Carl Dreyer’s La Passion De Jeanne D’Arc and Mixed Messages

La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc or The Passion of Joan of Arc for English viewers is the non-fictional account of Joan of Arc on trial before an English magistrate. The film deals centrally with Joan of Arc's trial, while skipping many of her heroic accomplishments she performed for the French people and for Charles the VII, the King of France. Shot in black and white La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc is one of the final silent films shot in Europe and Norwegian director Carl Dreyer's approach to filmmaking highlights the anguish of this iconic character while likely eliciting a similar response in the audience. Dreyer's film is also important for incorporating realism into its narrative by using a script based on historical records. However, problems develop with Dreyer's late message of martyrdom in relation to this principal character. The message is delivered in an oblique fashion. A film's message can unify scenes and the film in general through the use of theme, with symbolism one of the film's vehicles to display the central message of the film. The inclusion of a unifying message in La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc is missing or ignored to the detriment of the film. Thus, through camera techniques and symbolism Dreyer is showing Joan of Arc to be a martyr. Dreyer's themes of martyrdom are only conveyed in the final scenes through the use of symbolism and titles; as well, the many instances of symbolism display differing and possibly conflicting messages and its use is secondary to the action on screen; as well, the use of symbolism and their meanings can be lost on the viewer in all the frenetic and chaotic action, or because of the lack of historical context used by Dreyer in the film.

In the final scenes of La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc Dreyer uses tracking and wide angle shots to follow doves flying high above Joan of Arc's funeral pyre; these doves fly above the action serenely as if a soul has been released (or is soon to be released). Doves are also filmed with a static shot or stationary shot from length as they move about another crucifix high above the crowds below. They appear here as if angels watching over Joan of Arc. The camera also suggests they are viewing the horrifying events below. Later, Dreyer captures a crucifix surrounded in smoke, housed in a darkened shot. The crucifix appears to be burning itself as the smoke is shown in the foreground and the crucifix is in the backdrop. Meanwhile, Joan of Arc's body smoulders on in the following scene. In these shots, it would seem that Dreyer is also showing how Catholicism is burning along with Joan of Arc. There is one more scene involving symbolism in the final scenes of the feature that is similar to the one mentioned above. A final shot shows a third crucifix with flames in the foreground and to the right of the frame. The flames almost look superimposed, or having one image cover a second, onto the crucifix in another acting of burning. This final symbol again shows how Joan of Arc's burning is also consuming the Catholic Church on a more metaphorical level. Each of these scenes are held for only a few seconds, but their dramatic impact is most effective for showing how a message can be interwoven into scenes involving horrifying action, as in Joan of Arc's final moments.

The film was a success amongst French audiences but there was a mixed reception of La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc amongst critics. As noted in Charles O'Brien's review, the film was seen as a rebellion against the studio based narrative films of Hollywood (3). O'Brien's comments show how France was discovering a style of its own in theatre. As well, the film rejected certain visual styles often seen in Hollywood: "critics in France located the film's transgressions in an abandonment of a painterly aesthetic" (O'Brien, 3). Dreyer's realist and austere approach to filmmaking was obviously creating waves amongst film critics. While banned in Britain for its portrayals of British soldiers (O'Brien, 4), this film was welcomed amongst French audiences and across the Atlantic in the United States. Dreyer would use La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc as his calling card to produce many more films in London, Vienna, Germany and other countries to award winning acclaim. This feature would also incite moderate nationalistic fervor and contrast other films dealing with this subject matter including Marco de Gastyne's La Merveilleuse Vie de Jeanne d'Arc.

There are elements within Dreyer's La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc regarding the film's message which are slightly convoluted. The placement of Dreyer's message of martyrdom exclusively at the end of the film is a strange choice; Dreyer's inclusion of symbols, representing the injustices of the Catholic Church and of Joan of Arc's transcendence to heaven or spiritual protection, appear only in the final frames of the picture. Previously there is a general lack of symbolism in the film or even of a unifying message. The Catholic Church and the magistrate are shown behaving poorly in previous scenes, but there are no clues to show the spiritual protection of Joan of Arc as seen in the film's final frames. To create a convincing argument, Dreyer needed to present his message earlier in the film to fully convince audiences that a higher power was on the side of Joan of Arc and against the Catholic Church. Instead, the use of symbols, while evocative and meaningful, seems to come too late to be convincing and the unity of the film's message suffers.

