Dear Joan of Arc, Message Received
November 29th 2009 03:09
Thankfully, the holidays have given me some down time to snuggle up with my Netflix. I just finished watching, The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc. A whopping 2 hours and 30 minutes spent on this epic history. And overall, I have to say, I wouldn't watch it again, nor would I recommend it to you.
I knew nothing about Joan of Arc going into this film. And I was hoping to get a female equivalent of Mel Gibson in Braveheart, and by that I mean, I thought I would see a warrior victorious. But instead, I got a woman in the middle of the battlefield. Although, Joan of Arc may have dressed the part of a man, director Luc Besson never depicted her or Milla Jovovich who played Joan, as anything but a fragile woman. (The Messenger also stars John Malkovich as Charles VII.)
She cries on the battle field, "Now let all those who love me... follow me!" I understand Besson uses that line later in the film to show Joan's ego, but it could have been worded better to still show vanity and not romantic intimacy. There were too many intimate moments where the military commanders' bodies and faces are too close to Joan's. There is clearly no division of authority and respect. It always reminded the viewer that she was a woman, not an intimidating, authoritative messenger from God.
The fighting scenes were also weak. Too often did it look like people were just standing around. But maybe I'm being too critical on a movie from 1999. I'm sure blocking and fighting choreography has been greatly approved upon in the last decade with the rise of mainstream Asian martial art films.
The ending was fairly enjoyable--when she questions her commitment to God (I wasn't t sold on the choice of Dustin Hoffman in the role of Joan's conscience, he stood out like a sore thumb) and when we see the corruptibility of government and religion. On a side note, I'm curious as to why Besson did not include the rape of Joan in the prison--which is factual, but did include the rape of her dead mother in the beginning of the film? Of course, Joan never loses her faith, in the film, and 500 years later she is canonized, so all of Joan's suffering is justified in the end.
Again, I wouldn't recommend this film, but I would wholeheartedly support another director's attempt at the story.
Below, the French movie poster for the film, which interestingly shows the movie's title as Joan of Arc. The U.S. movie title is: The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc. Apparently, Joan of Arc wasn't a strong enough name to carry a movie in the U.S.? I wonder if it's because she's a woman or a historical figure or both?
I knew nothing about Joan of Arc going into this film. And I was hoping to get a female equivalent of Mel Gibson in Braveheart, and by that I mean, I thought I would see a warrior victorious. But instead, I got a woman in the middle of the battlefield. Although, Joan of Arc may have dressed the part of a man, director Luc Besson never depicted her or Milla Jovovich who played Joan, as anything but a fragile woman. (The Messenger also stars John Malkovich as Charles VII.)
She cries on the battle field, "Now let all those who love me... follow me!" I understand Besson uses that line later in the film to show Joan's ego, but it could have been worded better to still show vanity and not romantic intimacy. There were too many intimate moments where the military commanders' bodies and faces are too close to Joan's. There is clearly no division of authority and respect. It always reminded the viewer that she was a woman, not an intimidating, authoritative messenger from God.
The fighting scenes were also weak. Too often did it look like people were just standing around. But maybe I'm being too critical on a movie from 1999. I'm sure blocking and fighting choreography has been greatly approved upon in the last decade with the rise of mainstream Asian martial art films.
The ending was fairly enjoyable--when she questions her commitment to God (I wasn't t sold on the choice of Dustin Hoffman in the role of Joan's conscience, he stood out like a sore thumb) and when we see the corruptibility of government and religion. On a side note, I'm curious as to why Besson did not include the rape of Joan in the prison--which is factual, but did include the rape of her dead mother in the beginning of the film? Of course, Joan never loses her faith, in the film, and 500 years later she is canonized, so all of Joan's suffering is justified in the end.
Again, I wouldn't recommend this film, but I would wholeheartedly support another director's attempt at the story.
Below, the French movie poster for the film, which interestingly shows the movie's title as Joan of Arc. The U.S. movie title is: The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc. Apparently, Joan of Arc wasn't a strong enough name to carry a movie in the U.S.? I wonder if it's because she's a woman or a historical figure or both?
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