The Trial of Joan of Arc

Successfully conveys battle of wits between persecutor and victim, but, since it is also clear that the process is rigged, all the arguing tends towards being moot. Bresson wants to correct what he perceives as Dreyer’s overdramatisation, giving Joan back her powers of reasoning, but his narrowing of the focus to juridical and theological disputation loses the uncanny feeling of a life at stake and a cosmos in turmoil: Rivette’s JOAN THE MAID is perhaps a kind of correction of this correction.

Bresson's stripped-down style is in full effect here, complete with his famous close-ups of feet and attention to manual processes. The obvious comparison to make is The Passion of Joan of Arc. Dreyer's film has an undeniable beauty to it, but as a fan of Bresson's austerity, I have to give his version the edge. I greatly prefer Delay's performance to Falconetti's. Delay brings a dignity and a genuine piety to the role, where Falconetti just makes her seem like an unstable nutball.

This is stylistically and thematically somewhere in between Dreyer's 'The Passion of Joan of Arc' and Rivette's 'Joan the Maid, and so it lacks the immense impact on the viewer of those extreme films. In addition, Delay's Joan comes across as arrogant and timid, whereas Falconetti and Bonnaire bring the necessary mixture of certitude and vulnerability to the role. Having said all of that, Bresson does certainly deliver on his promise of a filmic rendering of the transcripts of the trial.

Trial makes the Bressonian method particularly apparent because of how it contrasts with other Joan of Arc movies, particularly Dreyer's rather expressionist one. As usual, Bresson sacrifices dramatic impact, authenticity, and more, in order to achieve his desired effect of "modeling" rather than enacting the story. The Joan of Arc trial stripped of almost any semblance of expression is certainly interesting to behold, but don't expect it to knock your socks off.

convincing and truthful depiction of joan's end, a very interesting alternative to Dreyer's Passion of Joan of Arc. i still prefer dreyer's but this was also great.

Bresson's approach to Joan of Arc is so straightforward, raw, sometimes even crude -- it's mainly constructed of exchanges between Joan and the Catholic bishops in a trial bound to condemn her faith -- to the point it feels like we are watching a film actually made at that time, live, no actors, but the real people involved. Ending is the only frame Bresson 'allows' a spark of maybe true, unrestricted spirituality -- no burned body, but an empty piece of wood.

Solid procedural supplement to Dreyer's masterpiece.

My favorite Bresson film, if only because it's one where his style not only works with the story but enhances it, making Joan just the right mix of stoic and vulnerable. A great performance from Delay and very good choice of shots make this a very effective look at martyrdom. The last 10 minutes are especially excellent.

Few subjects could be more appropriate for Bresson's aesthetic than Joan of Arc, whose unwavering principle and faith in the face of religious persecution fits in snugly with such films as Diary of a Country Priest or Au Hasard Balthazar. Delay is excellent, stoic and dignified with just a touch of righteous anger and tragic acceptance. I'd put this right up against Dreyer's take, frankly.

If Bresson's goal was to top Dreyer's silent classic, then he clearly failed. It's precisely the expressionist style of that film that makes it so impactful. Bresson instead applies his typically minimalist style. Its power is nonetheless cumulative, built around Joan's defiant resistance against the Church based on real transcripts. Delay is excellent as Joan, and the finale is impactful, but it's perhaps a little too dry, even by his standards, although it has moments of greatness.

An intense, austere film that--for me--pales in comparison to Dreyer. But then I'm a romantic. Still, I have to admit that deep in my soul I I suspect that Joan by Delay may be more like the real Joan than Joan by Falconetti: impressive in her very ordinariness, personally committed without the need for self-dramatization, someone for whom martyrdom is more an obligation than an apotheosis.

audiovisual 75 acting 76 overall feeling 70 avg 74

Sagitário

88.00

The methodical questioning against unwavering faith really puts into perspective the illogical beauty of religious faith. "How did you know it was the voice of an angel" "because I believed it was"

2018/02/24

Absolutely different from Dreyer's version. It's not emotional and melancholic, instead, Bresson drives this vehicle in a cold, impartial way.

Robert Bresson #2

A very different film from Dreyer's Joan tale, particularly relative to faith. While Dreyer's film seems to be asking "Will you believe?" Bresson's film instead seems to suggest, "How can you not?" The final ten minutes are exquisite, with rhythmic editing, that wonderfully mysterious dog, and the beautiful feet taking the cross to the flames. The film is certainly austere, but Bresson builds to a formal crescendo unsurpassed in his filmography.

It seems like every Bresson film I watch gets more and more stripped down and this is just about as minimalist as it gets. This does seem like one of those "History Class" films that I usually admire more than I enjoy, but Bresson's usual style is oddly compelling to view, it's authentically full of information pertaining to the case, and the short running time makes sure this doesn't overstay its welcome.

Never escapes the shadow of Dreyer for me. On its own it's a suitable if unimpressive work, but Delay's cool anger is much less interesting than Falconetti's frightened child of a martyr.

Amazing.

Bresson's simplest film, but it also feels like his most sterile. It's so spare and severe, there's hardly anything for me to hang onto. Not even the setting has any particularly interesting details. I think I prefer it when Bresson's characters have active hands and feet; here, they're mostly chained up.

This sure is Bresson alright. Delay is great