Brad Pitt’s favourite classic film is ‘The Passion of Joan of Arc’
Hollywood heartthrob turned respected producer Brad Pitt is one of the industry’s most significant faces, appearing in some of cinema’s greatest cult films and blockbusters. The two-time Academy Award nominee gained recognition in Ridley’s Scott drama Thelma and Louise in 1991, becoming one of the decade’s most significant stars. These days, Pitt works in front of and behind the camera, producing the controversial Blonde and recently starring in Babylon.
During an interview for the latter’s release, Pitt was asked about classical Hollywood, then citing his favourite classic film, The Passion of Joan of Arc.
The Passion of Joan of Arc, titled La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc initially, was released in 1928 as a French silent historical film narrating Joan of Arc’s recorded trial in 1431. The film was directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer and starred Renée Jeanne Falconetti as Joan in a performance listed as one of cinema’s most significant and powerful.
The Passion of Joan of Arc achieved naturalism by being shot on one huge concrete set modelled on medieval architecture to portray the Rouen prison realistically. The film is cited as a cinematic landmark for its attentive and symbolic cinematography and employment of close-ups. Dreyer did not allow the actors to wear make-up and used lighting designs that made the actors look unappealing.
The Archbishop of Paris exerted some relentless pressure on Dreyer concerning the film’s subject matter and execution, causing the director to edit and cut down on the film’s runtime. The complete and original version was later discovered in 1981 in Dikemark Hospital, a mental institution in Oslo.
Dreyer’s film was “from the first to the last scene… in the right order,” resulting in an authentic and gripping execution that audiences immediately engage in. This factor is elevated by the film’s brilliant art direction and visual composition, such as the unconventional use of close up to emphasise facial expressions and emotions, with these elements serving as the film’s primary image. Joan’s spiteful prosecutors are framed in low angles to highlight their abusive power and intimidating nature, with Joan herself placed in tight close-ups to exhibit her troubled emotions and artistically present her.
As the film is silent, the visuals, as seen in camerawork and character performance aligning, reside as evidence of the power of cinema. Filmmakers had to work with these elements to tell a brilliant story that captured and moved spectators. The Passion of Joan of Arc reads as an art piece through its effective camerawork that allows the emotion to prosper, making for a beautiful yet tragic watch that demonstrates the film’s visual power.
Pitt’s performance in Babylon, directed by Damien Chazelle, signals the performances in The Passion of Joan of Arc concerning the silent picture’s status in an ever-changing Hollywood. Pitt plays Jack Conrad, a silent film actor who has made a name in the industry through his flamboyant and excessive parties. Chazelle’s film focuses on the tough transition many silent film stars experienced once Hollywood moved to talkies, implying a new dawn of filmmaking and performance was on the horizon that would shape cinema for decades to come.
The Passion of Joan of Arc was, in fact, released the same year the first all-talking feature, Lights of New York, premiered. Dreyer’s film had its first release in Denmark on April 21st, 1928, before experiencing a French release on October 25th, 1928. Lights of New York, a crime drama directed by Bryan Foy and starring Helene Costello, Cullen Landis, Wheeler Oakman and Eugene Pallette, was released on July 21st of that year as a historical landmark in the medium, placing one of cinema’s most beautiful presentations in between the transition from silent features that emphasised expression to talkies. The enthusiasm Foy’s picture was met with resulted in Hollywood producing sound films exclusively by the end of 1929, as Pitt’s film documents, as well as the aftermath.
Watch a beautifully poignant clip from the film here.
