Joan of Arc

US (1948): Drama/Action

Ingrid Bergman had a deep love for St. Joan of Arc from her early childhood. It is therefore not surprising that she portrayed the life of this fascinating heroine and saint as many times as she did. She received a Tony Award for her portrayal of St. Joan in Maxwell Anderson's play Joan of Lorraine (1946). Bergman had lovingly persuaded (seduced) Victor Fleming into producing a film version of Anderson's play. Bergman believed in this project so much that she willingly used her own money to finance half the movie. Anderson, with the help of Andrew Solt, wrote the screenplay. Bergman spared neither time nor expense in order to make her film historically accurate. She ordered research done on every aspect of medieval life down to an accurate creation of medieval dog collars. She had the armor department of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City create her armor. Instead of being made out of heavy steel it was made of aluminum. Even so, her armor weighted 25 lbs.

The plot follows the well-known outlines of the career of the 15th-century French saint. It begins with the peasant girl, Joan, in the remote village of Domremy in Lorraine. She hears voices that tell her to go forth and save France from the depredations of the invading English, who have taken over most of its territory and prevented its rightful king, the Dauphin Charles VII, from achieving his coronation. Joan is sent by Robert de Baudricourt to the court of Charles VII at Chinon. Charles is a worldly man who tries to trick the Maid by hiding among his courtiers while a noble pretends to be the king. But Joan makes her way with certainty to the real king, and he is moved by her eloquence and positivism to recruit an army to fight the English. Joan is placed at the head of the French army, but its captains are not eager to follow her commands. She decides to circumvent her captains' objections by appealing directly to her soldiers. Stirred by the sight of Joan, her men and the reluctant captains rally to her side. She leads her troops to Orleans where the English have a death grip around the city. "Now is the time!" Joan bravely cries to her men. The attack on the Tourelles begins. During the intense fighting Joan is wounded in the breast by an English long bow arrow, and she falls from the scaling latter with a crash. She pulls the arrow out by her own hand. After resting for two hours Joan hears the trumpeters sound the notes for recall: the captains are sounding the Retreat. She struggles to her feet and returns to the battle. She breathes new life into her disheartened army and leads them on to victory. With the battle at the Tourelles now won, Joan takes the time to survey the brutality of war. The sight sickens her to the very core of her being.

The people idolize her and the army, trusting confidently in her spiritual leadership, wins one battle after another. The high point of her career comes when she stands beside the Dauphin as he is crowned King Charles VII in the Cathedral at Reims. But Charles is crafty, tricky and worldly in his goals, and shortly thereafter he is capitalizing on the gains won for him by the Maid. He sets aside Joan's advice to carry out his own meaner schemes for acquiring money and land. At the same time, the enemies of France gather together to try to come up with a plan to counter the gains won by Joan and for a way to capture and put her on trial for witchcraft. Joan and her dear friend, the Duke d'Alencon, try desperately to persuade the King and his advisors to continue the fight to drive France's enemies from the land. But their words fall on deaf ears. The King orders the army to be disbanded and for Joan to remain with him at court. The King wants to make sure that Joan will not disrupt the truce he has just signed with the Burgundians. After a tearful good-bye, Joan will never see d' Alencon or the rest of her friends ever again.

In March of 1430 Joan escapes from King Charles' court. But, on the evening of May 23 of that same year, she is captured by the Burgundians outside the town of Compiegne. Joan is held by the Burgundians for six months before being bought by the English for the equivalent of $3 million. She is taken to the city of Rouen and put on trial for heresy and witchcraft. The English, wanting to discredit not only Joan but also King Charles VII, use the ecclesiastical court to do their dirty business. Due to the machinations of corrupt clergy and English political figures, Joan, after a six-month trial, is finally condemned to be burnt alive. She is taken in a dung cart to Rouen's old market square where she is chained to a stake. She dies in the consuming flames as she calls on the name of "Jesus." (RKO Radio) (Virginia Frohlick, stjoan-center.com)

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7 nominations, 2 Awards, 1 Special Award