The Passion of Joan of Arc Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		5.0

The Passion of Joan of Arc Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 9, 2018

Carl Theodor Dreyer's "The Passion of Joan of Arc" (1928) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include a vintage trailer for the film; archival audio commentary features Danish film scholar Casper Tybjerg; new video interview with composer Richard Einhorn; multiple scores; archival audio interview with Helene Falconetti; production design archive; and more. An illustrated booklet featuring an essay by critic Mark Le Fanu, a director’s statement by Carl Theodor Dreyer, and the full libretto for "Voices of Light". With French or Danish intertitles, and optional English subtitles. Region-A "locked".

HE spoke to me

The camera constantly studies Joan’s (Maria Falconetti) eyes. At times she looks straight into it, other times she looks up. It seems like she is listening. She often cries. When questioned, she insists that God spoke to her.

In the beginning of the trial the judges seem confident that they could break Joan’s will. Like wolves that smell blood they gather around her, feeling empowered. They are convinced that they have the right questions that will deliver the right answers. It is only a matter of time before they congratulate each other and declare victory.

But Joan’s words confuse them. And then anger them. One of the judges suggests that they will have to lure a confession out of her -- even if they have to torture her. Pain can destroy anyone, the judges are convinced, even believers.

After a short recess they question Joan again, uncertain why she would continue to insist that God has spoken to her and promised to free her. They want to know how, and why, and when. Some of the judges are already barely able to contain their anger, knowing that their tactics have failed, feeling threatened. Others are just stunned that a young woman would be so strong. A few seem frightened. What if she speaks the truth?

There is fear now amongst the judges. They want a quick confession, signed by Joan, so that they could declare victory and move on. At the stake, with her eyes full of tears, she agrees. Some of the judges look relieved -- they have won, the Church has won. For now.

There is hardly anything one could write about Carl Theodor Dreyer’s The Passion of Joan of Arc that has not already been written by someone else. It is an incredibly simple, enormously powerful film, one that it is impossible to forget. It is a silent film but one that speaks a beautiful cinematic language anyone can understand.

Falconetti’s performance is legendary. There is hardly another performance in the annals of cinema where so much is accomplished with a single look, a simple move. There is a genuine sense of purity here that effectively transcends cinematic boundaries.

The second half of the film is so intense that at times it becomes claustrophobic. The disappointment, pain, and desperation are incredibly overwhelming. As the judges send Joan to the stake, it does feel like a precious life will be lost -- a real life. The images are absolutely devastating.

The 20fps and 24fps versions of the film arrive with three different scores. The first is a more traditional score by Japanese silent film composer Mie Yanashita. In it elegant piano themes constantly overlap each other and complement the visuals. The second is Richard Einhorn’s Voices of Light, a more elaborate choral and orchestral composition performed by vocal group Anonymous 4, soloist Susan Narucki, and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic and Choir. The final score comes from veteran trip-hop musicians Will Gregory (Goldfrapp) and Adrian Utley (Portishead).

The Passion of Joan of Arc was lensed by the great cinematographer Rudolph Mate, who also collaborated with Dreyer on his legendary film Vampyr (1932).

The Passion of Joan of Arc Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Carl Theodor Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The first detailed reports about Gaumont's new restoration of The Passion of Joan of Arc that emerged in 2017 suggested that it was a 4K project that was completed with financial support from Centre National du Cinéma (CNC). We have one such announcement on our site that used the preliminary information that was channeled via Janus Films, but you can see a different report with the same information here as well. Since then, however, new information has emerged which confirms that the film was in fact restored in 2K. It has also been confirmed that Gaumont utilized a vintage print that was created by La Cinémathèque Française when the film was reconstructed in 1985, which was struck from a nitrate copy that was supplied by the Danish Film Institute. I mention all of this because Criterion's final technical specs also confirm the new information. (As usual, when the final market copy arrives, we will provide the official technical credits in the review).

There are two different versions of the film on this release:

1. 24fps silent version: It can be viewed without sound; with Richard Einhorn's Voices of Light (1994); or a brand new score by Will Gregory of the trip-hop band Goldfrapp and Adrien Utley of the trip-hop band Portishead (2010).

2. 20fps silent version: It can be played silent or with a piano score performed by Japanese silent film composer Mie Yanashita (2005).

The new restoration offers a number of dramatic improvements. The most significant ones are in terms of density and clarity, but the entire film also has a substantially healthier appearance. For example, the close-ups now lack that softer and somewhat flat appearance that is noticeable on the Region-B release that we reviewed in 2012. While some source limitations can sporadically affect grain exposure, grain is far better distributed and resolved and as a result overall delineation is much better. In fact, even on a mid-size screen the improvements can be quite dramatic (see screencaptures #1 and 18). The few wider shots in the film also boast significantly better depth (see screencapture #4). The grading is different and superior as well. The primaries are far better saturated while the complete ranges of gray and white are expanded. Furthermore, it appears that extensive stabilization work was performed as the obvious flicker from the previous release is missing. More importantly, I have to speculate that a lot of manual work was done to clean up individual frames as best as possible because now the film looks very healthy. All in all, given the nature of the surviving elements, I think that this new restoration will undoubtedly remain the definitive presentation of Carl Theodor Dreyer's film. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free Blu-ray release in order to access its content).

