Joan of Arc (1999)

A strong cast, impressive production values, and astute direction distinguish this generally successful dramatization of the tumultuous life of the 15th-century French heroine whose military victories were eclipsed by her martyrdom. At the heart of the story is the conflict between the teenager's simple but fierce faith and the more complex political and theological issues that influence her downfall, a theme fleshed out through the portrayals of the young warrior's liege, the Dauphin (later King) Charles, and the Bishop Cauchon.

The 140-minute feature follows Joan D'Arc's odyssey from peasant obscurity to notoriety as the "Maid of Orleans," spiritual fulcrum for the beleaguered French forces struggling to halt English invaders. As played by Leelee Sobieski (Eyes Wide Shut), her evolution from naive farm girl to seasoned soldier is convincing, as is her gradual awakening to the underlying agendas of church and state. Most critically, Sobieski radiates the young girl's fervent spiritual devotion.

Framing Sobieski's focal performance are two equally fine turns from Neil Patrick Harris, who erases his legacy as TV's Doogie Howser, M.D. with a neatly shaded, steely Charles, and Peter O'Toole, who balances his signature reserve and present physical frailty to make Cauchon a moral compass for the story. Having opposed Joan as a threat to orthodoxy, the Bishop recognizes her purity too late; O'Toole turns this moment into a dreadful epiphany that resonates through the story's inevitable, fiery denouement. Fine supporting performances from Peter Strauss, Shirley MacLaine, and Maximillian Schell, plus evocative medieval locations in the Czech Republic, further buttress the story. French-Canadian director Christian Duguay handles the large-scale battle sequences with fluid blocking and smart camera work. --Sam Sutherland Amazon.com essential video

Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc This movie was a made for TV movie..
This version of the Joan of Arc story was a really good one...It was
acted really well...The movie told the Joan of Arc myth in an extremely
realistic and accurate way...This version of the Joan of Arc story
explains the myth ...It is work of true genius...Outstanding!!! July 27, 2008

Awful.

I had to stop watching this film after about 20 minutes because the acting was so horrible. It might be a great rendition of Joan's story, but I'll never know because I can't bring myself to try to sit through it again. May 8, 2008

great

this is a great movie i highly reccomend it to CATHOLICS protestents might not think much of the movien but it was very very good movie April 20, 2008

Ughh..........

God, when I first purchased this movie I though it would be really good since it is about Joan of Arc which I am a huge fan of.

What really bugged me about this movie was how they made it seem so easy for Joan to get the approval of everybody. Like to convince the people that she is on a quest to save Dauphin Charles and France. Yeah right, it took more than a few days to convince.

I like the other Joan of Arc movie much better which is titled as "The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc" April 5, 2008

Historical to a point

I shared a clip from this video for my social studies class when we were studying the middle ages. The battle scenes seemed pretty realistic. February 23, 2008

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