The Trial of Joan of Arc

The Trial of Joan of Arc was born out of Bresson’s fascination with Joan of Arc’s language, as he discovered it in the trial minutes. ‘Joan spoke a language of admirable perfection. Her entire trial is a true masterpiece. I deliberately took very few liberties with the story (...) In responding to her judges, without touching a pen, Jeanne produced a work of literature. She wrote a book, a pure masterpiece of our literature." The film is based on the verbal jousting between the judges and this insolent young girl, who is capable of brilliantly standing up to them, but also of collapsing in fear of the stake. "The real subject is: Joan condemned to the fire and her long agony. It is also her inner journey and the mystery, the unsolved enigma of this wonderful young girl, the key to which we will never find. Finally, the subject is Injustice taking the form of Justice, dry Reason fighting against Inspiration, Illumination." (Robert Bresson)