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Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc

List Price: $9.98
Your Price: $9.98
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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This mini-series on Joan of Arc is inspiring and well-done.
Review: THIS MOVIE HAS EVERYTHING!!!!! Untouched by the relentless star dust of Hollywood, "Joan of Arc" captures France during the 1400s impeccably. The acting is superb and the story follows the facts of history. It is truly one of my favorite films, and Joan of Arc is now my heroine.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: VERY ENTERTAINING!!!!!!
Review: This is a great movie. The scenery is beautiful and the costumes are very authentic. You get a real sense of life back in those days. The music score is very gothic - features the voice of thirteen-year-old Charlotte Church. LeeLee Sobieski portrayes a perfect feminine-tomboy who is strong and attractive.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: This movie kicks but!!!!!
Review: Everyone who hasn't seen this movie should go out and get it right away, it's absolutely the best mini-series ever done - great acting by everyone, includes performances by Peter O'Toole and Olympia Dukakis...STARRING LEELEE SOBIESKI, arguably the best child actor in the business, who most recently was in Kubrick's last film "Eyes Wide Shut" with Tom Cruise.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Historically Inaccurate
Review: Joan of Arc was French, and she did live in the 1400's. That's about as far as the accuracy of this film goes. As an avid student of Saint Joan, who has read approximately 30 books about her, this "made for TV" movie fails to capture her true personality, and fails on a number of historical facts. It also misrepresents, and even leaves out key characters in her life. The cute Leelee Sobieski did not quite convey the personality of the headstrong, but faithful saint. Among the most egregious violations of historical record are Joan denouncing her "voices" because Pierre Cauchon held her hand to a flame (in actuality, she was afraid of excommunication, and desired to attend Mass), and yelling out to the English commander, Glasdale, "I'll send you to hell" (which she would never had said). The film also portrays Pierre Cauchon as a good guy, while in actuality, he desired Joan's death for political reasons. Furthermore, Pierre Cauchon never knew Dauphin Charles, but the movie portrays Cauchon as part of Charles's court! Overall, this movie is a mass of historical inaccuracy, and only worth seeing if you want to see a cute, perky young actress playing Joan in a trendy role from a definitely modernized perspective.

Rating: 5 stars
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: 4 stars
Summary: Awesome & Tragic! My 2nd Favorite Movie!
Review: Well, I've always been "haunted" by the story of Joan of Arc, but never really researched her. Because of this I'm not sure what is historically accurate and what isn't. Based on other reviews of the movie, it's obviously not as historically accurate as it could have been and some things in the movie which I know for a fact were different in real life, were added.
For instance, the screenwriters or director decided to have a subtle romance between Joan and Jean de Metz, which I thought was a nice change of fact. The battle sequences are believable, but not too gory since it's a made-for-TV-movie. What I really loved about the movie was the music. Charlotte Church is featured vocalizing throughout the film. Another thing I thought was impressive was Leelee Sobieski's performance as Joan. I think she did an awesome job portraying Joan as a passionate, intelligent (though illiterate), courageous heroine, which of course she was in real life. Peter O'Toole as Bishop Cauchon was purely sinister as was Neil Patrick Harris as Charles VII. As Captain La Hire, Peter Strauss was not only brave but stubborn and full of pride. Olympia Dukakis was so cute as Mother Babette and Joan's page. All in all, go rent or buy the VHS/DVD and see this great success yourself. It has enough historically based facts to make you want to research the real Joan herself.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: historical problems but great acting
Review: The movie makes some cheap, ineffective attempts to give the Joan of Arc story a bit more punch - including a "prophecy" from Merlin and the mis-characterization of the 100 Years' War as a War for France's freedom from Britain.

However, there is some good acting in this movie, especially from Peter O'Toole - he brings humanity to a character that could have easily been a one-dimensional, generic bad guy.

Is it a great movie? no

Is it entertaining? Yes - and you get the bonus of watching a real pro like O'Toole show you how its done.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Uplifting!
Review: This movie is a brilliant depiction of Joan of Arc's life, BUT it is most unfortunate that at least 40 minutes have been cut from the the original TV two part miniseries. This was obviously done so that the production company could release it on one instead of two cassettes. As a result much of the impact and many important details were lost. Shame on them! Fortunately, the movie is still enjoyable, thanks to some excellent acting from Peter O'Tool, Leelee Sobieski, and Peter Strauss.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The best yet
Review: While not historically perfect (like most movies), this one is a great effort. It is by far the best Joan movie made yet.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Joan not a timid kitten... real accounts far more inspiring
Review: If you like joan and her story, please read about her since this mini series does not do her justice. She was not some timid little kitten that only found strength when she was told she was the girl in some prophecy. She was much stronger and purpose minded. This was a girl that talked to saints in heaven very often, she did not need some strong man to give her the OK or strength to do something. She went to orleans (1st defeat) on the begging of her generals to do so and after it they felt terrible because they were the ones who asked and pleaded with her to go there.

The trial was also a travisty. It was the english who tried her and not a member of her own court and the only thing they could pin her on was wearing mans cloths, which unfortunately was enough to convict her. During that time this little girl (19 i believe) alone faced a unrelenting barrage of religious lawyers with only the guidance of the saints to help her along. That is strength, both religious and earthly.

The medieval period was a very dark place in history where women were treated as dirt and property and that is why joans story was so compelling. A simple girl would defeat the might of the english army under God's guidance. The sword scene was wasted too. A group of priests were told by joan where to go and dig up a buried sword that had belonged to one of the saints. Critical at first, they were amazed when they dug it up right where she had said it would be. It was not simply found causally under some rubble on her way to somewhere.

As far as the costumes, they were somewhat accurate for that time period - plate armor was in use but not to the extent as shown which was lending itself more toward the 1450's and up not the 1420's.
Overall it was a cute family version of the story but simply did not portray joan as it should of. At least it was far better than that atrosity "the messenger" that used vengence as joans motivation - so bad it made me sick.

Anyway please read a book that looks at joan in her own words, what she and those around her really said. The trial was well documented, esp. for the medieval period. I would like to rate this one higher but the misfire on joan's character keeps it at a 2.


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