Rating: 
Summary: A truly appalling effort!
Review: I find it difficult to believe that I was watching the same film as the other reviewers. I had to give it one star for the fact that somebody actually took the time and raised the backing to make it, not for any kind of cinematic accolade.An historically innaccurate American flag waving fest - 100 years before America was discovered - and an insult to French history. There are so many things I could say about the lack of attention to detail in the production that 1000 words is probably not enough. The acting is wooden and of a standard you would associate with childrens' television. The screenplay and script appeared to have been written with the vocabulary and complexity that an average eight year old could understand and it took us all of two minutes to realise what a huge mistake we had made in buying this disc. I did give the film a full hour of my time but it was a true test of patience - I really did want to give it a chance - but three hours and twenty minutes of complete dross? I fear I've already wasted too much time with this film so I'll cut the review here. If you want something to put the kids to sleep of an evening then this could be it! Don't bank on it though and certainly don't show it to any of your French friends - they'll either laugh out loud or be completely disgusted.
Rating: 
Summary: AMAZINGLY Inspirational & Educational
Review: I do leadership training with students and focus on 7 specific historical "social change agents" from the past, like Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Susan B. Anthony and others. When we talk about how Joan of Arc came to both understand and change the "system" of English tyranny in France, we view a couple bits of this, made for TV film. There are alot of diffferent film interpretations of Joan's life, but this one is the best. The trial dialog is actuall very close in spirit to the actual transcripts - recorded from those days. I have recommended this film to many many people. It teaches, makes a contribution and inspires, all at the same time. In many ways, we are still all dreaming of a world which serves all people by assuring FREEDOM & PEACE. It IS possible when we learn from teachers like Joan. Buy it, watch it and pop it back on when you need inspiration to keep moving forward in your professional and personal life.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! Ave Maria!
Review: I have to admit, this one surprised me. Unlike the horrible "Messenger" movie, you can actually tell that St. Joan of Arc was a ROMAN CATHOLIC! Wow, we see part of a Roman Catholic Latin Mass near the beginning of the movie. Wow, we actually see rosaries! Wow, a nun! Hey, a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary! Too often there's obvious anti-Catholic bias involved in movies depicting Catholics (i.e., Elizabeth). Leelee's performance impressed me. Granted, there were faults here and there, but for the most part, you get a great look at who St. Joan of Arc was, as much as you can get anyway in a few hours. Buy now!
Rating: 
Summary: Joan as a female Jesus
Review: I must say I did not like this movie. We know little about the true Joan of Arc, but she certainly had fierce charisma as a person and was an inspiring military leader. This movie's heroine is just young, virginal, and nice. I found the movie silly in many respects. The holy apparitions where Joan is bathed in heavenly light do not really go down well these days. The slow motion battle scenes with angelic music in the background are a stupid means to avoid one of the greatest conflicts and contradictions in Joan's life: how can a person inspired by God lead people to horrible killing and death. What most stroke me in this movie are the parallells between Joan's depiction and the life of Jesus. Both were guided by heaven of course, both started young and succeeded to move masses of people against all odds, both tried to establish a kingdom not for themselves. See Joan be betrayed by a friend and ask their companions not to defend her against her captors. See Joan being judged by scheming religious figures who accept foreign occupation. Incredibly, see Joan in this movie being witnessed at her martyrdom by her substitute mother and a young disciple. She is even better than Christ: whereas Jesus on the cross suffered and doubted, in one of the silliest scenes of this movie, Joan turns her well groomed face heavenward in the middle of the flames and thanks God. Give me a break. I can accept that Joan of Arc was a saint but this movie is pure sugar coating. I liked "The Messenger" (the other modern movie about Joan of Arc) much better.
Rating: 
Summary: A Labor of Love
Review: This movie was my first reintroduction to the story of Joan of Arc since grade school. I loved the film and watched it about 8 times. A great deal of thought and creativity went into the film, especially since, as I found out later, it is mostly fictitious. The personality of the real Joan of Arc is impossible to capture on film and I am glad Leelee Sobieski did not try, but instead put herself into the role in a genuine and honest way. If there is a weakness in the movie it is that it does not show Joan much as a military commander. In truth, up to the time of the Coronation of Charles VI it can be said that Joan of Arc was functionally the Commander in Chief of the French forces and a captain of vision and genius. In this context the movie's version of her capture at Compiegne is quite comical. The proposition that Joan was betrayed by Charles so that he could become a better king was also a contribution of the screen writers. However it as a clever enough plot twist and works well enough. The trial scene is remarkably faithful to the historical record except that it suggest that Joan was raped in jail. The trial of Joan of Arc, preserved verbatim in the French Archives, is one of the most fascinating, heroic and incredible trials in history. The movie does a good enough job of it. The story of Joan's death is so heartbreaking that we cannot hope to capture it on film. However it is worthy to note that while in the flames she cried out to Jesus seven times, a fact which the screen writers unfortunately chose to omit. The life of Joan of Arc is one of the most incredible lives in history. Even a pale and timid version, like this film, is a grand tale.
