Joan of Arc | |
---|---|
Directed by | Victor Fleming |
Screenplay by | Maxwell Anderson Andrew Solt |
Based on | Joan of Lorraine by Maxwell Anderson |
Produced by | Walter Wanger |
Starring | Ingrid Bergman |
Cinematography | Joseph Valentine |
Edited by | Frank Sullivan |
Music by | Hugo Friedhofer |
Color process | Technicolor |
Production company | Sierra Pictures |
Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
Release dates | |
Running time | 145 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $4.6 million [2] |
Box office | $6 million (rentals) [3] [4] |
Joan of Arc is a 1948 American hagiographic epic film directed by Victor Fleming, and starring Ingrid Bergman as the eponymous French religious icon and war heroine. It was produced by Walter Wanger and is based on Maxwell Anderson's successful Broadway play Joan of Lorraine , which also starred Bergman, and was adapted for the screen by Anderson himself, in collaboration with Andrew Solt. It is the only film of an Anderson play for which the author wrote the film script (at least partially). It is the last film Fleming directed before his death in 1949.
Unlike the play Joan of Lorraine, which is a drama that shows how the story of Joan affects a group of actors who are performing it, the film is a straightforward recounting of the life of the French heroine. It begins with an obviously painted shot of the inside of a basilica with a shaft of light, possibly descending from heaven, shining down from the ceiling, and a solemn off-screen voice pronouncing the canonization of the Maid of Orleans. Then, the opening page of what appears to be a church manuscript recounting Joan's life in Latin is shown on the screen, while some uncredited voiceover narration by actor Shepperd Strudwick sets up the tale. The actual story of Joan then begins, from the time she becomes convinced that she has been divinely called to save France to her being burnt at the stake at the hands of the English and the Burgundians.
At Domrémy, Joan's Birthplace in Lorraine, December 1428
At Vaucouleurs, February 1429
The Court of Charles VII at Chinon, March 1429
The Army at the Battle of Orléans, May 1429
The Enemy
The Trial at Rouen, February 21 to May 30, 1431
Uncredited
Joan of Arc was made in 1947–1948 by an independent company, Sierra Pictures, created especially for this production, and not to be confused with the production company with the same name that made mostly silent films.
Filming began on September 16, 1947 [5] and was done primarily at Hal Roach Studios, with location scenes shot in the Los Angeles area.
The 1948 Sierra Pictures never produced another film after Joan of Arc.
Bergman had been lobbying to play Joan for many years, and this film was considered a dream project for her. It received mixed reviews and lower-than-expected box office, though it clearly was not a "financial disaster" as is often claimed. Donald Spoto, in a biography of Ingrid Bergman, even claims that "the critics' denunciations notwithstanding, the film earned back its investment with a sturdy profit". [6]
The movie is considered by some to mark the start of a low period in the actress's career that lasted until she made Anastasia in 1956. In April 1949, five months after the release of the film, and before it had gone out on general release, the revelation of Bergman's extramarital relationship with Italian director Roberto Rossellini brought her American screen career to a temporary halt. The nearly two-and-a-half-hour film was drastically edited for its general release, and was not restored to its original length for nearly 50 years.
Bergman and co-star José Ferrer (making his first film appearance and playing the Dauphin) [7] received Academy Award nominations for their performances. The film was director Victor Fleming's last project—he died only two months after its release.
In Michael Sragow's 2008 biography of the director, he claims that Fleming, who was, according to Sragrow, romantically involved with Ingrid Bergman at the time, was deeply unhappy with the finished product, and even wept upon seeing it for the first time. [8] Sragrow speculates that the disappointment of the failed relationship and the failure of the film may have led to Fleming's fatal heart attack, but there is no real evidence to support this. While contemporary critics may have agreed with Fleming's assessment of Joan of Arc, more recent reviewers of the restored complete version on DVD have not. [9] [10] [11] [12]
The movie was first released on November 11, 1948 by RKO. When the film was shortened for its general release on September 2, 1950 with 45 minutes being cut out; it was distributed, not by RKO, but by a company called Balboa Film Distributors, the same company which re-released Alfred Hitchcock's Under Capricorn , also starring Ingrid Bergman.
The complete 145 minute version of Joan of Arc remained unseen in the U.S. for about 49 years. Although the complete Technicolor negatives remained in storage in Hollywood, the original soundtrack was thought to be lost. The movie was restored in 1998 after an uncut print in mint condition was found in Europe, containing the only known copy of the complete soundtrack. When it finally appeared on DVD, the restored complete version was hailed by online movie critics as being much superior to the edited version. It was released on DVD in 2004.
