This is How Movies Should Be Made

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

In the brilliant "Passion of Joan of Arc" (1928), Maria Falconetti probably performed the greatest acting feat on the silent silver screen. Her facial emotion and suffering during an incredibly intense historical trial remain legendary. Those close-up shots remain stunning, while the overall circus atmosphere was absolutely electrifying! The one drawback in the Passion though is Ms. Falconetti's age, which was twice that of Joan during the latter's ordeal in 1431.In "The Trial of Joan of Arc" (1962), Florence Delay plays Jeanne D'Arc realistically. Her film age was only a few years older than the real Joan. Ms. Delay was quite attractive, and it is easy to focus on her. But beyond her looks, her performance, while not in the league of Ms. Falconetti, is still commendable. Ms. Delay does demonstrate courage, serenity, and integrity in a dry, unemotional manner. Note that Joan did not even have a legal representative at the trial. And, instead of a church prison, Joan was rather unsafely incarcerated in a secular jail guarded by the English. Brave teen-aged Joan never betrayed herself or her faith, and she received Holy Communion before her martyrdom at Rouen. Most of our attention is centered on the tense trial itself, of which the court transcript still survives. Director Bresson's focus was more on "The Maid of Orleans" and less on the jurors. Nevertheless the characters are developed. The modest film runs only slightly more than an hour in length.It is very important to note that the film does explain why Joan was sentenced in the end. The court was totally in the control of Anglophiles – many from the University of Paris – or those Frenchmen who supported England in the attempt to conquer France in the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453). Note that it is the English authorities who are in real charge. And since it was Jeanne D'Arc who solely changed the tide of war at Orleans (1429), she was the leading target. When events became clear after the long war, the pope reopened the trial (1455). The result was that Joan was posthumously exonerated of any heresy (1456). Eventually Joan was elevated to sainthood (1920).

Robert Bresson apparently detested Carl Dreyer's Jeanne d'Arc Passion play, La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc, for "grotesque buffooneries", and one would also assume, overt melodrama. With a such a prompt dismissal, Bresson acted as though the 1928 silent film never existed. And with a cast of non-thespians dusted off Jeanne's trial transcripts for a subdued and downplayed retread. As melodrama would seem fitting the story of a young woman imprisoned and confronted with the omnipresent threat of torture, rape and execution, Bresson felt that the French national icon was instead stoic and self-assured of moral victory.In the performances there is little to give away character thought processes and motivations, particularly from the English actors playing the guards. The additions to the script now have protagonists stating aloud what they intend to do next. And whether it was on Bresson's insistence to avoid melodrama, or the non-professional nature of the cast, those on screen come across as incredibly wooden and lifeless.Florence Delay as Jeanne delivers the historic lines without feeling or inflection. To use a gauche comparison, Milla Jovovich whilst not giving a better performance in the same role, at least gave A performance. In between court appearances Delay literally has nothing to do but sit on her bed with her hands on her knees. No contemplation, or conversations with God. Whereas Renée Falconetti suffered regular torment from the guards, and had the weaving of a symbolic crown of straw to occupy herself in Dreyer's opus, Delay simply sits still, shuffles between sets, and reads her lines. Everything of course leading to the stake. However, in giving Jeanne self-awareness and fundamentally robbing her of innocence, the burning is anticlimactic.Bresson's stark minimalism is unbefitting such a reenactment. The film as a whole suffers from early '60s cinematic conventions, and can not avoid unfavourable comparisons with Dreyer's original, which is widely regarded as a masterpiece. Procès is not simply sub par in the realm of Jeanne films, it is also a blight on the prolific career of Robert Bresson.

The director's signature style adds pretty much nothing to the story, the subject of one of the greatest works of cinema, Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc. If you don't like Dreyer's melodramatics – and that famous silent is indeed enormously melodramatic – then maybe Bresson's toned down version will work for you. But, really, most of the film consists of long, dry scenes of question and answer sessions between Joan and her judges. It only runs just over an hour, but a lot of it feels like a chore. It's not a worthless film, of course. Once in a while Bresson captures a powerful image. I loved the shots of Joan through the peephole, as well as the reverse shots of the Englishmen staring through it. And the final sequence, Joan's ascension to the stake, is as powerful as anything in the Dreyer film (although I usually list The Passion of Joan of Arc among my ten favorite films, I will admit that he missteps during the final sequence with that historically inaccurate riot and the Eisensteinian moments that ensue), and as good as anything else Bresson has made. Also, Florence Delay, who plays Joan, could be mentioned next to Falconetti without embarrassment. She is exceptional.

To appreciate this film you have to be a supporter of the 'Less is More' school of thought. Bresson presents the viewer with a stark, simple story, employing virtually no cinema devices at all - whilst 'Trial of Joan of Arc' isn't one of his best known efforts, it bears all the hallmarks of being touched by genius.With a running time of just over an hour, the film covers the trial of the famous French heroine, the script solely based on the historical notes from the trial itself. As usual with Bresson, the cast is made up of non-actors who prove that simple delivery of potent narrative is more than convincing.The actress who plays Joan, Florence Delay, is superb and stunningly attractive - on watching the film I assumed she was a major star of 1960's French cinema, rather than an unknown in her first ( and last?? ) role. The film concentrates so much on her character that she has to be convincing - every word she delivers has an edge to it and you can truly believe that here was a teenage girl who had an inner strength which entire armies would follow.Everything which is good in foreign films is encapsulated here - the simple approach, the dialogue, the static camera and the realism which combine together as a piece of cinematic art. Bresson's next film was the highly praised 'Au Hasard Balthazar'(1966), which continued the themes of quiet dignity and immense power within a basic framework.