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Title: Passionate Silent Film
Review: 'The Passion of Joan of Arc' differs from expectations of a silent film. Not having any reading material, I am going out on a limb and say it was innovative for its time. Maria Falconetti plays Joan with intensity, conveying courage, fear, and fragileness with expertise througout. The Inquisition are presented as smug and patronizing, making the drama even more realistic. Director Carl Theodor Dreyer skillfully interweves shots that broaden the film, and his attention to details is ground breaking. The close ups and editing are of the caliber that today we take for granted. The pace of the frames flows along like real life, unlike, say Charlie Chaplin's silent films do. Presenting a trial and the burning at the stake that never seem fake, 'The Passion of Joan of Arc' is a real triumph. Even as a silent film, the facial expressions say more than words. The film, which like Joan herself, was thought to be lost in a fire, has been resurrected for the benefit of all.
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