Joan of Arc (movie, 1999)

Joan of Arc (or La Messagère: The Story of Joan of Arc in Quebec ) is a historical Franco – Czech film written and directed by Luc Besson , released in 1999 .

Synopsis

The young Joan of Arc is a pious child, devout, loved and happy in the small village of Domremy in the Duchy of Lorraine until a detachment of English soldiers looted, massacred and burned the village and the villagers. Jeanne’s beloved sister hides her in a closet and makes a bulwark of her body. Jeanne is then the witness horrified, paralyzed, impotent and traumatized for life of the massacre of this sister whom she adores, disemboweled with a blow of sword then raped against the door of the cupboard by an avowed English soldier under the glance of his accomplices seated. A visceral disgust of the English settles then in his soul. She struggles to make sense of things and distinguish between this traumatic ordeal, her fertile imagination, her conscience, her inner discourses, her drives of revenge, her love of God and men, the messages of the Bible and her visions . All convinces her that God charges her to drive the English out of France and to have the Dauphin Charles VII King of France crowned in the Cathedral of Reims .

His communicative determination is enough to galvanize the armies and the vassal lords of the King of France and to drive the British out of France . The Capetian house of Valois takes advantage of the notoriety of Joan of Arc to legitimize in a divine way the coronation of the dolphin Charles VII , unify France and get rid of the English , before abandoning this heroine become embarrassing. It will be left to the Burgundians who will deem heretic and then sell it to the English .

Then begins the trial. Joan of Arc is alone and doubtful about certain episodes of her life: are they coincidences hazardous that she has confused with signs of God? The English burn it alive thein the public square of the Vieux-Marché in Rouen .

Technical sheet

Unless otherwise stated or supplemented, the information mentioned in this section can be confirmed by the IMDb database .

  • Original title: Joan of Arc
  • International title: Joan of Arc
  • American title: The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc
  • Québec title: The Messagère: The Story of Joan of Arc 1
  • Director: Luc Besson
  • Scenario: Luc Besson and Andrew Birkin
  • Sets: Hugues Tissandier
  • Costumes: Catherine Leterrier
  • Digital visual effects: Duboi
  • Hairdresser: Fabio Campora
  • Photography: Thierry Arbogast
  • Editing: Sylvie Landra
  • Music: Eric Serra
  • Production: Patrice Ledoux
  • Production Companies: Gaumont , EuropaCorp (under the name Leeloo Productions), Okko Productions
  • Distribution Company: Gaumont Buena Vista International (France)
  • Budget: 390 million to CHF 2
  • Country of origin: France and Czech Republic
  • Original languages: English and Latin
  • Genre: History
  • Release dates 1 :
    •  United States : ( preview )
    •  Belgium , France , Switzerland :
    •  United States :
  • All public movie with warning when it is released in France .

Distribution

  • Milla Jovovich (VF: Barbara Kelsch ) : Joan of Arc
  • Dustin Hoffman (VF: Feodor Atkine ) : The consciousness of Joan of Arc
  • Faye Dunaway (VF: Martine Chevalier ) : Yolande of Aragon
  • John Malkovich (VF: Aurélien Recoing ) : Charles VII of France
  • Cheky Karyo (VF: himself ) : Jean de Dunois
  • Vincent Cassel (VF: himself ) : Gilles de Rais
  • Pascal Greggory (VF: himself ) : the Duke of Alençon
  • Desmond Harrington (VF: Rémi Bichet ) : Jean d’Aulon
  • Richard Ridings (VF: Étienne Chicot ) : The Hire
  • Tara Römer (VF: himself ) : Gamaches
  • Tonio Descanvelle (VF: himself ) : Xaintrailles
  • Vincent Regan (VF: Eric Herson-Macarel ) : Buck
  • Toby Jones : an English judge
  • Gérard Krawczyk : a father at the coronation
  • Timothy West (VF: Roger Planchon ) : Pierre Cauchon
  • Jane Valentine (VF: Jeanne Lorach ) : Jeanne, child
  • Joanne Greenwood : Catherine
  • Gina McKee : The Duchess of Bedford
  • Bruce Byron : Jeanne’s father
  • Raspberry Gommendy : Jeanne’s mother
  • Christian Erickson : The Tremoille
  • Michael Jenn (VF: Thibault de Montalembert ) : The Duke of Burgundy
  • David Bailie : an English judge
  • David Barber : an English judge
  • Timothy Bateson : an English judge
  • Dominic Borrelli : an English judge
  • Philip Philmar : an English judge
  • Brian Poyser : an English judge
  • Ralph Riach : an English judge
  • Peter Whitfield : an English judge
  • Rab Affleck : a companion
  • Stéphane Algoud : a watchman
  • Edwin Apps : Bishop of Rouen
  • Richard Leaf : the young conscience
  • Philippe du Janerand : Dijon
  • Olivier Rabourdin : Richemont
  • Tat Whalley : Raymond
  • Quentin Ogier : Louis
  • Carl McCrystal : Glasdale
  • Andrew Birkin : John Talbot
  • Paul Brooke : the priest of Domremy
  • David Gant : The Duke of Bedford
  • Tony D’Amario : the Mayor of Compiegne
  • Robert Goodman : Blackbeard
  • Joe Sheridan : canon
  • Jacques Herlin : the priest of Orleans
  • Timothee Grimblat : the child consciousness
  • John Merrick : Regnault of Chartres
  • Joseph Malerba : a guard of Beaurevoir
  • Vincent Tulli : a doctor from Orléans
  • Jean-Pierre Gos : Laxart
  • Mélanie Page : a girl in the bath
  • Julie-Anne Roth : a girl in the bath

