Robert Bresson's
Le Procès de Jeanne d'Arc is a minimalistic
tour-de-force.
The lack of music, the close camera-work, the spare dialogue, all emphasize feelings
of claustrophobia. The script is taken from transcripts of the actual trial of
Joan of
Arc, in the original French, of course. One gets a sense of the profound faith of this
peasant girl who led the armies of
France to victory over the English. Under intense scrutiny and interrogation, Joan
maintains composure and despite a temporary retraction of her words, she shows
remarkable courage in the face of death and condemnation.
Because the movie is very historically accurate, the viewer is treated to pretty accurate
glimpse of what this historical period was actually like. Plus, watching black and white subtitled French flicks just automatically earns you mad intellectual snob points. I recommend it highly.