Customer Reviews

Saint Joan (1957) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Spain ]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Director Otto Preminger's stab at the George Bernard Shaw play was pilloried for the miscasting of Jean Seberg in the title role, but she's hardly the sole reason why this well-intentioned film version doesn't work. Richard Widmark gives one of his silliest screen performances as the Dauphin, and many of the smaller roles are quite hammily portrayed as well.

Still, this VHS version does include a very well-made behind-the-scenes featurette (for once, you don't have to have a DVD player to enjoy this sort of extra). SAINT JOAN is still worth seeing, if only to appreciate how much more confident an actress Seberg would become in BONJOUR TRISTESSE (also directed by Preminger) and, of course, in Godard's BREATHLESS.

(And if you're a fan of this movie or of Seberg in general, don't miss Mark Rappaport's amazing un-documentary FROM THE JOURNALS OF JEAN SEBERG.)

Otto Preminger's stagy retelling of the Joan of Arc history/legend was pilloried on its release, and Jean Seberg's performance roasted (no pun intended). Seen today, the film is a stylized, often uneven, but worthwhile experience. Seberg is rough around the edges, but contrary to popular myth, isn't the shameful embarrassment critics made her out to be. Much worse is Richard Widmark's Dauphin, a cringe-worthy contribution to an otherwise stately, literate, and entertaining adaptation of the George Bernard Shaw play. The movie feels much like a television production from the same era: the crispness of the black and white images and the curiously flat nature of the settings and costumes mark it as something less than the typical fifties wide-screen epic, and something more than the typical "Playhouse 90" offerings of the period. Fans of Seberg will want to see the film: this edition is from the "Warner Archive" DVD releases, and as such is given the bare-bones treatment: no commentaries, no "making of" features, and a print that appears cropped from the original (Cinemascope?) version seen in theaters. I've had some playable issues with other Warner Archive editions: this DVD played well on three players, without skipping or stopping. No masterpiece, but time has been kind to the film, and to Seberg's contribution. Interesting to compare this version to the silent, Dreyer version, and the oddball Technicolor Victor Fleming film (1948), with a too-old Ingrid Bergman. Joan's story is filled with contradictions, betrayals, and turnabouts, and this film version recreates most of them in a compelling, stylized, and sometimes clumsy way. Should you buy the DVD? Well, not if you've been holding out for a special edition with commentaries and documentaries, but the print is clean, and this may be the only way to see Preminger's film for a while.

When Jean Seberg starred in Saint Joan, her first movie, the critics gave her thoroughly negative reviews. Being that this was her first movie and that Otto Preminger was a very demanding and harsh director to work with, I would have thought that the critics and the public would have been more sympathetic. I decided to view this movie with curiosity and some trepidation. I was pleasantly surprised. I believe Ms. Seberg did a very good job, considering she had no experience in movies. The fault I found with this picture was the script. I found it to be rather silly and immature, considering the subject matter.

I would recommend this movie to any Jean Seberg fan.

Saint Joan premiered in London on May 26, 1924. Written by Irish playwright, George Bernard Shaw, Saint Joan was adapted to film by Graham Greene. Otto Preminger directed and produced this film in 1957. Saint Joan was actress Jean Seberg's first movie; she was 17 years old then probably the same age as Jeanne D'arc herself when her unpaid career began in the French military.

Joan of Arc died in Rouen, France in Normandy on May 30, 1431. She was burned at the stake.

This movie is one of my all time favorite Christian flicks. I'm no movie critic; I just love good stories and look more for content/value than anything else. This movie is incredible, makes me want to reread Dickens's Tale of Two Cities. I prefer this version of Joan of Arc over any others out there. Bernard Shaw's play by itself is a classic. It's a story that left me pondering over the involvement of various churches and governments in war, particularly, in this tale, the Catholic church and English government. The impoverished, over-taxed French peasant class rallied round Joan at the siege of Orleans, her ill-clad compatriots scrambling over walls and ditches to fight the English. Makes me wonder why the church or state sometimes creates the conditions, e.g. oppression and poverty, which lead to war in the first place. It's definitely something to think about this Easter season, not to mention in an election year.

Otto Preminger's "Saint Joan" was based upon George Bernard Shaw's play and adapted by Graham Greene and is indeed flawed but must be remembered for the highlights it does hold. His discovery after a much publicized search for a leading lady and the finding of Jean Seberg who is a stellar Joan. Others in the cast, John Gielgud, Richard Todd, Anton Walbrook, Harry Andrews and Richard Widmark (the critical lambasting he received is less that it doesn't work as he is integral to Otto's movie version) are fine. The times the movie seems inept (except for the costumes which look uncomfortable), the movie makes up for in genuinely rich vision. Otto keeps his love for Shaw's play in earnest. The fact that poor Jean Seberg was nearly seriously burnt when the initial igniting of the fires during her scene of being burned at the stake is again evidence of the hard work and impressive debut she gave. The music by Mischa Spoliansky is complementary and Saul Bass's titles are again a work of genius. But Otto the showman, (producer and director) (as a director Otto was always efficient, usually bringing in his pictures nearly under budget) provides another classic to a career of consistently fine films. It is my favorite depiction of St. Joan's story. (Mark Twain's "Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc" is another although unfilmed). I wish Otto were alive and working still. The Warner Archive DVD is as usual an excellent edition and well worth it.

My technical experience with this DVD is best described as that of bitter disappointment. The DVD misfunctioned in my DVD player. I ordered a replacement and the dysfunction was the same. The video skipped and stalled. I cannot understand how Warner Brothers Classics could issue such a product. Also there exists a VHS version which has the MAKING OF JOAN OF ARC as a trailer. I wonder why this format was not duplicated for the DVD version.