The Passion of Joan of Arc Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are multiple audio tracks for each score which I am going to list below. Also, the 24fps version has French intertitles and can be viewed with optional English subtitles, while the 20fps version has original Danish intertitles and can be viewed with optional English subtitles.

1. Silent versions: encoded with Dolby Digital 1.0 (no sound).
2. 20fps version/Mie Yanashita score: LPCM 2.0.
3. 24fps version/Richard Einhorn's Voices of Light score: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1.
4. 24fps version/Will Gregory (Goldfrapp) and Adrian Utley's (Portishead) score: LPCM 2.0.

I viewed the film with Will Gregory and Adrian Utley's score, as I am familiar with the other scores, and later on did some random comparisons. The quality of the lossless track is outstanding, but this should not be surprising as it was finalized in a studio environment. Clarity, balance, and fluidity are excellent. Dynamic intensity is also very good, but you should keep in mind that while quite diverse the score still has a distinct chamber quality. The other two scores have proper native qualities as well and are free of technical anomalies.

The Passion of Joan of Arc Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

24FPS VERSION

• Voices of Light (1994) - the entire film can be viewed with Richard Einhorn's Voices of Light, a choral and orchestral composition performed by vocal group Anonymous 4, soloist Susan Narucki, and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic and Choir.
  
  1. "Exclamavit/Prelude"
  2. "Victory at Orleans (Letter from Joan of Arc)"
  3. "Interrogation"
  4. "The Jailers"
  5. "Pater Noster"
  6. "The Jailers Return"
  7. "Torture"
  8. "Illness (Letter from Joan of Arc)"
  9. "Sacrament"
  10. "Abjuration"
  11. "Relapse"
  12. "Anima"
  13. "The Final Walk"
  14. "The Burning"
  15. "The Fire of the Dove"
  16. "Epilogue (Letter from Joan of Arc)"

• Gregory and Utley Score (2010) - the entire film can be viewed with a score created by Will Gregory (Goldfrapp) and Adrian Utley (Portishead).

• Audio Commentary - this archival audio commentary features Danish film scholar Casper Tybjerg. It was recorded exclusively for Criterion in 1999 and also appeared on the label's DVD release of The Passion of Joan of Arc.
  
  1. Reel 1: Introduction
  2. Transcript to novel to screenplay to film
  3. Joseph Delteil/Excluded issues
  4. Reel 2: Joan and her judges
  5. Close-ups
  6. Objections to the close-ups
  7. Reel 3: Dreyer's response
  8. Truthfulness without makeup
  9. "A certifiable lunatic"
  10. Reel 4: Reels as acts/La merveilleuse vie de Jeanne d'Arc
  11. Narrative structure/Dreyer and Falconetti
  12. Reel 5: Dreyer's uncompromising methods
  13. The first screening
  14. The film's reception
  15. "Other pictures appears but trivial in comparison
  16. [No commentary]

20FPS VERSION

• Mie Yanashita (2005) - the entire film can be viewed with a piano score performed by Japanese silent film composer Mie Yanashita (2005).

ADDITIONAL STANDARD SUPPLEMENTAL FEATURES

• Trailer - this original trailer features shots that do not appear on surviving prints of The Passion of Joan of Arc. Silent. (4 min, 1080p).

• About Voices of Light - in this brand new video interview, Richard Einhorn discusses in great detail his research work prior to composing Voices of Light, as well as the composition's structure and its use of words/text. Additional comments address Maria Falconetti's performance as well as the mental image of Joan of Arc that he had while working on Voices of Light. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2017. In English, not subtitled. (12 min, 1080p).

• Adrian Utley and Will Gregory - in this new video interview, Will Gregory and Adrian Utley explain how they approached the job of scoring The Passion of Joan of Arc in 2010 and discuss some of the unique challenges that they were presented with at the time. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2017. (16 min, 1080p).

• Helene Falconetti - in this archival audio interview, Helene Falconetti, daughter of Renee Falctonetti, explains how her mother was cast to play Joan of Arc and discusses her acting philosophy. The interview was conducted by composer Richard Einhorn in 1995. In English, not subtitled. (9 min, 1080i).

• Version History - this new video program focuses on the different versions of The Passion of Joan of Arc. In English, not subtitled. (11 min, 1080p).

• Production Design Archive - a collection of archival production stills. Presented with a piano score and some text descriptions in English. (4 min, 1080p).

• Booklet - an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by critic Mark Le Fanu, a 1929 director's statement by Carl Theodor Dreyer, and the full libretto for Voices of Light.

The Passion of Joan of Arc Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The folks at Gaumont that completed this new restoration of Carl Theodor Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc should be very proud of their work because it will likely end up being one of the studio's top projects. Given the nature of the surviving elements, I think that the end result is enormously impressive. Criterion's upcoming Blu-ray release also offers three different scores, including Richard Einhorn's terrific Voices of Light, as well as a great selection of exclusive new and archival supplemental features. A collection cannot possibly be complete without this legendary film, folks, so plan on picking up a copy as soon as possible. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.