God is dead, but faith lasts forever

Adonis 2021-12-20 08:01:15

"The question and answer between the judge and Joan is clearly recorded. After reading it, we will find a real Joan, a simple and humane young woman who died for her country without her armor." This A seemingly religious film, the narrative at the beginning has a completely different meaning. The whole passage does not involve the concept of God at all. Instead, it focuses on a single word, namely "human nature". , Is the "belief" in human nature. Hundreds of years have passed. The image of Joan of Arc has long been mythological. She is a national hero in France and a goddess in people’s mouth. But it’s ridiculous that such a Catholic saint with strong religious significance was used for political purposes. Burned to death for religious reasons. This fact makes people wonder: Religion is so absurd from some angles, but does God really exist? It can be said that at least in this film, the role of God is completely absent, and the close-up shots are very clear and human faces. In the first half of the film, what we see is just a poor image of Joan, full of despair, faced with a series of absurd questions, and, in contrast, the laughter, mercilessness of most of the judges around him. indifferent. The atmosphere of extreme despair makes people unable to catch a trace of the existence of God. And this despair reached its peak as the three soldiers ridiculed and played with Joan in the middle of the film. The saint in people's mouth was being insulted like an ordinary prisoner of war, an ordinary woman. The crown that she herself regarded as a sacred symbol is now reduced to a plaything on the sword in the hands of the soldier. When the only outside light on the floor was also blocked by the shameless judge, all the divinities disappeared at this moment. In addition, except for a few overhead shots in the film, most of the angles of view are from the overhead shots, in other words, they all belong to the perspective that cannot belong to God. However, when God seems to be no longer there, facing the persecution of power, as an individual, there is no way, that's not the case. "The real redemption is not the victory after fighting, but the strength and peace of mind that can be found in the midst of suffering." So we saw in the second half of the film that the cringing, weak Joan was gone, replaced by a pair of firm eyes, an unyielding response, and a soul full of faith. "I love and respect God with all my heart" "He claimed that I was sent by the devil" "That's not true" "In order to make me suffer, the devil sent you" "With you" "And you" this A retort, with all her strength, sent out to the judges. However, this power does not come from the dead God, but from her, from a person's inner belief that cannot be broken. At this time, it doesn't matter who the object of the belief is. What's more important is that this belief and the power it carries is completely exploded from a person's heart and heart after that object has long been shattered. Although Joan had wavered in the face of the upcoming fire, it was the saint and the indelible faith that were burned in the fire in the end. The director then showed the scene in which the French people were inspired by Joan of Arc's actions and immediately began to fight with soldiers, simply concretizing this power. Since the two industrial revolutions, human beings have shouted the slogan that God is dead against the background of rapid advances in science and technology, but what has followed is the fall of the souls of generations after generations, and the human spirit seems to be left behind after God is gone. A huge gap was created, and then a lot of greed and evil left behind by the rapid development of material civilization were added to the series of things that filled this gap. Maybe God is dead, or not, but what mankind really lacks at this moment is not just a vain and unknown power, but more importantly, belief, or belief itself. Finally, the position of this film in film history is also commendable. Although the use of a large number of close-up shots is a manifestation of the director's personal style, the winning is because the theme of the movie is very compatible with it. This film with almost no plot focuses more on the portrayal of the characters, and the close-up shot becomes the optimal solution for this purpose under these conditions. In addition, there is a very important point. The film was shot in 1928. At this time, the sound film was only born a year ago and has not yet been popularized. Instead of relying on the dialogue presented by the sound, the audience’s attention is completely focused on the picture itself, the superb performance of the characters + the extensive use of close-up shots + the clear editing (the front and back contrast or the corresponding combination of pictures are used multiple times in the film to accentuate Emotional rendering) + the contrast of the piano music score, which together constitute the performance effect of this shadow history. I have to say that this is an art that only belongs to the silent era. The film fully embodies the unique charm of the film as a "dumb art", and truly achieves the so-called "silent is better than the sound" effect. "When the flame rises to the sky, it swallows the soul of Joan of Arc, and her heart has become the heart of France. Joan will be remembered and cherished by the French people forever."

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Extended Reading
  • Hayden 2021-12-20 08:01:15

    The works ahead of the aesthetics of silent films, the king's work with super close-ups, the use of translation mirrors, and the minimalist setting have a huge impact on later French films (mainly the works of Godard and Bresson), but none of this can be done. Oconneti's shocking face didn't work. Like Karina in "As You Like It", I turned off the soundtrack and watched the work. All the emotions and contradictions were written on that face, which was absolutely great.

  • Shanon 2022-04-22 07:01:32

    I don't think I will ever forget Fao Connetti's depressed and painful face, even though she has made this film all her life, which is enough.

The Passion of Joan of Arc quotes

  • Juge: Has God promised you things?

    Jeanne d'Arc: That has nothing to do with this trial!

  • Jeanne d'Arc: You claim that I am sent by the Devil. It's not true. To make me suffer, the Devil has sent you... and you... and you... and you.