The film and the subject matter is great. The technical quality of the DVD is bitterly poor, diappointing.

There have been many adaptations of the story of Joan Of Arc in film thru out the years from the sublime (Carl Dreyer's PASSIONE DE JEANNE D'ARC) to the ridiculous (Luc Besson's THE MESSENGER). Otto Preminger's film of the George Bernard Shaw play doesn't attempt to expand or rejuvenate or take a revisionist view of the historic Joan as we know her. Shaw's play suggests that Joan's trial was more political than religious (not exactly an earth shattering theory) and Preminger's narrative follows, like the play, a straight forward line with very few concessions to cinema. Poor Jean Seberg whose performance as Joan as been much maligned and truth to tell, one can see her struggling terribly with the part which is beyond her abilities but she brings a genuine (meaning unactressy) simplicity to the part that is refreshing enough that you find yourself rooting for her. A horribly miscast Richard Widmark gives what may be his one bad performance but the other actors are quite good: John Gielgud, Richard Todd, Anton Walbrook, Harry Andrews and Felix Aylmer. There's a moving underscore courtesy of Mischa Spoliansky.

The Warners Archive MOD is a good looking wide screen (1.85) transfer

There have been many films about Joan of Arc starting as early as 1899 by pioneer film inventor George Melies and including the silent film "The Passion" (1928) and the Ingrid Bergman 1948 film "Joan of Arc". "Saint Joan" (1957) followed, and then "The Trail of Joan of Arc" (1962), Luc Besson's "The Messenger" (1999), and a 1999 TV movie.

This film was based on George Bernard Shaw's 1924 play of the same name, inspired by the Catholic Church's canonization of Joan as a Saint. Jeanne d'Arc (1412-31) was a peasant girl who claimed divine guidance and lead the French army to several victories in the 100 Years War, then was burned at the stake as a witch.

Jean Seberg (1938-79) plays Joan in this film. Joan has been played by action star Milla Jovovich (1999), Helen Hunt lookalike Leelee Sobieski (1999), and Ingrid Bergman (1948). Bergman was 33 years old when she played the 17 year old maid. Jovovich was 24 and Leelee Sobieski was only 17. Seberg was 19.

This was Seberg's film debut. She followed it with "Bonjour Tristesse" (1958) and "Breathless" (1960) and went on to make almost 40 films the most famous of which was "Paint Your Wagon" (1969).

The film was directed by Otto Preminger from a Graham Greene screenplay, and in addition to Seberg stars Richard Widmark, Richard Todd, John Gielgud, and Harry Andrews.

Rugged Richard Widmark (1914-2008) was an excellent actor, nominated for an Oscar and winner of a Golden Globe for his debut film ("Kiss of Death", 1947) and also nominated for an Emmy for "Vanished" (1971). Widmark appeared in more than 50 films, initially as a villain but increasing as a hero. He was a staple in Westerns - "The Last Wagon" (1956), "Warlock" (1959), "Two Rode Together" (1961), "Cheyenne Autumn" (1964), "Death of a Gunfighter" (1969), and "Once Upon a Texas Train" (1988). In this film he takes on a completely different persona as The Dauphin, and does quite well.

John Gielgud (1904-2000) is one of the finest British actors and one of the few actors to win an Oscar ("Arthur", 1918), Emmy ("Ages of Man", 1966), Grammy ("Ages of Man", 1979), and Tony ("Importance of Being Earnest", 1948). Gielgud plays the Earl of Warwick.

Handsome Richard Todd (1919-2009) was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe for "The Hasty Heart" (1949) but he's probably better known for his roles as Robin Hood (1952) and Rob Roy (1953). He plays the Bastard of Orleans.

The ever popular Harry Andrews (1911-89) appeared in more than 100 films often playing a British role. He's best remembered for his role opposite Sean Connery in "The Hill" (1965) that earned him a BAFTA Best Actor nomination, but he also gave us great performances as Bramante in "The Agony and the Ecstasy" (1965), the 13th Earl in "The Ruling Class" (1972), and Mackintosh in "The MacKintosh Man" (1973). Andrews plays a priest.

The film was directed by Otto Preminger (1905-86). In a 5 decade career he made 41 films, was nominated for an Oscar 3 times ("Laura", "Anatomy of a Murder", "The Cardinal") and a Palme d'Or 3 times ("Carmen Jones", "Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon", "Advise and Consent").

Graham Greene (1904-91) was an English author who specialized in Catholic themes in films like "Brighton Rock" and "The Power and the Glory". His screenplays include "The Third Man" (1949), "Our Man in Havana" (1959), and "The Comedians" (1967).

The top grossing films in 1957 were "Bridge on the River Kwai", "Peyton Place", "Sayonara", "Old Yeller", and "Raintree County". The big Oscar winners were "Kwai" (Picture, Director, Actor) and "Sayonara" (Actor, Supporting Actress). Other notable films released that year include "Three Faces of Eve", "Pal Joey", "Funny Face", and "Witness for the Prosecution".

The NY Times called it a "largely placid and undramatic theatrical exercise". This is due in large part to trimming the 3+ hour Shaw play down to half its length. But it's also caused by the fact that plays do not necessarily translate that well to the big screen, and this is particularly true when we expect battle scenes. Moreover, the film is shot more like as TV movie than a film, with lots of heads shots and 2 shots and focus on talking heads.

FWIW - the burning scene at the end of the film went awry and Seberg actually gets burned. So what you see here is not acting. Needless to say this is her best scene.

There really isn't much to see here unless you're a big fan of Shaw's plays, or unless the idea of seeing Richard Widmark as a faltering half wit intrigues you.