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The Trial of Joan d’Arc: Film Review

Film Review: Proces de Jeanne D’Arc by Tejvan

“…they do not order me to disobey the Church, but God must be served first.” – Joan d’Arc at her trial.

Joan-of-Arc

Directed by Robert Bresson the trial of Joan of Arc is a fascinating perspective of the show trial of, Joanne d’Arc, the patron saint of France. The striking feature of the film is its simplicity. There is nothing staged for dramatic or emotional effect. Bresson adds nothing to complicate or distract from the essence of this extraordinary trial. Bresson leaves it to the power of the words and the austere setting to create a thought provoking and very realistic account of this fascinating trial. The simplicity and power of the film comes from Robert Bresson’s decision to remain as faithful as possible to the exact transcript of the trial. By good fortune, all of Jeanne’s questions and answers were written down. From these extracts, and her later rehabilitation trial 25 years after her death, Bresson is able to deliver a realistic and compelling insight into the final moments and inner thoughts of Jeanne d’Arc. As with many of his other films, Robert Bresson chose not to use professional actors. He believed that real actors often hide behind their stage personae. When watching a great actor, he feels that, sometimes we struggle to separate the actor from the character. Bresson felt by using non professional actors it would help them to get at the heart of the character, unencumbered by previous roles. In this film, Florence Delay, who provides a performance of great dignity and intensity, played the lead character of Jeanne D’arc. Florence manages to capture Jeanne’s quixotic mix of gentleness, spirituality and, on occasions, a forceful insolence to the questioning of her interrogators. The performance gives a revealing insight into the intrepid, and resolute character of Jeanne. Yet despite her bravery and courage, the trial was obviously a severely testing time; she has no counsel or sympathisers. The simple black and white shots of her room, chains and interrogators give an unsentimental portrayal of her darkest hours. For example, in one scene, we see a brick thrown through her window. In a sense of desperation Jeanne replies: “Where are my people? Why have they deserted me?”

(Jeanne was betrayed by King Charles II, who she helped gain the throne. He never attempted to rescue her. ) Throughout the film we get a glimpse into the life of a Saint, but with the very real human qualities of fear and desperation; it is a powerful combination. The drama of the film comes from the intense battle of wits between Bishop Cauchon and Jeanne d’arc. Jeanne speaks on her mystical experiences with neither hesitation nor fear. It expresses a remarkable confidence and sincerity. “I believed it at once, and I had the will to believe it. When Saint Michael came to me, he said to me: ‘Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret will come to thee; follow their counsel; they have been chosen to guide thee and counsel thee in all that you have to do: believe what they shall tell thee, it is the order of Our Lord.’ ”

At other times we see her sincere pride in her leadership and mission: “Which did you care for most, your banner or your sword?” (interrogators) “Better, forty times better, my banner than my sword!” (Jeanne d’Arc)

We see Jeanne portrayed not as a romanticised Saint, but as a real person, aware of a very specific mission, but on the other hand aware she also displays a genuine humility. “I do not know if it be the Will of God. Without the grace of God I should not know how to do anything.” (Jeanne)

It is also worth briefly mentioning the role of Bishop Chaucon whom Jeanne D’Arc refers to as my chief enemy) In previous films, he is portrayed in a very unflattering light; this film shows him in a more sympathetic light. Whilst not excusing his actions, we do get to understand his mindset which lead him to such a course of action. It seems Bishop Chaucon sincerely felt he had a divine duty to save the immortal Soul of Jeanne d’Arc. Throughout the film the powerful academics and church hierarchy endeavour to make Jeanne d’Arc submit to the will of the Church. Many times they ask her, “Will you submit to the authority of the Church.?

The answer of Joan, which sticks vividly in the memory. “they do not order me to disobey the Church, but God must be served first.”

Under intense pressure, by the stake, after weeks of solitude and being deprived of any material or spiritual comfort, Jeanne did retract her actions, signing a confession. But this relapse did prove temporary, and after 1 night, she retracted her previous confession and was burned at the stake. It is testament to her extraordinary capacity to inspire others that 500 years after her death, the life of Joan d’Arc has created and ever growing compilation of studies, films and novels. This film gives one of the most penetrating insights into her actual character. We feel it is a realistic portrayal of her final moments, unspoilt by the imagination of the directors and artists.

joan

Transcripts from the Trial of Joan d’Arc Proces de Jeanne d’Arc at IMDB Female Saints Biography Jeanne D’Arc

Revelation

Revelation

 

No more my heart shall sob or grieve.
My days and nights dissolve in God’s own Light.
Above the toil of life my soul
Is a Bird of Fire winging the Infinite.

I have known the One and His secret Play,
And passed beyond the sea of Ignorance Dream.
In tune with Him, I sport and sing;
I own the golden Eye of the Supreme.

Drunk deep of Immortality,
I am the root and boughs of a teeming vast.
My Form I have known and realised.
The Supreme and I are one; all we outlast.

