''The Trial of Joan of Arc'' (french: Procès de Jeanne d'Arc) is a 1962 French historical

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

written and directed by

Robert Bresson Robert Bresson (; 25 September 1901 – 18 December 1999) was a French film director. Known for his ascetic approach, Bresson contributed notably to the art of cinema; his non-professional actors, Ellipsis (narrative device), ellipses, and s ...

. The title role is played by

Florence Delay Florence Delay (born 19 March 1941 in Paris) is a French academician and actress. Biography The daughter of Marie-Madeleine Carrez and Jean Delay, Delay studied at the Lycée Jean de La Fontaine and then the Sorbonne. In 1962, she played the ti ...

Synopsis

In 1431, Jeanne d'Arc, a peasant girl who has led the French troops against the English during the third phase of the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England and Kingdom of France, France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French Crown, ...

, is imprisoned for heresy and brought to trial by an pro-English court in

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of ...

. From the trial's beginning, it is made clear by English representatives that the courts' verdict has to be Jeanne's execution by fire. Despite constant interrogations by the judges, Jeanne's faith in her mission, which she insists was assigned to her by God, remains unshaken. During the trial, she is not only questioned, but also tortured, her virginity examined, and molested. In a moment of weakness, Jeanne recants her faith, but later retracts her earlier confession. She is sentenced to death and burned at the stake.

Cast

(credited as Florence Carrez) – Jeanne d'Arc *

Jean-Claude Fourneau Jean-Claude Fourneau (28 March 1907 – 9 October 1981) was a French painter close to the surrealist movement. His mother was a descendant of Victor de Lanneau, restorer of the Collège Sainte-Barbe in Paris, of Juliette Adam, founder of a Fre ...

– Bishop Cauchon * Roger Honorat – Jean Beaupère * Marc Jacquier – Jean Lemaître *

Jean Gillibert Jean Gillibert (1925 – 31 October 2014) was a French psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, poet, translator, playwright and theatre director. Short biography Gillibert graduated from the Paris conservatory in 1945.Gérard Zingg Gérard Zingg (7 June 1942 – 27 July 2021) was a French Painting, painter, screenwriter, and film director. Biography Zingg studied cinema at the Institut des hautes études cinématographiques. In 1977, he directed the film ''At Night All Ca ...

– Jean Lohier * André Maurice – Tiphaine * Harry Sommers – Bishop of Winchester

Production

As with all of Bresson's films after 1945, ''The Trial of Joan of Arc'' stars non-professional actors. In his version of the historical events, Bresson tried to "avoid 'theater' and 'masquerade', but to arrive at a non-historical truth by using historical words." He spoke unfavourably of

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 film, which covered the same subject, calling the actors' performances "horrible buffoonery". The screenplay is drawn from the transcriptions of Joan's trial and rehabilitation.

Release

''The Trial of Joan of Arc'' premiered in competition at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

in 1962. It was screened the following year at the first

New York Film Festival The New York Film Festival (NYFF) is a film festival held every fall in New York City, presented by Film at Lincoln Center (FLC). Founded in 1963 by Richard Roud and Amos Vogel with the support of Lincoln Center president William Schuman, it is ...

and saw a limited New York theatrical release in 1965.

Reception

''The Trial of Joan of Arc'' was not warmly received by critics on its original release and for a long time regarded a minor work in the director's oeuvre, including critic

Susan Sontag Susan Sontag (; January 16, 1933 – December 28, 2004) was an American writer, philosopher, and political activist. She mostly wrote essays, but also published novels; she published her first major work, the essay "Notes on 'Camp'", in 1964. Her ...

, who otherwise spoke highly positive of Bresson's work. An exception was director

Jean-Luc Godard Jean-Luc Godard ( , ; ; 3 December 193013 September 2022) was a French-Swiss film director, screenwriter, and film critic. He rose to prominence as a pioneer of the French New Wave film movement of the 1960s, alongside such filmmakers as Fran� ...

, who ranked the film as number one on his list of Ten Best Films of 1963. On the occasion of the film's 1965 New York release,

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...

(''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'') commented that Florence Delay delivered her dialogue "without change of expression and in a muted monotone" and faulted the overall "lack of dramatic highs and lows". Retrospective reviews have been more positive, titling it a "gripping courtroom drama" ( Kevin Maher, ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'') which features Delay as "one of the director's most perfect 'models'" (Melissa Anderson, ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...

'') and culminates in an "unforgettable final image" (

Gilbert Adair Gilbert Adair (29 December 19448 December 2011) was a Scottish novelist, poet, film critic, and journalist.Stuart Jeffries and Ronald BerganObituary: Gilbert Adair ''The Guardian'', 9 December 2011. He was critically most famous for the "fiend ...

, '' Time Out'').

Awards

The film won the Special Jury Prize at the

1962 Cannes Film Festival The 15th Cannes Film Festival was held from 7 to 23 May 1962. The Palme d'Or went to the ''O Pagador de Promessas'' by Anselmo Duarte. The festival opened with '' Les Amants de Teruel'', directed by Raymond Rouleau. During the Cannes Film Festiv ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Trial of Joan of Arc, The 1962 films Films directed by Robert Bresson Films about Joan of Arc French prison films 1960s French films French historical drama films Films set in the 15th century