The edited version received its first television showing on the evening of April 12, 1968 (an Easter weekend), and has been shown on Ted Turner's WTCG and on cable several times. The full-length version was shown on Turner Classic Movies on March 13, 2011. This marked the first time that the complete unedited version had ever been shown on American television.
There are several differences between the full-length roadshow version of the film and the edited general release version.
The edited version might be considered more cinematic through its use of maps and voice-over narration to explain the political situation in France. (In the full-length version, Joan's family discusses the political situation during dinner.) The full-length version, although not presented as a play-within-a-play, as the stage version was, nevertheless resembles a stage-to-film adaptation, makes great use of Maxwell Anderson's original dialogue, and may seem, to some, stagy in its method of presentation, despite having a realistic depiction of the Siege of Orléans.
One of the frequent criticisms of the film is that Bergman, who was 33 at the time she made the movie, was nearly twice as old as the real Joan of Arc was at the time of the events dramatized. Bergman went on, at age 39, to play Joan again in the 1954 Italian film Giovanna d'Arco al rogo (Joan at the Stake).
Several contemporary critics criticized the film for being slow-paced and dialogue-driven. [13] [14] Contemporary critic Leonard Maltin—who had not reviewed the full-length version—writes in his 2009 movie guide that there is "not enough spectacle to balance the talky sequences". [15]
According to RKO records, the film earned $2,525,000 in theater rentals from the United States and Canada and $3,500,000 elsewhere. [3] [4] However, because of high cost it recorded a loss of $2,480,436. [2]
Award | Nominee(s) | Result |
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Best Actress | Ingrid Bergman [16] | Nominated |
Best Supporting Actor | José Ferrer | Nominated |
Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (color) | Richard Day, Edwin Casey Roberts, Joseph Kish | Nominated |
Best Cinematography (color) | Joseph Valentine, William V. Skall, Winton C. Hoch | Won |
Best Costume Design (color) | Barbara Karinska, Dorothy Jeakins | Won |
Best Film Editing | Frank Sullivan | Nominated |
Best Score, Dramatic or Comedy Picture | Hugo Friedhofer | Nominated |
Honorary Award* | Walter Wanger | Won |
*"for distinguished service to the industry in adding to its moral stature in the world community by his production of the picture Joan of Arc." (Wanger refused the award in protest of the film's absence in the Best Picture category.) |
Joan of Arc is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronation of Charles VII of France during the Hundred Years' War. Claiming to be acting under divine guidance, she became a military leader who transcended gender roles and gained recognition as a savior of France.
Ingrid Bergman was a Swedish actress. With a career spanning five decades, Bergman is often regarded as one of the most influential screen figures in cinematic history. She won numerous accolades, including three Academy Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, four Golden Globe Awards, BAFTA Award, and a Volpi Cup. She is one of only four actresses to have received at least three acting Academy Awards. In 1999, the American Film Institute recognised Bergman as the fourth greatest female screen legend of Classic Hollywood Cinema.
Victor Lonzo Fleming was an American film director, cinematographer, and producer. His most popular films were Gone with the Wind, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Director, and The Wizard of Oz. Fleming has those same two films listed in the top 10 of the American Film Institute's 2007 AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies list.
The Passion of Joan of Arc is a 1928 French silent historical film based on the actual record of the trial of Joan of Arc. The film was directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer and stars Renée Jeanne Falconetti as Joan. It is widely regarded as a landmark of cinema, especially for its production, Dreyer's direction and Falconetti's performance, which is often listed as one of the finest in cinema history. The film summarizes the time that Joan of Arc was a captive of England, depicting her trial and execution.
Étienne de Vignolles, Sieur de Montmorillon, Chatelain de Longueville, also known as La Hire, was a French military commander during the Hundred Years' War.
Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher is a mystère lyrique, or sung mystery play, by Paul Claudel with music by Arthur Honegger. Commissioned by Ida Rubinstein, it was written in 1935, premiered in 1938 and published in 1947 after rounds of minor revisions that extended into 1944. Claudel narrates Joan of Arc's last minutes of life with flashbacks to her trial and younger days. His poème of eleven scenes and a prologue is the work's backbone, with key scenes spoken, but the music, particularly the choral writing, is generally considered its strength, despite Honegger's avowal that he had merely put his services “at the disposal of” the poet. Claudel's frame gave Honegger a space between Heaven and Earth, past and present, for mixing styles and using musical tools — monody, harmony and counterpoint — to build sculpted blocks of sound. One detail of his score is its part for ondes martenot, an early electronic instrument played at the premiere by its inventor Maurice Martenot. The mystère lyrique lasts about 75 minutes.
Joan of Arc is a 1900 French silent film directed by Georges Méliès, based on the life of Joan of Arc.
