The best version of the story of Joan of Arc is "The Passion of Joan of Arc," which is a 1928 acclaimed silent French film. It stars Maria Falconetti and if you are looking for a passionate portrayal this is it. Her portrayal is widely accepted as one of the finest in cinema history, and the sinister characters are enhanced by the unusual camera angles. I promise you, the movie is mesmerizing. It can be purchased on Amazon.com.
shareI agree. "The Passion of Joan of Arc" was a lot better. It was more fun to watch, the actors were more believable and Maria Falconetti's performance is unforgettable.
Here, I think it was a mistake to cast Ingrid Bergman in the role of Joan, in spite of her Oscar nomination. She worked hard and gave the best she could but still she didn't convince me as Joan. I think I would have cast the young Elizabeth Taylor here. She was more the real Joan's age and probably would have given a better performance.
@john-wheat, You may be right about Elizabeth Taylor, but I mostly agree about Ingrid. Her acting was good in my opinion, but she was too old for the part.
shareI agree that Bergman's performance was not convincing enough. It was a very "actressy" portrayal and the reason, I believe, the performance is not fully convincing is because Bergman herself, was an atheist who didn't believe in God and didn't see Joan as a true story about a real life historical figure, but more as a mythical character who gave her the opportunity to chew the scenery a bit more than she should have. And, I agree, she was too old for the part. Ann Blyth could have done a great job with this part.
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