Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Bessie Smyth Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Stephanie There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Raymond Sierra The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Mary Sue Lyons I saw this film along with numerous other Bresson films being shown at the National Gallery of Art in DC. In this film the English characters speak English and the French characters speak French. I knew little about Joan of Arc and was expecting it not to be one of my favorites. I was blown away by the way it brought Joan and her tragic experiences to life. It and Diary of a Country Priest were my favorites. I had the advantage to talk to a gentleman who teaches a course on Great Trials of the World who gave me background including how well this uneducated girl was able to handle the questions at the trial, how Bresson was faithful to George Bernard Shaw's play based on transcripts from the trial, etc. The emotional power of Joan of Arc's trial in this film is truly amazing. It should be available on Netflix for all to see.

m-vinteuil Robert Bresson apparently detested Carl Dreyer's Jeanne d'Arc Passion play, La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc, for "grotesque buffooneries", and one would also assume, overt melodrama. With a such a prompt dismissal, Bresson acted as though the 1928 silent film never existed. And with a cast of non-thespians dusted off Jeanne's trial transcripts for a subdued and downplayed retread. As melodrama would seem fitting the story of a young woman imprisoned and confronted with the omnipresent threat of torture, rape and execution, Bresson felt that the French national icon was instead stoic and self-assured of moral victory.In the performances there is little to give away character thought processes and motivations, particularly from the English actors playing the guards. The additions to the script now have protagonists stating aloud what they intend to do next. And whether it was on Bresson's insistence to avoid melodrama, or the non-professional nature of the cast, those on screen come across as incredibly wooden and lifeless.Florence Delay as Jeanne delivers the historic lines without feeling or inflection. To use a gauche comparison, Milla Jovovich whilst not giving a better performance in the same role, at least gave A performance. In between court appearances Delay literally has nothing to do but sit on her bed with her hands on her knees. No contemplation, or conversations with God. Whereas Renée Falconetti suffered regular torment from the guards, and had the weaving of a symbolic crown of straw to occupy herself in Dreyer's opus, Delay simply sits still, shuffles between sets, and reads her lines. Everything of course leading to the stake. However, in giving Jeanne self-awareness and fundamentally robbing her of innocence, the burning is anticlimactic.Bresson's stark minimalism is unbefitting such a reenactment. The film as a whole suffers from early '60s cinematic conventions, and can not avoid unfavourable comparisons with Dreyer's original, which is widely regarded as a masterpiece. Procès is not simply sub par in the realm of Jeanne films, it is also a blight on the prolific career of Robert Bresson.

Marcin Kukuczka Joan of Arc, also known to some as the Maid of Orleans, is one of the historical figures that really attracted and still attracts lots of film makers. It is probably because of her exceptional genius and specific controversy: on the one hand, the political heroine of France leading her country to battles and victories; on the other hand, a saint so much ahead of her times that the Holy Mother Church found her to be a witch, a heretic. The question arises: how is it that a "witch - daughter of darkness, object of disgust" becomes a "saint - daughter of light, object of praise" As a result, there have been various movie interpretations of her phenomenon, from the emotional and dramatic masterpiece interpretation THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC (1928) to some linear biopics and TV series. This one, a movie-documentary made by Robert Bresson is the most unique version.The whole film, which lasts for slightly more than 1 hour, is a very detailed insight into, as the title suggests, the process of Joan of Arc, the prosecution with the judgment already passed on heretic-saint. There are not many emotions in the movie, it is rather a script chain of questions and answers going from the testimony of her mother at the beginning to the final words of Joan just before her horrible death. There is even hardly any musical score. The cast include mostly non professionals. In that case, someone may say that the movie is not impressive to watch... However, spreading such opinion would harm the film very severely. Why? Knowing at least a bit the story of Joan, this film provides a viewer with insightful atmosphere and a very unusual way of character development. After about 10 minutes of watching, you feel absorbed in the whole action, you feel as if a witness of a trial - historic prosecution. The tension of questions and answers supplies you with the development of the events in Joan's life. Since here, we do not get any biopic linearly developed whatsoever, we get Joan's words and reaction and on the bases of that, we get to know her. The content is built upon accusation-defense. For instance, the director mentioned one of the strongest accusations against Joan which was the doubt about her chastity. Although women prove the fact of her virginity, some wretched people send the English soldiers to deprive her of that virtue... Another clearly presented problem is the alleged argument that Joan has entirely rejected the ecclesiastical authorities. Therefore, we get a very clear picture of the events, of intentions, of corruption that famous bishop Cauchon and other Inquisitors committed themselves to.Since the movie is very wordy, its style reflects much a documentary and the cast contain lots of non professionals, there is not much talk of the performances. If anyone here is memorable, this is Florence Delay in the lead. Of course, you cannot compare her to Maria Falconetti's Joan from the 1928 version (this was truly a masterwork), but in terms of lower expectations, Ms Delay does a fine job. Her best moments include the scenes we can see her through a peephole praying (we see her the way her prosecutors watched her) and, obviously, the scene of her death. For me, there was a short but wonderful moment when she says to the bishop: "Beware the Last Jugdment!" Nevertheless, as I have already said before, everything, even the camera, is managed in such a way that any viewer observes the main character being one among the audience. Robert Bresson and Florence Delay invite us to develop that view, our own view of the events. To empathy, we are led only at the final minutes of the film when we get, for instance, the memorable closeup of Joan's bare feet walking towards the stake.All in all, the time spent on watching this film is not a waste at all. It is a very good film but it requires one thing: the right attitude to interpret the intentions of the director and all people who took part in its production. If you expect some emotional tearjerker or a good action film, or even an epic, this one will surely fail to be your cup of tea. It is a historical trial, a true judgment on the saint brought to screen. 8/10Just a thought...how is it possible that a group of "pious men" sentenced a saint to death? The answer seems to be simple: all of them knew the Gospel but none lived according to it. The final images of the film, fortunately, make us realize the victory of goodness that should be the greatest dream of every human.

moonspinner55 French filmmaker Robert Bresson used the actual transcripts from the trial of Jeanne d'Arc in order to reveal her character through her words in these final days. Bresson keeps leading actress Florence Carrez, a non-professional as are the others in the cast, speaking in a forthright monotone, without much vocal inflection or facial exaggeration in order for the viewer to concentrate solely on her words. His film is intentionally without scope (and has very little exposition) and some may find the cut-and-dried handling a bit pedestrian. Certainly it was financed on a minimal-budget, and some of the players are stilted, but the film's compact running time of 68 minutes works to Bresson's advantage: he's able to get right to the heart of things, and he leaves us with a haunting climax. That said, there were three things I didn't care for: the musical intro is so severe for an opening that it may provoke an indifferent response (the matching closer is less irritating); Joan seems to have a believer in one of the priests at her trial (he sends her subtle signals) but this isn't explained (which may again be intentional); and barefoot Joan's geisha-like quick steps leading up to the gallows are peculiar--was it her decision not to walk with shoes, and was the ground so hot she had to practically dance to her death? **1/2 from ****