Renée Jeanne FalconettiBoroson, Warren (April 11, 2006)

''Daily Record''. claims: "Her name was Renee Jeanne Falconetti. Her daughter, Helene Falconetti, in a letter to me now in the New York Public Library Theatre Division, states that she does not know where the wrong name 'Maria' originated." (21 July 1892 – 12 December 1946), sometimes credited as Maria Falconetti, Marie Falconetti,Luft, Herbert G. (1956). "Carl Dreyer: A Master of His Craft". ''Quarterly of Film Radio and Television'', Vol. 11, No. 2 (Winter, 1956), pp. 181–96. Renée Maria Falconetti,Ebert, Roger (February 16, 1997)
"GREAT MOVIE: The Passion of Joan of Arc”
review, ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...

''.Mayumi Takada
Annihilating Possibilities: Witnessing and Testimony through Cinematic Love in Theresa Hak Kyung Cha's DICTEE
''LIT: Literature Interpretation Theory'' Volume 17, Number 1 / January–March 2006, 23–48 or simply Falconetti, was a French stage and film actress, notable for her role as

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronati ...

Carl Theodor Dreyer Carl Theodor Dreyer (; 3 February 1889 – 20 March 1968), commonly known as Carl Th. Dreyer, was a Danish film director and screenwriter. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, his movies are noted for their emotional aus ...

's 1928 silent ''

The Passion of Joan of Arc ''The Passion of Joan of Arc'' (french: link=no, La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc) is a 1928 French silent historical film based on the actual record of the trial of Joan of Arc. The film was directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer and stars Renée Jeanne ...

''.

''The Passion of Joan of Arc''

Born in

Pantin Pantin () is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. In 2019 its population was estimated to be 59,846. Pantin is located on the edge of the city of Paris and is mainly formed by a plain ...

, Seine-Saint-Denis, Falconetti became a stage actress in Paris in 1918. By the time Dreyer watched her act in an amateur theatre and selected her as his leading lady in his upcoming production ''La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc'', she already was a celebrated stage artist and had appeared in one film, ''La Comtesse de Somerive'' (1917), directed by

Georges Denola Georges Samson Denola (; 29 August 1865, Paris, France – 3 March 1944, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France) was a French filmmaker and actor. His most notable film is ''La Jeunesse de Rocambole'', released in 1913. As an actor, Georges Denola has been seen ...

and

Jean Kemm Jean Kemm (15 May 1874–1939) was a French stage and theater actor and film director. Kemm was born Jules Adolphe Félix Bécheret in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris and died in Paris in 1939. Selected filmography * '' André Cornélis'' (1 ...

. Falconetti was 35 years old when she played the role of 19-year-old Joan of Arc in ''La Passion.'' Her portrayal is widely considered one of the more astonishing performances committed to film, and it remained her final cinematic role. Many writers have claimed that Falconetti's performance was the result of extreme cruelty at the hands of Dreyer, a notoriously demanding director who pushed her to the brink of emotional collapse. For example, film critic

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

writes:

For Falconetti, the performance was an ordeal. Legends from the set tell of Dreyer forcing her to kneel painfully on stone and then wipe all expression from her face – so that the viewer would read suppressed or inner pain. He filmed the same shots again and again, hoping that in the editing room he could find exactly the right nuance in her facial expression.

However, in their biography of Dreyer, Jean and Dale Drum say that these stories are based only on rumour and that "there is no evidence that Dreyer could be called a sadist". They quote onlookers who described Dreyer's working relationship with Falconetti: Initially in the production process, "Dreyer and Falconetti would watch the rushes of a single scene together, seven or eight times, until Dreyer could pick out a little bit, maybe a few feet, where the effect was what they wanted, and when they reshot the scene, she could play it without the least inhibition. Just those few feet of film had inspired her." Later, Falconetti became able to play scenes only from Dreyer's explanations, without the need even for rehearsal.

Subsequent career and death

After filming ''Joan of Arc'', Falconetti continued with her career as a producer of light stage comedies, appearing with the

Comédie-Française The Comédie-Française () or Théâtre-Français () is one of the few state theatres in France. Founded in 1680, it is the oldest active theatre company in the world. Established as a French state-controlled entity in 1995, it is the only state ...

. During World War II, she escaped from France first to Switzerland, Brazil, and then left for Buenos Aires, Argentina.Falconetti, Hélène (1987). ''Falconetti''. Les Éditions du CERF. Falconetti had suffered from mental illness all her life, and in 1946 she died in Buenos Aires, Argentina, an apparent suicide, by a self-imposed restrictive diet after having become significantly overweight.Jean and Dale D. Drum, ''My Only Great Passion: The Life and Films of Carl Th. Dreyer'' (Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press, 2000), p. 130. Her remains are interred at

Montmartre Cemetery The Cemetery of Montmartre (french: link=no, Cimetière de Montmartre) is a cemetery in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, France, that dates to the early 19th century. Officially known as the Cimetière du Nord, it is the third largest necropolis ...

in Paris, section 16 (her grave site is not listed on official maps). Her grandson Gérard Falconetti also became an actor.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Warren Boroson collection of Renée Falconetti material, 1962
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division,

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, is located in Manhattan, New York City, at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side, between the Metro ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Falconetti, Maria 1892 births 1946 deaths People from Pantin French stage actresses French film actresses French silent film actresses Burials at Montmartre Cemetery 20th-century French actresses 1946 suicides