Rating:
Summary: Great performances, captivating story, low budget effects.
Review: I chose this movie over renting "The Messenger" ( due to Messenger's graphic violence, actress choice for the part of Joan, and some of the reviews I read on Amazon). Leelee Sobieski fits the role much better, and did a terrific job all the way through. It wasn't obvious this was a TV movie until some of the action sequences... it was one of those deals where all they had to do was CUT out a few shots and they could have fooled you better. The fast-motion editing to speed up the sequence looked terrible. It was like going from film to video, back and forth during the battles... I also agree with a previous viewer about the effects (the spiritual conversations) -- showing LESS is better, and when it was beams of light, that was perfect (we didn't need to see the angel). The costumes and lighting were excellent, the DVD looks very crisp and clean. This was a great adaptation of a classic story. It could have been a tad shorter, but it kept me going anyway. At least an excellent rental.
Rating:
Summary: Worth the time and money.
Review: This movie was probably the best informative as well as entertaining version of Joan of Arc. This movie had enough action to hold the viewers attention. The Messanger had a lot more action but this movie gave more information than the Messanger. The ending was more drawn out. All in all this movie was great! If your interested in Joan of Arc or any related topics this is a good movie to see.
Rating:
Summary: Joan of Arc DVD Review: Intriguing storyline!
Review: I remember seeing this DVD and wondering which one should I get, "Joan of Arc" which was a television movie or "The Messenger"? It was a hard decision but what drew me to purchasing this DVD was the cover. Sobieski's look as Joan of Arc looked more convincing and she looked so pure and innocent. I wondered how this person who projects innocence in the cover will play a military leader? Well, I don't know much about Leelee Sobieski and after watching this movie, now I want to watch the movies that she has appeared in because on "Joan of Arc", you get solid acting. The long time of this movie made me wonder if it was going to drag but if anything this movie drew me in from start to finish and here is why: The good acting by the cast members, the great scenery and the selection of Leelee Sobieski as the innocent "Maid of Lorraine". She brought something to this movie that drew you in. Her facial expressions and even the ending still stays in my mind. Wow! It's unexplainable but I love the movie. It was done very well and I'm impressed that it's a TV movie. The movie gets an A+. What about the DVD? Well, since this is a TV movie, I didn't expect too much from the DVD. The audio was good and the video was good but at times I saw some lines on the screen on parts where there is a lot of action. The production notes were nice to see but I have to give the DVD a D- for no significant extras. It appears Sobieski had much to say about the part according to the production notes, why not include a featurette then? Or even the television commercials or promotional features. So, yes...the extras rating gets a D-. But you know what, the movie is wonderful and it deserves to be seen and due to it's size, DVD is the way to go. "Joan of Arc" a definite A+. This DVD is Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Leelee Sobieski as Joan of Arc - Stunning performance A+
Review: I remember seeing this DVD and wondering which one should I get, "Joan of Arc" which was a television movie or "The Messenger", a big budget movie. It was a hard decision but what drew me to purchasing this movie was the cover. Sobieski's look as Joan of Arc looked more convincing and she looked so pure and innocent. I wondered how this person who projects innocence in the cover will play a military leader? Well, I don't know much about Leelee Sobieski and after watching this movie, now I want to watch the movies that she has appeared in because on "Joan of Arc", you get solid acting. The long time of this movie made me wonder if it was going to drag but if anything this movie drew me in from start to finish and here is why: The good acting by the cast members, the great scenery and the selection of Leelee Sobieski as the innocent "Maid of Lorraine". She brought something to this movie that drew you in. Her facial expressions and even the ending still stays in my mind. Wow! It's unexplainable but I really enjoyed the movie. It was done very well and I'm impressed that it's a TV movie. The movie gets an A+. What about the DVD? Well, since this is a TV movie, I didn't expect too much from the DVD. The audio was good and the video was good but at times I saw some lines on the screen on parts where there is a lot of action. The production notes were nice to see but I have to give the DVD a D- for no significant extras. It appears Sobieski had much to say about the part according to the production notes, why not include a featurette then? Or even the television commercials or promotional features. So, yes...the extras rating gets a D-. But you know what, the movie is wonderful and it deserves to be seen and due to it's size, DVD is the way to go. "Joan of Arc" a definite A+. Highly recommended!
Rating:
Summary: Quantitative Evaluation
Review: Audio Merits:8/10;Video Merits:7/10;Scenario Merits:7/10;Cinematographic Merits:7/10;Musical Merits:7/10;Overall Artistic Performance:8/10;DVD Extras:6/10;Recording Total Quality:7/10 Professor's Recommendation:A good perspective of the legend. You may buy it.
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