Eat your heart out, Mel Gibson. Carl Theodor Dreyer's meditative "The Passion of Joan of Arc (La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc)," a film ¨®over 80 years old, reigns among all "passion films." Dreyer chooses to omit the martyr's days of glory and to instead humanize her final hours, which have become the stuff of legend. His potent film attempts to bring the tale to life through stunning close-ups and sharp angles, replete with the angry faces of religious officials and the tormented face of Joan herself. However, because the story is already known from the first second, the events and especially the inexhaustible close-ups of Joan sobbing before the camera become a bit tiresome.
Nevertheless, often cited as a marvel of significant visual innovativeness for its use of close-ups, "The Passion" uses the camera extraordinarily effectively. The close-up shots have astounding visual artistry, certainly revolutionary for its time. Close-ups had never been utilized in such an innovative way to communicate human emotion.
The emotional rawness of Renee Maria Falconetti certainly stands out in "The Passion." Before Demi Moore was rolling perfect tears down her cheek in "Ghost," Falconetti showed the world how it was done (the award for Most Tears on Film goes to...). While silent cinema stars were often directed to act a bit exaggeratedly for the camera, the genuineness of Falconetti's performance runs contrary to this notion. Emotionally stripped before the camera's proliferation of imprisoning close-ups, she is largely silent as the religious officials who constantly surround her condemn her as a heretic. Her tears, wide eyes and upturned gaze are the only confirmations that viewers require to comprehend her state. Even then, she turns Joan into one of the most tragic characters on film as the anguish on her face, with the help of cinematography and no makeup, ardently conveys.
While I have long found it difficult to connect to "passion films," the film's revolutionary visual artistry is undeniable. The plot itself can sometimes become a little tedious, especially when it feels like the film drags its feet a bit in its transition from trial to torture to execution (with a runtime of only 80 minutes!). I personally grew weary of the seemingly millions of close-ups of Falconetti with a body of water gushing out of her eyes. Although I realize all of those shots are critical to communicating her anguish, a good deal of the film might as well be one close-up shot on Joan as she cries and cries and cries and cries some more. (Did Dreyer never hear that less is more?)
In terms of the visuals, "The Passion of Joan of Arc" is a masterpiece. The story itself seems treated rather banally, so something feels lacking. If for no other reason, the visuals of "The Passion of Joan of Arc" maintain its place in film history and become the reason that viewers should continue to see it. Try to forget that you know the story - you have never seen visuals like these.
"The Passion of Joan of Arc" was shown recently as part of the International Lens, a film series with a global perspective that promotes dialogue among Vanderbilt's community of students, faculty and staff.