 

 

By: Sri Chinmoy

Poem from: My Flute

Wisdom of Ramana Maharshi

 

There is Nothing New to Get

 

There is nothing new to get.
You have on the other hand,
to get rid of your ignorance,
which makes you think you are other than Bliss.
For whom is this ignorance?
It is to the ego.
Trace the source of the ego.
Then the ego is lost and Bliss remains over.

It is eternal You are That, here and now…
This is the master key for solving all doubts.
The doubts arise in the mind.
The mind is born of the ego.
The ego rises from the Self.

Search the source of the ego
and the Self is revealed.
That alone remains.
The universe is only expanded Self.
It is not different from the Self…

 

By: Ramana Maharshi

  • Video Footage of Ramana Maharshi

Photo of Arunachala

 

Film Review: Into Great Silence (2005)

Into Great Silence is surely one of the bravest films ever made. Almost three hours long, no script, no score, no commentary. I was compelled to see such a daring feat of minimalism.

silence

Over 20 years before the film’s release, German director Philip Groening applied for permission to film at the Carthusian monastery of Grande Chartreuse in a far corner of the French Alps. He was told it was too early, perhaps in 10-13 years it would be the right time.

16 years later his requested was accepted.

The Carthusian order, possibly the most ascetic Christian order, has remained largely unchanged for a thousand years, so they were not about to be rushed into such a venture. Unlike the UK, France is lucky enough to have preserved many of its ancient monastic sites. The site of Grande Chartreuse is as beautiful as it is remote, and Groening wastes no time in emphasising either aspect.

As if testing the viewer’s resolve Groening starts with a great deal of stillness. I find myself twitching for the fast-forward after 2-3 minutes: a monk praying in an inner world too private and distant for me to enter; a monk standing still through a doorway waiting for the right time to ring a bell. Can I make it through three hours with this strange combination of claustrophobia and agoraphobia?

Two new monks arrive to be received into the order and I am suddenly so moved by the ceremony, I forget my mind’s unwillingness. I enter into the silence with them. Suddenly it is warm, nourishing, familiar, natural, and I feel so at home I don’t want the 3 hours to end. Suddenly these are real people in a modern world, and I realise this is not an escape from life. How brave they must be, how sincere, how strong, how grounded, how balanced to enter so consciously into a life of almost total silence.

We pray with them, we shovel snow, wash celery, chop wood, deliver laundry, cut cloth, eat bread, all in silence and solitude. A monk gives a silent interview with the camera for a few seconds, and another. How can only this make such a compelling film? Perhaps Groening’s sensitivity lets us inside not just the walls but the people behind them. They splinter their fingers, they struggle to learn songs, they fall asleep in services, they feel self-conscious, they feel the cold, they grow old. They were not born with wings; they are human. Groening is also a remarkable artist ? some of the shots are masterpieces of outer simplicity and inner symmetry, which makes the film all the more real, relevant, and mesmerising.

I would not say this film changed my life; rather that it affirmed something I already knew: that one can learn more through silence than through words, as all answers are within. The silence is great indeed; it can be daunting or embracing depending on whether one sits outside it or within it. Once you step inside this film, you will enter a profound and poetic harmony that really cannot be captured by words.

Author Bio:

Sumangali Morhall has been a member of the Sri Chinmoy Centre for ten years. She also edits Sumangali.org, dedicated to the spirit of serendipity.

Some interesting recent blog entries

Sometimes it can be hard to find purely uplifting blog entries in the middle of the introspective maelstrom that is the blogosphere, but here are a couple of gems that have shone out recently:

  • Freedom: a moment of clarity through running a marathon. Posted on Spirit Flower’s blog at Zaadz.
  • The most exotic animal: Serial Guiness-record-breaker Ashrita Furman describes his recent record-breaking exploits in Mongolia! Ashrita’s records often have a very playful aspect to them, and this blog entry is great fun to read!
  • Jellyfish concentration: A mother tries to teach her son how to concentrate, but ends up getting a lesson herself. A post from the Sri Chinmoy Inspiration Group.
  • The world’s oldest sub-3 marathoner: A short blog article about Ed Whitlock, who ran a 2:54 marathon at age 73

Poem by Kabir – The Moon Shines

 

The Moon Shines

 

The moon shines in my body, but my blind eyes cannot see it:
The moon is within me, and so is the sun.
The unstruck drum of Eternity is sounded within me; but my deaf  ears cannot hear it. 

So long as man clamours for the "I" and the "Mine",  his works are as naught:
When all love of the "I" and the "Mine" is dead, then the work of the Lord is done.

For work has no other aim than the getting of knowledge:
When that comes, then work is put away. 

The flower blooms for the fruit: when the fruit comes, the flower withers.
The musk is in the deer, but it seeks it not within itself: it wanders in quest of grass. 

 

 

By: Kabir

Translated: Rabindranath Tagore