markfp2 Posted September 7, 2004 Share Posted September 7, 2004 WOW! As much of a fan of silents that I am, somehow I never got around to seeing Carl Theodor Dreyer's " The Passion of Joan of Arc". The direction, cinematography and the magnificent performance by Maria Falconetti just stunned me. The documentary on Dreyer was great too. This is what makes TCM stand above all the others. Keep up the great work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickdimeo Posted September 7, 2004 Share Posted September 7, 2004 I thoroughly enjoyed the movie too! Mel Gibson should of watched this movie before he made his pathetic Passion of the Christ movie. Even better I was able to catch the 1925 MGM Studio Tour that followed the movie. I finally have it on tape now and my long odyssey to catch the Studio Tour on tape has ended! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithFromKC Posted September 7, 2004 Share Posted September 7, 2004 Dreyer's 'The Passion of Joan of Arc' has been a silent favorite of mine for many years. It was fantastic to see it again (I taped it last night and just finished watching it). Dreyer created an atmosphere, especially in the earlier films, that is lush and even eerie at times. I am also looking forward to the later sound films, few of which I have seen. By the way nick, I also love that 1925 MGM studio tour footage. I'm glad you finally caught it on tape! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leobertucelli Posted September 7, 2004 Share Posted September 7, 2004 Yeah you would like that, antiquated & so boreing. Just your speed, it sort of matches your intellect! But stay tuned there's another archaic 1921 film coming up. AND FOR ALL THOSE WHO DON'T LIKE MY RUDENESS TO THIS CHARACTER, WHO LIKE A FEW OTHER'S ONLY LIKE SENDING OUT DEROGATORY COMMENTS - I'm only seeing if they can take a dose of what they give out Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithFromKC Posted September 7, 2004 Share Posted September 7, 2004 Leo, there's nothing you can say that will hurt me. As usual, you only end up hurting yourself. By the way, I taped the 1921 film you mentioned, but THANKS for the reminder! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feaito Posted September 7, 2004 Share Posted September 7, 2004 Most Film critics agree in that Ren?e (Mar?a) Falconetti's performance in "The Passion of Joan Arc", is the greatest achieved by an actor/actress on film. It seems, it was her only screen performance ever. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithFromKC Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 Yeah feaito, I've always found the fact that this was Maria Falconetti's only starring role to be a bit strange. She just disappeared and there isn't much information that I've found on her. Her performance in 'The Passion of Joan of Arc' is breathtaking. At least I think so. I suppose that to an actor, one defining role is more of a gift, than dozens of lackluster roles. For many of those who have seen it, Falconetti's performance in 'Joan of Arc' assures her place in cinema history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feaito Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 Keith, Now that I'm at home, I can quote from my book "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the world's greatest movie stars - and their films from 1900 to the Present Day", by Ken Wlaschin, edited in 1979-1980, the following short biography on her: From the Chapter "The Silent Movie Stars": FALCONETTI "The greatest single performance in the history of cinema was achieved by French Actress Ren?e (Marie) Falconetti in the greatest work of the Silent Era, The Passion Of Joan of Arc, directed by Carl Dreyer. The Film is almost wholly close-ups, and most of the close-ups are of Falconetti's tortured face. This is not acting in the normal sense of the word, but rather opening up the soul and allowing a director to make a concentrated exploration of the inner self. It is almost painful to watch (Dreyer is said to have made her kneel on stone floors until she reached the right degree of suffering) and it drained so much out of Falconetti that she never made another film. Such a performance is unlikely ever to be repeated, but it was enough to make her a major star. It was not glamorous; she wore no make-up and Rudolph Mat?'s harsh penetrating camera allows no evasions. Her head was shaved for the part and she was allowed only one change of clothes, a light-coloured sackcloth dress in which to be burned at the stake. She was probably lucky to survive that fire as Dreyer continued to demand real suffering." "Born in Sermano, Corsica, in 1893, Falconetti became a stage actress in 1918 and one of her theatre directors was film pioneer Alberto Cavalcanti. Dreyer selected her as Joan after seeing her perform in a light comedy and she then worked on the film for 18 months; afterwards she turned stage producer, as well as appearing with the Com?die Francaise. She spent World War II in Switzerland and afterwards left for South America to act in the classics, and died in Buenos Aires (Argentina) in 1946." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brackenhe Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 Keith--Maybe they'll repeat the docu on Carl Th. Dreyer again before the month is over. While slow going in parts, they did have an interview with Falconetti's daughter and did explain her life after Jeanne D'arc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithFromKC Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 Thanks for the info, Feaito. I had made a rudimentary search for information on Falconetti, via the web, which didn't bear much fruit. I really appreciate you taking the time to provide this for me. As heartbreaking and serious as her performance is in 'Passion of Joan of Arc,' it's a surprise to find out that she had experience in comical theater. As always, your vast knowledge of all things cinema is truly awe-inspiring! That book sounds interesting, especially for info on the early stars. Again, thanks Feaito! Also, thanks Brakenhe for the info on the Dreyer documentary. I taped it the other night, along with 'The Passion of Joan of Arc,' and 'Vampyr.' The only thing I've gotten around to viewing thus far is 'Joan of Arc.' I was already familiar with it, as well as 'Vampyr,' but have never seen the Dreyer documentary, so I'm really looking forward to that. I will get around to watching it this weekend. As slow as some documentary films can be, I absolutely love the genre, so this will definitely be interesting. Again, thanks for the info, Brackenhe! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feaito Posted September 8, 2004 Share Posted September 8, 2004 Welcome & thanks for the compliments Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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