#21 The Passion of Joan of Arc (Dreyer) at BAMPFA
This was the first silent film I've seen and I wasn't sure what to expect (beside maybe boredom) but I was blown away. This is one of the most intense and deeply affecting pictures I've ever seen.
Renée Falconetti plays the titular role in Carl Theodor Dreyer's retelling of the 15th-century trial and execution of Joan of Arc based on the actual court record. Taking place after her capture during the Hundred Years War, Joan faces an inquisition by French-Burgundy clergymen. Throughout the trial they try to get Joan to admit that she was not sent by God, but was being guided by the devil. They deceive her, blackmail her, and threaten to torture her before she signs the confession. Shortly after, she withdraws her confession realizing that she would rather die than betray God. As she is burned at the stake, a riot breaks out by distraught witnesses who claim she is a saint.
This film is 81 minutes long and features almost 1,500 shots, which results in a dynamically paced film. Not what you would expect from a picture made in 1927 largely comprised of extreme closeups of faces. But Falconetti... what a face! She gives a timeliness and expressive performance, often cited as one of the best in film history.
There is no original definitive score, leading to several notable, distinct musical interpretations, including the most popular version which is a choral composition called "Voices of Light." My mom and I saw a version that featured live piano accompaniment of a minimalist score by MieWe. (I guess there is an modern interpretation by Portishead and Goldfrapp, too.)Fun fact: The original print of the film negative was lost in a fire in Berlin (then Dreyer made a second cut with left over footage but that was destroyed in another fire!), but in 1981 a copy of the first print was found in a mental hospital outside of Oslo. And that's the version we watch today.