anishThe Messenger : The Story of Joan of Arc
July 2nd 2011 17:13
The Messenger : The Story of Joan of Arc is (obviously) the a retelling of the legend of Joan of Arc who saved France from the British invasion during the Hundred Years War only to be betrayed by her own king.
The Story of The Messenger : The Story of Joan of Arc
The story starts with the excessive religious fascination of a young Joan (Jane Valentine) and his obsession with visions of Christ followed by a rather graphic glimpse of war violence in which the British troops torch Joan village and kills Joan family. Joan is taken in by her uncle and aunt but soon she leaves home, swearing revenge on the British for destroying her life.
Cut scene to several years later when the legacy of Joan as the prophesied savior for France has spread like wild fire in the French villages and towns so
that the Dauphin of France is obliged to give her an audience.
But neither the royal adviser nor the priests are entirely reassured by Joan's claims to divine vision and powers and she is sent to Orleans where she must free the city from the British siege to prove her worth to her pears.
After a bloody but successful adventure in Orleans Joan manages to win over the trust of the Spanish general, if not as a divine messenger then at least as a comrade-in-arms and a true French patriot.
But the Dauphin of France, who after the annexation of Orleans is ready to crown himself as king, is no longer interested in warfare and withdraws support from Joan even as she is all set to takeover Paris.
This results in a clash of words and egos between Joan and the King. Realizing the tremendous support Joan has from her fellow warriors, the King and his ministers hatch a dastardly plot to discretely hand over Joan to the Britishers who are itching to get their hands on her following their humiliating defeat at Orleans
My Review of The Messenger : The Story of Joan of Arc
The Messenger : The Story of Joan of Arc is an impressive period drama with fantastic visuals and expansive settings to create a feel of the period and also
a presence of the supernatural. A fiery performance by Milla Jovovich as a female 'messenger of God' trying to establish herself in a male dominated world. But at times the movies indulges in a bit of overdrama and a few scenes near the end of the movie are a bit drawn out. As a result, once you get over the first bout of visual magic created in the first part of the movie, your attention may waver a bit, specially if long drawn fanatical ramblings about Christ is not exactly your idea of entertainment.
As a lover of classic European period dramas, I can honestly and unhesitatingly say that The Messenger : The Story of Joan of Arc comes very close to being a benchmark in the genre but unfortunately lacks that all important final knockout blow.
The Story of The Messenger : The Story of Joan of Arc
But neither the royal adviser nor the priests are entirely reassured by Joan's claims to divine vision and powers and she is sent to Orleans where she must free the city from the British siege to prove her worth to her pears.
But the Dauphin of France, who after the annexation of Orleans is ready to crown himself as king, is no longer interested in warfare and withdraws support from Joan even as she is all set to takeover Paris.
This results in a clash of words and egos between Joan and the King. Realizing the tremendous support Joan has from her fellow warriors, the King and his ministers hatch a dastardly plot to discretely hand over Joan to the Britishers who are itching to get their hands on her following their humiliating defeat at Orleans
My Review of The Messenger : The Story of Joan of Arc
The Messenger : The Story of Joan of Arc is an impressive period drama with fantastic visuals and expansive settings to create a feel of the period and also
As a lover of classic European period dramas, I can honestly and unhesitatingly say that The Messenger : The Story of Joan of Arc comes very close to being a benchmark in the genre but unfortunately lacks that all important final knockout blow.
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