Joan Of Arc - The Messenger [DVD]

Oh dear! Having come fresh from seeing Shaw's play about Joan of Arc at the National Theatre, and having been inspired then to read histories of her and her times, I was curious to see Luc Besson's take on the subject. Whilst my review might commence in an overly-critical manner, there are good points that I reserve until the end.I had expected the worst "history according to Hollywood" tale. Whilst this is not strictly the case here, there are causes for some concern in both the historical veracity of what is portrayed and in the feel of the movie itself. To begin, the movie loses much of its edge by not employing French actors throughout, apart, obviously for the English and other nationalities. And records of the time show that Joan herself was not the most beautiful of women. (But who's going to invest so much money in a film without a beautiful heroine, without an English-language soundtrack, and without a strong Hollywood contingent - shame, but that's the way it is.) Secondly, the film is too clean and clinical, too staged, lacking realism in many scenes. Where's the mud, the dirt, the bad teeth, the ragged hair; where is the confusion of living? Why do we see conifer plantations with trees in nice rows? Why do the walls of Orleans suddenly halt and the grass begin with no suburbs, no roads, no boats in the river's port? Thirdly, the script is laughably lousy in places.Every five minutes there would appear to be something on screen to incur my wrath, whether it is the king of France (John Malkovich) speaking in an American accent; the ridiculous stage-set that is supposed to be the city of Orleans (and the even worse stage-set at the walls of Paris); or the twisting of history to suit the narrative. In this last point, the trial scene at the end is to me the most blatant: where is the inquisitor, where is Joan's claims that it was saints Margaret and Catherine who spoke to her? The attack on Domremy featured at the beginning of the movie, where Joan as a young girl witnesses unspeakable horrors, is based on the slenderest of evidence. And why are all the English prtrayed as thugs and villains? (After all, Mel Gibson doesn't appear in this film!) And what are we to make of the credit at the end of the movie where "Mr Besson" would like to thank, amongst others, Madonna, Sting and Trudy?So is there nothing good to say about this movie, which clearly has had a lot of time, money and energy expended on it? Well, yes, there is!I was impressed with the fresh take on Joan and her visions. Being an agnostic, and being someone who has studied psychology at degree level, I have never for one minute accepted uncritically the view that her visions were true in any objective sense. Besson's film does at least question them, and this is no bad thing. He uses imaginative ways to try to encapsulate what Joan may have been thinking at the time of her visitations, and Dustin Hoffman's portrayal as her conscience is very intriguing - and, I might add, well-acted on his part. Secondly, the effects in the film are good where Joan's visions are concerned, but could have been better with the depiction of medieval France, its towns, people and battles. Thirdly, the acting is good, and very good in parts. The scene at Chinon where joan first meets the king is excellent, and I found Faye Dunnaway especially convincing as Charles VII's mother-in-law.So, a film to love and to loath. This is a fresh and invigorating take on who Joan of Arc really was or might have been: but it is not my Joan.

This film really captures the period and is a good watch. Characters and historical setting are well done.

To tell you the truth, I think the story of Joan of Arc is a fascinating one and I do not watch too many films, but this one is brilliant. I love the acting and the way it depicts the Middle Ages. Luc Besson is a genius and he did his best here. Of course, actors like the gorgeous Milla Jojovich, Dustin Hoffman, and John Malkovich also did an absolutely amazing job.I remember going to the cinema and enjoying it when it had just been released. I have always wanted to have a copy of it since then. What else to say? It is a wonderful movie!

Accents!This film is outstanding but the American accents really stand out. John Malkovich is the big culprit, and although I enjoy his performance, he’s John Malkovich, not the Dauphin who goes on to become king of France. Dustin Hoffman too has a similar broad American accent which I feel somewhat detracts from his important part of the movie.The battle scenes are great, and the whole look of the film is superb! I’m a sucker for suits of armour and those worn by Joan and her compratriates look great and very authentic.This film definitely deserves a watch. It’s directed by Luc Besson too who did a great job on this, and again with Mila Jovovich in the fifth element, which I would also recommend!

Saw this film years ago.better when you can watch it in your own time

The handsomely mounted tale of the life, times and death of Joan of Arc as she struggles to free part of France and have the Dauphin crowned King of France. The English and French are fighting during the Hundred Years War as the Kings of England and France fight for the crown of France which may be seen to originate from the Norman Conquest where a line of succession can be traced back to France and the weakness of the French Kings.

Joan of arc is a good movie it was delivered earlier than expected which is always good thanks

Joan of Arc is one of my favorite historical persons and her life is such a fascinating story. This is one of my favorite movies and it's also one of the best movies Luc Besson ever made and Milla Jovovich is brilliant as Joan! This movie is very well-made and I'm glad they finally released this on Blu-ray.