Production

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Development

The project was originally developed by director Kathryn Bigelow , who had been researching for years and was working on a screenplay with Jay Cocks . The film was then titled Company of Angels . Luc Besson had joined the project as an executive producer, and had a look at the casting of the lead role. It was at the end of a conflict on this subject that Besson, who wanted to impose Milla Jovovich to play Jeanne, took the project and the scenario on his own to make his own film. Bigelow filed suit against Besson, and the matter resolved amicably 3 .

Besson chose to make English the main language of his film: “In 1431, Paris has been under English rule for 80 years, Parisians have spoken English for three generations, like half of France (…). As for Jeanne, she speaks a Lorraine dialect (…). So, on this film precisely, I find that the battle of the tongue is a total nonsense. What is important is that we can understand the film and understand his emotion, strength 4 . ”

It should be noted that the remark of Luc Besson is false: at that time, it is the Anglo-Norman who is spoken on the other side of the Channel, in particular by the English aristocracy. English only emerges gradually from the XIV thcentury in the English public life and it is hard to imagine half the French population of that time taking English in less than a century.

Casting

Luc Besson finds Milla Jovovich, his companion at the time, he had directed in the Fifth Element . As for Cheky Karyo , he had already shot in Nikita , released in 1990 .

Shooting

The shooting took place between the Dordogne , Sees in the Orne and the Czech Republic ( Bruntál , Cheb , Razova) 5 . After the first week, a Czech stuntman died in an accident on the set, which greatly affected the mood of the shoot 3 .

The castle of Beynac served, partly, of decoration for this film. The coronation scene of the King of France at the Notre-Dame de Reims Cathedral was shot in Notre-Dame de Sées Cathedral .

Jan Kounen and Mathieu Kassovitz , partners of Luc Besson on the B12K company, attended the shooting of the film and contributed to the shooting of battle scenes 4 and some shots inside the cathedral during the coronation.

Music

Joan of Arc
Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Soundtrack of Eric Serra
Exit
duration 64:15 6
Kind movie soundtrack
Composer Eric Serra
Label Sony Music Entertainment
Critical

AllMusic 6

The music of the film is composed by Éric Serra , who signs here his th collaboration with Luc Besson , after L’Avant-dernier (1981), Le Dernier Combat (1983), Subway (1985), Le Grand Bleu (1988), Nikita (1990), Atlantis (1991), Leon (1994) and The Fifth Element (1997). Most of the songs are performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and Metro Voices.

List of titles
o title Author (s) duration
1. Talk to Him 2:31
2. A Sword in a Field 0:49
3. Joan and the Wolves 1:17
4. Burying Our Children 1:31
5. No Amen 1:54
6. At One With You 1:11
7. Chinon 1:06
8. Yolande 1:39
9. The Messenger of God 2:45
10. Find Him 1:21
11. Secrets of a Wind Strange 4:53
12. To the King of England 1:34
13. Sent By God 0:59
14. Procession to Orleans 1:32
15. Recrossing the River 2:16
16. The Tourelles 4:12
17. The Hire’s Lucky Charm 1:51
18. To Arms 5:59
19. Armaturam Dei 3:19
20. The Miracle of Orleans 2:00
21. Rex Coronatur 2:50
22. Trial Sébastien Cortella & Eric Serra 3:37
23. Anger and Confession 2:05
24. answer me 1:15
25. The Repentance 2:51
26. Angelus in Medio Igneous 2:16
27. My Heart Calling (performed by Eric Serra featuring Noa ) 4:23

Output

Critic

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In France , the film has a total average rating 3.7 / 5 with 15 press reviews identified 7 . On the positive side, Gwen Douguet writes in Le Figaroscope that Luc Besson “had fun playing with History, without much rushing, filmed with a sharp look, with insight, often mastery. Inflated Luke! Talented too » 7 . Criticism of the Parisian highlights the “fascinating beauty of Milla Jovovich” stating that “the Joan of Arc Luc Besson lacks neither truth, nor aplomb, nor modernity” 7 . Didier Péron de Libération thinks it’s a”Strangely insightful film on disappointed desire in its excess” 7 . In Première , Jean-Yves Katelan finds that “Besson appears here more mature” , while L’Obs emphasizes an “energetic mise en scène” 7 .

