I recently had the opportunity to see: THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC at Cinematheque Ontario. It is a beautifully shot silent film produced in France in 1928, directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer and stars Renée Jeanne Falconetti. Toronto got a piano accompaniment, whilst Winnipeg, Manitoba enjoyed 48 musicians and 44 singers performing "Voices of Light": an oratorio by contemporary American composer Richard Einhorn. While I enjoyed the piano version, I was jealous of Winnipeg's orchestra and voice accompaniment. I wish Toronto would organize more events like that.The film is based on the trial records of Joan of Arc. What especially stood out was the film's camera-work and emphasis on the actors' facial features that were purposely without makeup. The newly developed panchromatic film captured the actors expressions beautifully. Renée Jeanne Falconetti's portrayal of Joan is widely considered one of the most astonishing performances ever committed to film, and became her final cinematic role. Dreyer's method of directing his actors, pushed Falconetti to emotional collapse.
A masterpiece found! The original version of the film was lost for decades after a fire destroyed the master negative. Dreyer himself attempted to reassemble a version from out-takes and surviving prints, but he died, sadly believing his original cut was lost forever. In one of the most important discoveries in cinema history, a virtually complete print of Dreyer's original version was found in 1981 in a janitor's closet of an Oslo mental institution. This version is now available on DVD (and on the big screen, if you are so lucky)
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