As well, there is very little historical context portrayed in La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc to show what a prominent and important character Joan of Arc was to the French people. Also, there is very little attention given to Joan of Arc's military exploits in the narrative. She is simply seen as a blasphemer (Indieflix). While the French nationalistic film La Merveilleuse Vie de Jeanne d'Arc incorporated famous battles in which Joan of Arc took part e.g. the battle of Orleans (O'Brien, 16), there are no such scenes within La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc. Also La Merveilleuse Vie de Jeanne d'Arc was well received for its historical accuracy and use of complex battle scenes: "Poincare commissioned four regiments of the French Army to serve as extras in crows" (O'Brien, 7). This led La Merveilleuse Vie de Jeanne d'Arc to be seen as more than just a film, but more of a cultural phenomenon. Much of this film's success came from showing Joan of Arc's triumphs on the battlefields of France, where her exploits can almost be seen as being spiritually supported. Therefore, it becomes difficult to associate Joan of Arc with martyrdom despite her graphic death by fire, because her triumphs are not shown in the film. She is not shown in a place of power from which to fall from. Joan of Arc is thus only identified with being a prisoner and of being vulnerable to the magistrate's sense of justice. To incorporate a more telling narrative, Dreyer could have used Eisenstein's practice of using montage, where opposing forces could have been shown on the battlefield to create a later synthesis or satisfying resolution to these scenes of conflict (Cook, 148). While there is much opposition between Joan of Arc and magistrate in the court scenes, Dreyer needed to show Joan of Arc in a place of strength and position to balance out the court's overbearing power throughout much of the film. Dreyer`s portrayal of Joan of Arc in earlier parts of the film does not set up his later message of a spiritual presence in the final scenes of the film.

Dreyer truly changes filmmaking techniques in the final scenes of La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc and this can make his use of symbolism and the subsequent message almost indecipherable. Early in the film Dreyer uses very brightly lit white backgrounds to highlight the emotion on actress Maria Falconetti's face. Her anguish is obvious. As well, close-ups and static shots, where the camera is held in place also emphasize the drama on screen. As noted by Tony Pipolo in his analysis of La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc, Dreyer uses the "concept of frame" and "enclosed space" to heighten the drama of the film (308). These filmmaking techniques undergo a change during the film's finale. In the climax, static shots are replaced by tracking shots, where the doves are followed by the camera. The camera is also mounted on props in the film including a canon. These techniques further draw the viewer into the exciting action as noticed by Pipolo: "[Dreyer's] [m]ovements of figures within the frame, camera movements, and the duration of shots all take on a gravity almost unequalled in any other filmmaker's work" (309). Nowhere are these excellent filmmaking techniques more prevalent than in the climax of Dreyer's film. However, this change of pace can be disconcerting and unsettling as the viewer tries to adjust to the new narrative style. This transition to a more frenetic style of filmmaking can also gloss over some of the late messages housed within the film. As well, the discomfort of seeing Joan of Arc set afire and burning to death means that the film's message takes second place to the visual horrors on screen. Simply put, drama trumps the message of the film. The final title clues the viewer into the film's message: "Joan's soul rose to heaven," (Indieflix) but this message is tacked on in the titles and almost completely unseen in all the chaotic action.

Finally, even the messages delivered by the symbols seen in frame can be confusing or contradictory. The appearance of doves does seem to symbolize Joan's transcendence to heaven, or supernatural protection from above, while the burning crosses show a second, dismissing message involving the Catholic Church. The inclusion of a cohesive message between all the instances of symbolism could have further helped develop the film's message or at least made the message more clear. The instances of symbolism in the feature do involve a religious context to Dreyer's credit. However, images of a baby drinking from a mother's breast and other images break up any unity in the symbolism and the message therein. More shots of smoke drifting heavenward with an arc shot, or a circular shot, could have solidified the visual message more strongly to symbolize Joan of Arc's final ascent to heaven. As it is, the symbolism is breathtaking, but not always immediately understood. Only after several viewings does Dreyer and writer Joseph Delteil's message start to come through to the detriment of the film.

There is no doubt that Dreyer's film is unique in its approach to filmmaking and visually satisfying overall. Its positive reception amongst audiences shows how well understood and enjoyed the film actually was. As well, La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc is full of anguish and the film is emotionally engaging to its credit. Yet, the film's unifying message of martyrdom and of Joan of Arc's ascendance to heaven is not clearly seen in the finale and this message is totally absent from the earlier portions of the film. The opportunity to unify the film through themes of martyrdom or of spiritual involvement is lost in one of Dreyer's early, experimental films. Also, the message is subtle and possibly even contradictory at times. The final titles deliver the message directly, but the inclusion of a more indirect message, which is equally important, could have further heightened the film's drama, intensity and psychological affect. A film's message unifies the storytelling in cinema, which helps to understand a filmmaker's point of view in regards to a historical situation or to film in general. In La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc, Dreyer's final message is confusing and contradictory likely due to Dreyer's focus on the visual frame. There is a break up or inconsistency of the mise en scène between the early scenes of the film and the latter ones. This means that the film's message is secondary and this also means that Dreyer's approach to storytelling is jarring and unsettling, which captures well the moments of Joan of Arc's trial, but this style also makes the film seem divisive and less impactful than it could have been.

Works Cited

Cook, David A. A History of Narrative Film. 4th ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2003. 1-684. Print.

Falconetti, Maria, perf. La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc . Dir. Carl Dreyer. Indieflix, 1928. Film.

O'Brien, Charles. "Rethinking National Cinema: Dreyer's "La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc" and the Academic Aesthetic." Cinema Journal 35.4 Aug. . Web. 25 Oct. 2011.

Pipolo, Tony. "The Spectre of "Joan of Arc": Textual Variations in the Key Prints of Carl Dreyer's Film." Film History 2.4 Dec. (1988): 301-24. Web. 25 Oct. 2011.