As for the negative French critics, we find that the site Chronic’art , in which one can read such “While it tries to pump Braveheart for Mel Gibson , Besson does nothing other than Disney” 7 . On Fluctuat.net , Jonathan Lecarpentier thinks that Luc Besson “has completely missed out on his subject which seemed (in view of the last part) promising” 7 .

Box office

Country or region Box Office Box office shutdown date Number of weeks
 United States Canada $ 14,276,317 8 9 9
 rest of the world $ 52,700,000 8
 World $ 66,976,317 8
 la France 2,991,860 entries 10 11 10 11

Distinctions

Source: Internet Movie Database 12

Awards

  • César 2000 : best costumes for Catherine Leterrier and best sound for Vincent Tulli , François Groult and Bruno Tarrière
  • Lumières Award 2000 : best film and best director for Luc Besson
  • Motion Picture Sound Editors 2000: Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing of a Foreign Film

Appointments

  • Golden Trailer Awards 1999: the most original trailer
  • César 2000 : best film , best photography for Thierry Arbogast , best director for Luc Besson , best editing for Sylvie Landra , best music for Éric Serra and best decor for Hugues Tissandier
  • Las Vegas Movie Critics Society 2000: Best Sets for Hugues Tissandier and Best Costumes for Catherine Leterrier
  • Razzie Awards 2000 : worst actress for Milla Jovovich

See also

Bibliography

  • Luc Besson , The Story of Joan of Arc , Intervista, coll.  “Adventure and discovery of a movie”,, 225 p. ( ISBN 2-910753-08-5 ).
  • Olivier Bouzy , ” The filmmaker and his audience, Joan of Arc and the historian ,” Bulletin of the Friends of the Center Joan of Arc , Orleans, Joan of Arc Center, o 23,p.  3-27.
  • Olivier Bouzy , “Filmography” , in Philippe Contamine , Olivier Bouzy and Xavier Hélary , Joan of Arc. History and dictionary , Paris, Robert Laffont, coll.  “Bouquins”,, 1214 p. ( ISBN 978-2-221-10929-8 ) , p.  1153-1165.
  • Hervé Dumont , Joan of Arc, of history on screen: cinema & television , Paris / Lausanne, Favre / Cinémathèque suisse,, 173 p. ( ISBN 978-2-8289-1270-3 ).
  • Françoise Michaud-Fréjaville , ” Cinema, history: the theme” Johannine “ ” Medieval Research Papers Orleans / Paris, MECC / Honoré Champion, o 12 “A city, a destiny: Orleans and Joan of Arc. In tribute to Françoise Michaud-Fréjaville “,p.  285-300 ( read online  [ archive ] ).

Related Articles

  • Cinematographic works inspired by Joan of Arc .
    • Jeanne la Pucelle (1994) by Jacques Rivette with Sandrine Bonnaire .
    • Trial of Joan of Arc (1962) by Robert Bresson whose dialogues are faithfully transcribed from the minutes of the trial of 1431.
    • Joan of Arc (1999), TV movie directed by Christian Duguay with Leelee Sobieski , Jacqueline Bisset and Powers Boothe .

External links

  • (in) Joan of Arc [ archive ] on the Internet Movie Database
  • Joan of Arc [ archive ] on Allociné

Notes and references

  1. ↑ a and b (en) Release dates [ archive ] on the Internet Movie Database
  2. ↑ (en) Business [ archive ] on the Internet Movie Database
  3. ↑ a and b Michel Holtz, ” The big blues “, Liberation , ( read online  [ archive ] )
  4. ↑ a and b Secrets of filming ”  [ archive ] , on AlloCiné (accessed August 4, 2014 ) .
  5. ↑ (en) Filming locations [ archive ] on the Internet Movie Database
  6. ↑ a and b (in) Eric Serra – Joan of Arc (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) ”  [ archive ] , on AllMusic .com (accessed4 August 2014 ) .
  7. ↑ a , b , c , d , e , f and g Joan of Arc press reviews ”  [ archive ] , on AlloCiné (accessed August 4, 2014 ) .
  8. ↑ a , b and c (in) The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc ”  [ archive ] , Box Office Mojo (accessed August 4, 2014 ) .
  9. ↑ a and b (in) The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc – weekly ”  [ archive ] , on Box Office Mojo (accessedAugust 4, 2014 ) .
  10. ↑ ” Box office Jeanne d’Arc ”  [ archive ] , on JP’s box office (accessed August 4, 2014 ) .
  11. ↑ a and b Box office Jeanne d’Arc – France ”  [ archive ] , on JP’s box office (accessed August 4, 2014 ) .
  12. ↑ (in) Distinctions [ archive ] on the Internet Movie Database

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