The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) – C. T. Dreyer

Dreyer's Joan of Arc really is something remarkable -- a fever dream of giant close-ups and emotional displays that maintains a nearly unrelenting intensity throughout its 98 minutes. As critic Noel Burch points out, there are no establishing shots here, we never see the context in full (as in your usual silent or Hollywood production) and instead we must imagine the various settings (courtroom, prison, torture chamber, the stake). This minimalism only serves to heighten the film's power -- and it never flinches even as Joan (played amazingly by Falconetti) is burnt at the stake.