful piece of cinema.