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Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: A Charming movie but lacks reality
Review: All in all, I think this movie was another Revolution (1985). It was a movie that was, in all senses of the word, mediocre. The battle scenes look fairly well done, the armor and costumes could definitely use some work, and the creators of this film gave a very faint sense of reality.
I usually enjoy tv movies, but this was an exception. I honestly cannot imagine why this movie is so well spoken of. I was not in any way, shape, or form moved by it. After comparing this to The Messenger, I can see with ease that the Messenger is far more REALISTIC! The Messenger had gory battle scenes, limbs amputated, arrows piercing chests, men with their faces bashed in, rivers of blood. Most people seem not to be too fond of that. But that is what it was like back then! I am a historian on medieval combat, bare that in mind in this review and I can tell you from a professional standpoint those scenes were very accurate to the time; the rape scenes, the burning villages, the sniveling politics, all that was what it was like.
Joan of Arc seems to romanticize a dark period in time. The armor looks cheep, the facts are very misconstrued, and the viewers would rather believe a fairy tail than a dark reality. La Hire described Agincourt by saying, "The English outnumbered us. We numbered in 5,000," and later saying, "Glasdale's sword was the bloodiest." Analyzing that, that is 75% lie. The French outnumbered the English horrendously (25,000 French, 6,000 English) and neither La Hire nor Glasdale was at that battle.
I also just love how everyone believes Joan of Arc was a charming, inspiring, brilliant, moving, and daring leader. I must ask: is everyone as ignorant as people in my profession claim? Apparently. People like to believe Churchill was a benevolent man, but in reality he was bitter, cynical, had a drinking problem, and cheated on his wife.
Joan of Arc was not a glowing leader. She was impatient, impulsive, questionably insane, and would bark at those who defied her will. And for people who do not believe in God like me, the fact she was sent by God is bull. Even if God is real, what she did was no miracle. There is not feat that can be worthy of calling a miracle. She defeated an overextended army.
The Messenger is a dark movie, but that Joan is what she was really like; all over the place. She did not shine in battle, she, like any human, was afraid and uncertain. You can't expect a teenage girl to act like Saint George in combat, because most strong, butch, able bodied men are as scared as children.
Back to the movie itself, it is, like I said, mediocre. The production value was reasonable, the accuracy is way off, and there is slight miscasting, on King Charles' part. I never saw the show he was in, so I approached it with an open mind to his acting, but it came out scarcely convincing.
Leelee Sobieski plays the part well, but not accurately. She plays the time-honored benevolent legend, when in fact she was more likely a slightly insane, charismatic girl seeking to serve her country, and was more a "for show" commander than an actual one, (keyword "likely" pertaining to the fact this is a more common but less like theory)
If you would like a good film, this movie is not a bad choice, but do not expect to see the reality of the Hundred Years War. If you want to see the bloody and gory truth, watch The Messenger.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Better have a dozen boxes of tissue when you watch this.....
Review: This is the best movie I have seen in a long time. I always thought if a movie brings a tear to the eye it is a good movie, and this movie will use up your water works.....This movie is a MUST see.....Her faith is remarkable, and very inspirational.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good Movie, but it's been done.
Review: This new version of the been done subject of Joan of Arc is not bad in its own right. LeeLee plays a good Joan and the supporting cast are terrific. This movie is very engrossing and interesting. The music isn't great and the special features leave much to be desired, and the cutouts to go to commercial (it was a miniseries) are negatives. I do recommend the movie The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc instead. If you already have it, this will make a great addition and you can compare the two! All in all a good movie. NOTE= the Messenger has a lot of gore and violence where Joan of Arc has very little.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Peter O'Toole is great!
Review: I'm really giving this movie 5 stars thanks to Peter O'Toole's brilliant acting but really the whole movie is actually very good. Far better than that abomination, "The Messenger." The production value is pretty low for a feature film but since this movie was made for TV it's incredibly good. The locations and costumes they got are amazing. The only bad part about the movie is the stiff actress that played Joan. She didn't look the part and she didn't play it very well either. But Peter O'Toole makes up for her. He steals every scene he's in. If you're interested in Joan of Arc watch this movie instead of "The Messenger."

