THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC (La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc) (1928) - ♦♦♦♦♦

Directed by - Carl Theodor Dreyer

Written by - Carl Theodor Dreyer, Joseph Delteil

Starring - Maria Falconetti

"A dramatization of the trial of Joan of Arc. A film with an appeal so timeless that it's even hard to think that it was made so long ago. The Passion of Joan of Arc does not only represent a height in cinematic history that has hardly ever been reached again, but also stands as a masterpiece of avant garde beauty and intensity that not was not only ahead of its own time but has quite possibly never been replicated since. The camera movements and challenging angles are vibrant in experimentation. Furthermore, the long close ups of Maria Falconetti, whose face conceals all the pain and emotion that was needed to fill the boots of such a difficult personage in such a controversial event in religious history, portray a performance that is one of the strongest of the silent era and also perhaps the first example of pure cinematic method acting."

Biopic, France