Rating: 4/4
Never has someone's face stirred up such emotions in me like Renee Maria Falconetti's painful portrayal of Joan of Arc. The film is based on the the records of her trial and depicts that last day of her life. The Passion of Joan of Arc is one of the few silent films that would not gain at all from the addition of sound. While various silent films-- most notably Nosferatu: The Symphony of Horror-- have been remade with great success with sound, no such attempt has been made for this film, and rightfully so. Such emotion takes you breath away, when the tears run down Joan's face it will tear you apart inside. Set mostly either inside a courtroom, Joan's prison cell, or in a torture chamber there is not much moving around or vast sets in which the film is set. Passion uses only the essentials: powerful performances, informative, and powerful dialogue-cards, expressive direction, and breathtaking passion.