Robert de Baudricourt, Seigneur de Baudricourt, Blaise, Buxy and Sorcy was a minor figure of 15th century French nobility. The son of the Chamberlain of the Duke of Bar, his principal claim to fame is to have been the first stepping stone to the noble life of Joan of Arc.
Joan of Arc has inspired artistic and cultural works for nearly six centuries. The following lists cover various media to include items of historic interest, enduring works of high art, and recent representations in popular culture. The entries represent portrayals that a reader has a reasonable chance of encountering rather than a complete catalog. Lesser known works, particularly from early periods, are not included. In this article, many of the excluded items are derivative of better known representations. For instance, Friedrich Schiller's 1801 play The Maid of Orleans inspired at least 82 different dramatic works during the nineteenth century, and Verdi's and Tchaikovsky's operatic adaptations are still recorded and performed. Most of the others survive only in research libraries. As another example, in 1894, Émile Huet listed over 400 plays and musical works about Joan of Arc. Despite a great deal of scholarly interest in Joan of Arc, no complete list of artistic works about her exists, although a 1989 doctoral dissertation did identify all relevant films including ones for which no copy survives.
Stromboli, also known as Stromboli, Land of God, is a 1950 Italian-American film directed by Roberto Rossellini and starring Ingrid Bergman. The drama is considered a classic example of Italian neorealism.
Isabelle Romée, also known as Isabelle de Vouthon and Isabelle d'Arc (1377–1458) and Ysabeau Romee, was the mother of Joan of Arc. She grew up in Vouthon-Bas and later married Jacques d'Arc. The couple moved to Domrémy, where they owned a farm consisting of about 50 acres (200,000 m2) of land. After their daughter's famous exploits in 1429, the family was granted noble status by Charles VII in December of that year. Isabelle moved to Orléans in 1440 after her husband's death and received a pension from the city. She petitioned Pope Nicholas V to reopen the court case that had convicted Joan of heresy, and then, in her seventies, addressed the opening session of the appellate trial at Notre Dame cathedral in Paris. The appeals court overturned Joan's conviction on 7 July 1456. Isabelle died two years later, probably at Sandillon near Orléans.
Joan of Arc is a 1999 Canadian two-part television miniseries about the 15th-century Catholic saint of the same name. The miniseries stars Leelee Sobieski as Saint Joan. A joint production of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Alliance Atlantis Communications, it was shown internationally in 1999.
Arch of Triumph is a 1948 American romantic war drama film directed by Lewis Milestone and starring Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer, and Charles Laughton. It is based on the 1945 novel Arch of Triumph by Erich Maria Remarque, which he wrote during his nine-year exile in the United States.
Joan of Arc at the Stake is a 1954 Italian film directed by Roberto Rossellini and starring his wife Ingrid Bergman, which is based on a live performance in December 1953 at the San Carlo Theatre in Naples of the oratorio Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher by Paul Claudel and Arthur Honegger. It was filmed using a color process called Gevacolor.
Jean d'Aulon (1390–1458) was a French knight and lord best known for serving alongside Jeanne d'Arc as her soldier, steward, bodyguard, and squire. Some sources incorrectly attribute the role of d'Arc's bodyguard to Gilles de Rais. d'Aulon was an avid and detailed journaler and his records, considered to be honest and straightforward, set the foundation for what we know about Jeanne d'Arc, including her apparent amenorrhea.
Jacquesd'Arc was a farmer from Domrémy, France, who was the father of the French military leader and Catholic saint Joan of Arc. D'Arc is most known for being an influence on his daughter Joan's life, developing her leadership abilities through his example as a local government and military leader as well as restricting her ambitions with his controlling behaviour that resulted in a strained relationship between them.
Jean de Metz was a French nobleman who is known primarily for his role in the exploits of Joan of Arc.
Lionel-Noël Royer was a French painter. He was most famous for painting large scenes of the life of Joan of Arc in the Basilica of Bois-Chenu in Domrémy.
The Miracle of the Bells is a 1948 American drama film directed by Irving Pichel, written by Quentin Reynolds and Ben Hecht, and produced by RKO. It stars Fred MacMurray, Alida Valli, Frank Sinatra and Lee J. Cobb.
Andrew Peter Solt was a Hungarian-born Hollywood screenwriter for film and television. Born as Endre Peter Strausz, he began his career as a playwright in Budapest. Solt is best known for writing the screenplay for In a Lonely Place (1950), a critically acclaimed film noir directed by Nicholas Ray and starring Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Grahame. The film is on the Time magazine "All-Time 100 Movies" list of greatest films since 1923. In 2007, it was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."