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Far better than the other Joan of Arc movie!
Review: The other Joan of Arc movie with Milla Jovavich is not the one to watch - this one is! One of my favorite movies. Very moving.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: True to History, True to Heart
Review: A truly fascintating and entertaining depiction of the true-story of the girl warrior, Joan D'Arc or Joan of Arc.
The title character is played by a masterful performance of Leelee Sobieski.
While the movie does stray in a few parts from the true-story, the end result is nevertheless astounding. The film shows the emotions of the character as the likely occured. All of the performances, including cameos, and astounding.
An emotional film, and one that deserves to be treasured for generations.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A great movie to understand what happened
Review: It is a very good historical movie about the sad story of a martyr. The performance of Leelee Sobieski is great ; once again she demonstrates a real talent. Along with it, what I like most is the good depiction of the historical characters and their relationships; there is a great human touch in this movie. It focuses less on warfare and gore, and more on psychology and history (even though the depiction of the battle at Les Tourettes is highly realistic). Among others, the movie shows how France was built from a variety of different regions. The costumes, especially on the french side, are rich and beautiful. The story unfolds in a clear, logical way; the trap in Compiegne is clearly presented. The most interesting dialogue is the one between Joan and the King of France, when she tells him that he should save Compiegne, but he says he has no more budget for that and all his large cities are overrun by the plague. Finally, when the game was over, the English wanted Joan more than the French, got her, had her tried by the local clergymen and burnt. It is astounding to see that Joan never believed she would actually burn when placed on the pyre, because she tought that God would protect her. So there is a terrible and very moving scene when one of the clerymen burns her hand a little to show her what will really happen to her. To summarize it up : it is a superb movie for historians, however I did not give it a 5-star, because the story is a sad one, and the movie would have benefitted from a little bit more glamour sometimes.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: So much better than the others out there.
Review: Watched this this weekend and was very impressed with this TV version of Joan D'Arc. So much better acting and storywise than that horrid film that came out the same year! I can't understand why Mila continues to act that movie was disgraceful!
Anyway a much more convincing performance by all in this TV movie and it impressed me that a TV miniseries could totally capture this tale without going overboard or trivializing the story.
A good show you should check it out....

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Very charming and inspirational
Review: I have watched this miniseries in several formats (original broadcast, heavily edited VHS, and DVD with all the aired scenes restored), and it's one of the best I've ever seen! From her life as a child in the village of Domremy to her death on the stake in Rouen at the age of 19, Joan D'Arc as portrayed by Leelee Sobieski is absolutely riveting! Although the miniseries does take some liberties with regard to the actual life of St. Joan, and while Leelee's Joan may not be as "gritty" as some would think that Joan really was, I found this to be one of the more honest portrayals of her life that I've seen since Ingrid Bergman's Joan D'Arc.

I also have to give a nod here to an awesome supporting cast. Neil Patrick Harris is no longer "that kid from Doogie Howser" to me--he IS King Charles of France. Powers Boothe and Jacqueline Bissett as Joan's parents--simply stunning! Peter O'Toole as Bishop Cauchon--can the man get any MORE magnificent than he already is?? Chad Willett as Jean DeMetz was very good, and Peter Strauss as LaHire was great! I loved Olympia Dukakis and Shirley MacLaine as Mother Babette and Madame de Beaurevoir, and Maximilian Schell's role of Brother Le Maitre is the most devious character I've seen him play since Dr. Hans Reinhardt in The Black Hole.

All in all, Joan of Arc is a good miniseries. Even the fact that there are virtually no extras on the DVD can't detract from a solid, charming, and ultimately inspirational story.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Joan of Arc is 5 Stars!!
Review: I saw this movie in Blockbuster, and the cover caught my eye. I got it, and it was a wonderful wonderful wonderful movie!!! Even though it is sad at the end (Joan is burned at the stake), it wonderful to watch. The cast did a wonderful job; Leelee Sobieski was perfect for Joan. She was beautiful and innocent, yet strong, brave, and determined. If you ever need a movie to watch, watch this one!!!...


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