Joan of Arc (1948)

“[after seeing a soldier perish in flames during battle] Death by fire is a horrible thing. ” – Joan of Arc

Number of Times Seen – 1 (6 Jan 2019)

Brief Synopsis – A young girl helps rally the French troops during their war against England when she hears a calling from God to intervene.

My Take on it – This is a film that I had heard of beforehand but never had the chance to see.

They are able to give us a very interesting and believable version of the story of Joan of Arc and that has much to do with the lead performance by Ingrid Bergman who does a wonderful job depicting the famous historical figure.

The way the story plays out is shown quite well and we get to learn about the various politics involved at the time that moved things in a certain direction.

The way that Joan of Arc is depicted is great and we can believe the calling that she had n order to help save her countrymen and the various repercussions of those actions during the war with England.

Bergman was deservingly nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress for her performance here because it seems so believable.

Jose Ferrer also stands out here in the role of Charles VII, the King of France and he was also nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal here.

Th problem here is that the way the story is told since lacks a truly epic feeling which gives the impression that something is slightly missing from the story.

Bottom Line – Very interesting version of the epic story of the calling that Joan of Arc had and the repercussions of her choice to lead the French troops during the War with England. Bergman is great in the lead and plays the character quite believably. She was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress for her portrayal of this historic figure. Ferrer also stands out as the French King and he too was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his performance here. The story unfortunately doesn’t feel as epic as it should and something seems slightly missing along the way. Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – The first film to receive 7 Academy Award nominations without receiving a Best Picture nomination. (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy (7/10)