Joan of Arc

 

 

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All in all, I think this movie was another Revolution (1985). It was a movie that was, in all senses of the word, mediocre. The battle scenes look fairly well done, the armor and costumes could definitely use some work, and the creators of this film gave a very faint sense of reality.
I usually enjoy tv movies, but this was an exception. I honestly cannot imagine why this movie is so well spoken of. I was not in any way, shape, or form moved by it. After comparing this to The Messenger, I can see with ease that the Messenger is far more REALISTIC! The Messenger had gory battle scenes, limbs amputated, arrows piercing chests, men with their faces bashed in, rivers of blood. Most people seem not to be too fond of that. But that is what it was like back then! I am a historian on medieval combat, bare that in mind in this review and I can tell you from a professional standpoint those scenes were very accurate to the time; the rape scenes, the burning villages, the sniveling politics, all that was what it was like.
Joan of Arc seems to romanticize a dark period in time. The armor looks cheep, the facts are very misconstrued, and the viewers would rather believe a fairy tail than a dark reality. La Hire described Agincourt by saying, "The English outnumbered us. We numbered in 5,000," and later saying, "Glasdale's sword was the bloodiest." Analyzing that, that is 75% lie. The French outnumbered the English horrendously (25,000 French, 6,000 English) and neither La Hire nor Glasdale was at that battle.
I also just love how everyone believes Joan of Arc was a charming, inspiring, brilliant, moving, and daring leader. I must ask: is everyone as ignorant as people in my profession claim? Apparently. People like to believe Churchill was a benevolent man, but in reality he was bitter, cynical, had a drinking problem, and cheated on his wife.
Joan of Arc was not a glowing leader. She was impatient, impulsive, questionably insane, and would bark at those who defied her will. And for people who do not believe in God like me, the fact she was sent by God is bull. Even if God is real, what she did was no miracle. There is not feat that can be worthy of calling a miracle. She defeated an overextended army.
The Messenger is a dark movie, but that Joan is what she was really like; all over the place. She did not shine in battle, she, like any human, was afraid and uncertain. You can't expect a teenage girl to act like Saint George in combat, because most strong, butch, able bodied men are as scared as children.
Back to the movie itself, it is, like I said, mediocre. The production value was reasonable, the accuracy is way off, and there is slight miscasting, on King Charles' part. I never saw the show he was in, so I approached it with an open mind to his acting, but it came out scarcely convincing.
Leelee Sobieski plays the part well, but not accurately. She plays the time-honored benevolent legend, when in fact she was more likely a slightly insane, charismatic girl seeking to serve her country, and was more a "for show" commander than an actual one, (keyword "likely" pertaining to the fact this is a more common but less like theory)
If you would like a good film, this movie is not a bad choice, but do not expect to see the reality of the Hundred Years War. If you want to see the bloody and gory truth, watch The Messenger.

There were times during the watching of this production that I felt a strong sense that this film was the product of a round of Chinese Whispers rather than research, an out of focus rendering of a fascinating chapter in history. I am not well-versed in the events and legends surrounding Joan of Arc but after watching this film I felt compelled to dig a little deeper into her story, in the hopes of pinning down some facts and finding a more accurate historical context for events poorly explained on screen. My suspicions of the sometimes shoddy story-telling were confirmed, and I find it sad to think that some people who watch this film might feel well enough informed by this particular telling of the tale to leave it at that.

I was troubled by a number of aspects of the movie, most importantly the infuriating tendency to turn it into a good verses evil affair, the good-guys a "charmingly endearing" group of pudgy-faced jovial fellows strongly reminiscent of hobbits, and the bad-guys a pack of murderous goblins, and for Joan herself to be flawless, pious, devout and gentle. If this were some Disney tale about talking rodents in tail-coats it might be excuseable, but I don't appreciate history being read to me in such a manner.

I was distracted by the fact that next to no attempt was made by the cast to sound like anything other than modern north Americans, or to try to really inhabit the real people they were portraying. If you were just listening to their voices without the visuals you could be forgiven at times for thinking this might be a Twentieth Century tale. I am left with the impression that they hadn't really attempted to research what life might have been like in those days.

Reading through the other reviews I can see that this is a very poignant and moving rendering of the tale for many people, and I am sure that they are likely the very people whom it was aimed at, and it was me who was in the wrong place as some of the qualities that endeared it to others are precisely the turn-offs for me. The cast and crew did very well on a limited budget and I imagine created what they set out to achieve, the film certainly has some great scenes, those at the close of the film were very moving.

This is not the original. Scenes are missing which I think were important to the story. I was very disappointed with this dvd.

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4.0 out of 5 stars nice movie
My 10 year old daughter came home from school talking a storm about learning of joan of arc and other strong woman in history. Read more

Published 18 months ago by C. Dulong

5.0 out of 5 stars EASILY 10 STARS !!!
Leelee Sobieski is absolutely superb as the Maid of Lorraine, and exactly the right age to play the part. She brings a sincerity to the role that few others have achieved. Read more

Published on Jun 12 2005 by the Count

4.0 out of 5 stars historical problems but great acting
The movie makes some cheap, ineffective attempts to give the Joan of Arc story a bit more punch - including a "prophecy" from Merlin and the mis-characterization of the... Read more

Published on July 15 2004 by DWD

1.0 out of 5 stars Maybe The Worst Film EVER (no joke)
This is a sad excuse for a movie; it's terribly uninteresting, uninspired, and bland. It may be the worst film I have ever seen, at least in along time. Read more

Published on April 14 2004 by Alan Robertson

1.0 out of 5 stars A Joan without edge...
...a too sweet Joan, an unconvincing Joan, a boring Joan. The flames were too long in coming.

Published on April 3 2004 by Ignatius Reilly

5.0 out of 5 stars Joan of Arc
Of all movies and/or televisions programmes I have seen about Joan of Arc, this one is the best. LeeLee Sobieski was the best and most believable Joan I have ever seen. Read more

Published on Mar 1 2004 by mary wahl

5.0 out of 5 stars Joan of Arc
As I watched this movie, I was hooked by the minutes that ticked by. Yes, I have seen The Messanger, and I absolutely hated it. Read more

Published on Jan 21 2004 by Deb Dunsmore

5.0 out of 5 stars Better have a dozen boxes of tissue when you watch this.....
This is the best movie I have seen in a long time. I always thought if a movie brings a tear to the eye it is a good movie, and this movie will use up your water works..... Read more

Published on Nov 26 2003 by TABBY

5.0 out of 5 stars A soul-stirring epic masterpiece
Only rarely does a television miniseries rival the power, beauty, and excellence of Hollywood's most celebrated theatrical releases. Read more

Published on Aug 23 2003 by Daniel Jolley

5.0 out of 5 stars Peter O'Toole is great!
I'm really giving this movie 5 stars thanks to Peter O'Toole's brilliant acting but really the whole movie is actually very good. Read more

Published on Jun 17 2003 by Patrick

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