The Passion of Joan of Arc

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The Passion of Joan of Arc

1928

1h 21m

History

Drama

Biography

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

98%

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63 Reviews

93%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Spiritual rapture and institutional hypocrisy come to stark, vivid life in one of the most transcendent masterpieces of the silent era. Chronicling the trial of Joan of Arc in the hours leading up to her execution, Carl Theodor Dreyer depicts her torment with startling immediacy. Anchoring Dreyer's audacious formal experimentation is a legendary performance by Renée Falconetti, whose haunted face channels both the agony and the ecstasy of martyrdom.

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Critics Consensus

The Passion of Joan of Arc is must-see cinema for Renée Maria Falconetti's incredible performance alone -- and an all-time classic for innumerable other reasons.

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Times (UK) Staff

The Times (UK)

07/09/2020

The composition of the pictures is extremely beautiful, and the deliberation of the movement allows time for their beauty, and the poignancy of Mlle. Falconetti's acting, to produce a cumulative effect.

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Jaime N. Christley

Village Voice

11/22/2017

This is neither a hopeful nor a hopeless film, but one of feeling so colossal and resplendent, it can't be constrained by prison or consumed by fire.

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Thomas H Green

Daily Telegraph (UK)

02/27/2013

4/5

In the hands of the great Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer it becomes a potent saga of battered faith, vicious bullying and personal torment.

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Sebastian Zavala Kahn

Me gusta el cine

02/21/2025

5/5

With an enigmatic protagonist, a story based on cruel real events and an innovative staging, Dreyer's film is considered one of the greatest classics in the history of cinema. [Full review in Spanish].

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Ian Thomas Malone

ianthomasmalone.com

09/09/2024

Dreyer delivers a timeless treatise on the agony of the soul that bristles against the confines of its structure, a film so carefully constructed yet completely raw in its delivery.

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Vernon Young

Accent: A Quarterly of New Literature

01/18/2024

The Passion of Joan of Arc is one film among probably less than a dozen of which it can be said that it adds deeply to the sum of one’s experience.

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Bowman T

@RT75301763 Jul 8

Some watch in silence. Some with piano. For me, the visuals were accompanied by the Voices of Light score. Creative camerawork, great acting, and more make this as close to mandatory viewing as you can get for the silent era. In terms of its contemporaries, it doesn't make Metropolis suddenly less-compelling, nor does it feel like a slightly better or worse Nosferatu. It's a different beast entirely. Watch it. Beware of criticism that comes in the form of incoherence or film illiteracy.

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Rosario C.

@rosario508 May 15

Exceptionally powerful and moving in terms of it’s visuals as well as it’s narrative

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Leprechaun K

@LeprechaunKing Mar 30

Almost 100 years later, the visuals are impressive for its time. It serves more of a documentary for its historical value. It is not particularly entertaining. The constant close-up of the the Joan's monotone expression is excessive.

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Deborah W.

@debw1977 Jan 17

Beautiful film. Falconetti was truly gifted.

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revolver.0 8

@Revolver08 Dec 10

beautifully light and shoot portraits

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Stephen C

@bob25009 06/08/2025

Failed the silent movie test in just 1 hour and 17 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Carl Theodor Dreyer

Director

Maria Falconetti

Jeanne d'Arc

Eugene Silvain

Évêque Pierre Cauchon (as Eugène Silvain)

André Berley

Jean d'Estivet

Maurice Schultz

Nicolas Loyseleur

Antonin Artaud

Jean Massieu

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Synopsis

Spiritual rapture and institutional hypocrisy come to stark, vivid life in one of the most transcendent masterpieces of the silent era. Chronicling the trial of Joan of Arc in the hours leading up to her execution, Carl Theodor Dreyer depicts her torment with startling immediacy. Anchoring Dreyer's audacious formal experimentation is a legendary performance by Renée Falconetti, whose haunted face channels both the agony and the ecstasy of martyrdom.

Director: Carl Theodor Dreyer
Screenwriter: Joseph Delteil
Distributor: Criterion Collection, Video Yesteryear, Janus Films, LS Video
Production Co: Société générale des films
Genre: History, Drama, Biography
Original Language: French (France)
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 21, 1928, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 23, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $6.4K
Runtime: 1h 21m
Aspect Ratio: 35mm