Joan of Arc (1948)

Director:

Victor Fleming

Writers:

Maxwell Anderson (play)
Maxwell Anderson (screenplay)

Release Date:

3 October 1949 (Sweden)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

Greatest of all spectacles!

Plot:

In the Fifteenth Century, France is a defeated and ruined nation after the One Hundred Years War against England...

Plot Keywords:

Burned At The Stake | France | Martyrdom | 15th Century | Heresy

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Ingrid Bergman	...	Joan of Arc
Francis L. Sullivan	...	Pierre Cauchon (Count-Bishop of Beauvais)
J. Carrol Naish	...	John, Count of Luxembourg (Joan's captor)
Ward Bond	...	La Hire
Shepperd Strudwick	...	Father Massieu (Joan's bailiff)
Gene Lockhart	...	Georges de la Trémouille
John Emery	...	Jean - Duke d'Alencon
Leif Erickson	...	Dunois, Bastard of Orleans
Cecil Kellaway	...	Jean le Maistre (Inquisitor of Rouen)
José Ferrer	...	The Dauphin, Charles VII, later King of France
Selena Royle	...	Isabelle d'Arc (Joan's mother)
Robert Barrat	...	Jacques d'Arc (Joan's Father)
Jimmy Lydon	...	Pierre d'Arc (Joan's younger brother)
Rand Brooks	...	Jean d'Arc (Joan's older brother)
Roman Bohnen	...	Durand Laxart (Joan's uncle)

Also Known As:

Joan of Lorraine (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

145 min | USA:100 min (cut version) | 145 min (DVD version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

UK:PG (edited version) | UK:U (original rating, cut version) | Finland:K-10

Filming Locations:

Balboa, Newport Beach, California, USA

Company:

Sierra Pictures (II)

Trivia:

At one time, MGM was scheduled to release the film, but they eventually backed out due to disagreements with Sierra Pictures.

Quotes:

Joan of Arc: My gentle Dauphin, it is you I seek, for I have come a long way to find you and no other can take your place. God has spoken to me through His messengers, and it is His will that I come to aid you and that you be King of France.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Haunted World of Edward D. Wood Jr. (1996)

I have seen the DVD, full length version--a very flawed film with some redeeming aspects

A very poor film translation of a stage play--rather than being tailored to the movie medium, this is very stagy, overly talky. The dialogue is arty and artificial. Everyone is obviously acting, giving a performance, though Bergman is radiant and her performance is passionate and sincere.

All of the exteriors (outdoor shots) which feature close ups of the lead actors are obviously shot on a sound stage. Some beautiful outdoor footage is used occasionally for establishing shots or transitions between scenes, but Bergman never leaves the soundstage.

On the positive side, the film is beautifully photographed, many individual shots are works of art, masterfully lit and composed. However, the camera moves only when necessary to follow the actors, the shots are static, adding to the staginess of the production. Which reminds me of CB DeMille; you could get a good idea of this film by saying it's like a DeMille film, only with more high art pretensions and less spectacle (no cast of thousands here).

The most outstanding aspect of 'Joan of Arc' is the music, it's prominently featured, good and loud, and it deserves to be--it's gorgeous.

The DVD has no extras at all, though the image and sound are excellent--a very good restoration job. A commentary track would have been very welcome; my guess is this was a challenging production, possibly with a long production period (three cinematographers are listed). It was a commercial failure, at least in part because of public condemnation of Bergman's personal life. I believe director Victor Flemming died soon after production. Lots of meat here for an interesting commentary or two.