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The Trial of Joan of Arc

Screening on Film
Directed by Robert Bresson.
With Florence Delay, Jean-Claude Fourneau, Roger Honora.
France, 1962, 16mm, black & white, 57 min.
French with English subtitles.

D is for Divine Intervention

Robert Bresson chronicles the final days in the life of Joan of Arc in a matter-of-fact, ritualistic interpretation of this legendary tale. Like Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc, the film is based on the actual transcripts from the trial. Lacking the emotional intensity of the great Falconetti, Florence Delay provides a far more sober reading of Joan, quietly struggling with both the demands of her church and her spiritual calling. In his direct, repetitious machinations, Bresson captures the cold voyeuristic spectacle of his heroine which continues to fascinate viewers.

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