The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

Spine #: 62

Legendary director Carl Th. Dreyer’s silent epic completely caught me off guard and blew my mind. I've heard an endless amount of praise for this film over the years but put off viewing it assuming it was just another important yet prehistoric, dragged out, bland silent film with no depth or feeling to it whatsoever.. Boy was I wrong.

 Renée Falconetti as Joan of Arc is considered to be one of the greatest (if not THE) greatest performance ever captured on film and I couldn't agree more. I 100% bought every tear she cried and every look of emotion she held during the film, never have I seen an actress give a more convincing and gripping performance.

To me, the most powerful scene in the film is one that can be seen in Godard's film; Vivre sa vie (1962). Godard pays homage by having The Passion of Joan of Arc playing during a scene in a theatre, it is when Joan finds out how she will be executed and its incredible.

Without question:

IMDB: ********** 10/10

Netflix: ***** 5/5