Expression of Joan of Arc (India Lott)

 

               The Passion of Joan of Arc is a silent film from the 1920’s. It depicts the last days of the character and her death, and is one of the most intensely shot films I have ever seen. A lot of the shots are a closeup of someone’s face, with only a few full body shots in the beginning, where she is brought in for a trial, and towards the end, when Joan is burnt alive at the stake. To me, this is a film built around expression.

This film for me is built around facial expressions, because we are so close, and we spend so much time reading the faces of each character. Sometimes it is very overt, such as when the monk is being taken away after calling Joan a saint. Other times, the emotion or action that directs the movie is subtle. There are shots that are very quick, or show some little nod or twitch that turns out to be very important. 

The acting is incredible—there is so much happening just in the expressions, and at times in just one little part of the face a whole range of human emotion is captured. Joan in particular is intense. The actress can portray a feeling with only her eyes, and you can always feel her fear or elation. It drives the action, as the other actors react to this.  

I feel that facial expression and body language are hugely important to silent films in particular, especially ones like this that do not give a full account of what is said. Reading the motions of the actor becomes very important. For me, the two silent films we have watched took some getting used to because of the necessity of reading body language and connecting the dots. I feel that though there is overt emotion in this film, it is easy to get turned around. 

Because we are mostly looking at faces, I feel like the sense of place is sometimes hard to grasp. It can seem claustrophobic and where we are is somewhat confusing at times, especially when being questioned. This is a deliberate choice, and I believe focuses on the characters and their expression more pointedly. The majority of the film is spent reading the faces of the actors. Joan’s passion, shown through her emotion, and the passion of those who are trying and killing her, are the driving forces behind the film.

Comments

  1. Campbell LozuawayNovember 19, 2021 at 3:19 PM

    "To me, this is a film built around expression."

    Great thought.

    As someone who is typically focused on narrative, this made me stutter step and reconsider the movie. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Krishnan VenkateshNovember 26, 2021 at 8:50 PM

    Very perceptive piece. Thinking about Mr. L-M's reply above, I wonder how much of our lives' narratives is IN expression, not in whole bodies. If we could read faces better, we might get a more accurate read on what is really happening around us. Bodily movement is less subtle, more dramatic, more performative -- but in people's faces there is something that is impossible to hide.

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