Product Details

• Actors: Milla Jovovich, John Malkovich, Rab Affleck, Stéphane Algoud, Edwin Apps
• Directors: Luc Besson
• Writers: Andrew Birkin, Luc Besson
• Producers: Luc Besson, Marc Jenny, Oldrich Mach, Patrice Ledoux
• Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Sony Pictures
• DVD Release Date: April 4, 2000
• Run Time: 148 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (299 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 0767845722
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #8,848 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #98 in

  Movies & TV > Art House & International > European Cinema > France

• For more information about "The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

1999 may be remembered as the year of Joan of Arc: NBC created a miniseries in her honor, Carl Dreyer's long-lost The Passion of Joan of Arc was discovered in a mental hospital, and Facets re-released Jacques Rivette's Joan the Maid. Luc Besson rounds out the corpus with his stylistic and vaguely heretical grand-scale feature, The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc.

Besson (La Femme Nikita, The Fifth Element) challenges established notions about the Maid of Orleans as he creates a decidedly more human heroine than have previous biopics. The story line is the same--a young, illiterate peasant girl convinces the dauphin of France to give her an army, and she leads them to victory in Orleans, only to be burned at the stake for heresy--but Milla Jovovich, in the title role, is a woman possessed. Her influences are less than heavenly; as a child she witnesses the murder of her sister by the English, a death caused by the sister's giving her hiding place to young Joan, which causes an intense desire for revenge. Yes, God still speaks to Joan, but even this is undermined, as Dustin Hoffman, playing The Conscience, questions her motives.

Cinematically, The Messenger is stunning, with fantastical sequences of Joan in communication with higher powers. Yet the graphic violence (scenes include random decapitation and a dog gnawing on a body); the uneven accents, which make it difficult to tell who is fighting on which side; and the rewriting of lore may make this version of Joan of Arc appeal only to Besson fans. Jovovich is convincing, and while at times the film may drag (at times you wish they'd hurry up and burn her), it is a remarkable and insightful retelling of a well-known piece of history. --Jenny Brown

Product Description

Story of the fifteenth-century peasant girl who led a French army to victory against the English, witnessed the crowning of King Charles VII, and was later burned at the stake for witchcraft.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 1-JAN-2007
Media Type: DVD

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars challenge a legend?, February 18, 2003

By	Carol Johnson (New Richmond, WI USA) - See all my reviews

I admit to seeing the made-for-television version of Joan of Arc before viewing this version. If it makes a difference, I also read Mark Twain's "Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc" that previous weekend, regardless of my dislike of Twain's writing style. I admit to thinking of this logical, honest, and energetic historical figure as one of the most fascinating in history. So, after viewing the scewed version called "The Messenger" I am perhaps too biased to speak.
The Joan portrayed in "The Messanger" comes off as tempermental, insecure, and ultimately insane. This is not the Joan that is recorded in history as a kind and forgiving peasant who touched the hearts of thousands by loving them, and who never spoke ill of anyone. This is not the Joan that led fifty intelligent judges in circles of words by answering calmly, consistently, and logically all answers that were intended to lead her to the stake. This is not the Joan who claimed to hear the voices of saints who informed her of events long before they happen. No, this "messenger", in the midst of a cinematic mess, is a horrifying psychotic who doesnot possess the conviction that would make an army wake up let alone fight an imposible war.
I did not like this movie. I leave you to make your own opinion, but consider that Joan of Arc was a seventeen-year-old peasant who claimed to hear heavenly voices, created a vast army and battle tactics that won back much of France, and was burned at the stake as a heretic before being declared a Saint. There are many interptretations of this historical figure, and although I am perhaps biased by my previous exposures, I don't feel that "the messenger" should be one of them.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant filmmaking with a fatal flaw, April 17, 2000

By	"flickjunkie" (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This is a rather irreverent and disturbing look at the life of Saint Joan of Arc. The portrayal of her early life was very good, giving her a sincerity and piety that made the child Joan an attractive character. However, once Milla Jovovich took over as the teen Joan, she became a raving lunatic. Clearly, this was no accident. She and director Luc Besson are husband and wife, and it is obvious that this is their combined interpretation of Joan.

The problem with this portrayal was that Joan was made to be appear so demented that she lost credibility as a believable character. Her belief in her voices was depicted more as mad fanaticism than unshakeable faith. Personally, I have no problem with this interpretation, since I am more apt to believe her voices were the result of an unbalanced psyche than the voice of God. The problem I have is believing that anyone, even in the 15th century, would give an army to someone who is so obviously over the edge. Moreover, it is a stretch to believe that even the most desperate of simple minded men would follow such a character into battle.

If the portrayal were just a little more balanced, with moments of piety, sincerity and lucidity, the viewer and the other characters around her might be justified in saying, `Is she divinely inspired or simply mad?' Only when that question resonates has Joan been portrayed effectively. In this interpretation there was never any question. She was clearly a madwoman. It was almost a relief when they finally did away with her.

That being said, I must say that from a technical standpoint this was a brilliantly directed film. Luc Besson has produced a compelling visual work of art. The opening scenes of young Joan running through the fields were exquisite. The battle carnage was authentically grisly and the action realistic. The costumes were wonderful and the locations and sets well chosen and well crafted. His camera perspectives gave great impact to every scene. His imagary of supernatural events was electrifying. In every regard, other than Joan's character interpretation, this was an inspired work.

Milla Jovovich gave a superb performance as Joan The Mad. Though I don't agree with the interpretation, I can't imagine such insanity delivered any more effectively. She really seemed well suited for a jacket with wrap around sleeves. In every scene she exuded white hot intensity, especially in the battle scenes. Her performance was truly tour de force.

Faye Dunaway was fabulous as the cunning Yolande D'Aragon. She was so nefarious and in control, deliciously evil and conniving.

John Malkovich did an excellent job portraying Charles VII, however he was a bit old for the part. Charles was born in 1403 and met Joan in 1429 at the tender age of 26. Malkovich has trouble passing for 46 (his actual age) no less 26.

Dustin Hoffman's minor role as the conscience was also quite well done. Unfortunately, it lost some effectiveness because he was never really put in context. Was he another of Joan's creations or an actual being? A little defining dialogue would have helped develop his character better.

This is a fine film with a fatal flaw. If the story is to work, Joan must be a beloved heroine. In this portrayal, she does not endear herself to the viewer. Contrarily, she is a disturbing and off-putting character. For this reason I rated it a 7/10, though it easily qualified as a filmmaking 9 or 10.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars My opinion...don't bother...., April 14, 2000

By	goodoldmac "goodoldmac" (Charlotte, North Carolina United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I have seen three films based on the life of Joan of Arc, the Ingrid Bergman film from the late 1940's, the video verison of the recent mini-series and this one, and this is, by far, the worst of the three. Historically, it is a farce, (Joan did in fact have a sister named Catherine, but she was not in any way harmed by the English, in fact, Joan's village apparently only suffered one minor raid during the entire war)...Bishop Cauchon, far from wanting to "save Joan's soul" was the spearhead of the plot to completly discredit her and have her burned. Neither did she sign with an "X"one of her letters to the English garrisons around Orleans still survives in a museum and the signature,Jeanne, which is what she called herself is plain...All period sources agree on how even tempered she was, becoming upset only on very rare occasions. The Joan of this film seems closer to a lunatic than the peasant girl who led an army. I will admit that the costuming is superb, as good as any I have ever seen. Joan's spiritual side in this film is almost non-existent, shown only by her requests to hear Mass during her imprisonment. As it stands, I only give this film two star based on the cimenatography and the costuming...The great "Joan of Arc" film is still to be made....