This is the first scene in which viewers see Joan as a teenager, although Jovovich looks much older than the age of eighteen. Regardless of her looks, the manner in which Jovovich enters the room where Charles is hiding amongst his supporters, is of note. Jovovich is timid, even scared by her surroundings. Her eyes dart around the room and it is obvious that Jovovich is portraying the idea that Joan was nervous and perhaps even afraid of meeting Charles. What are your opinions on this?From what we have read of Joan and those who witnessed her first encounter with Charles, I have envisioned Joan as strong and determined. I imagine her walking into the room with a purpose and immediately finding Charles within the crowd. Since many of the sources reference the persistence and determination of Joan, why do you think Besson choose to depict Joan's encounter with Charles with Jovovich looking timid, nervous, and afraid? Could it possibly have something to do with aiding in the purpose of trying to make Jovovich seem younger to present Joan as a young, naive girl?
Timidness is also shown in the scene in which Joan has arrived at Orleans and is in a meeting with the captains of the French army. Jovovich is dressed in armor which is historically accurate but when the captains refuse to listen to her she yells and throws what I would consider a mild "temper-tantrum." I cannot recall a moment in the sources we have read that Joan loses her self-control at such a level simply because she is frustrated. But what is striking is that after her mild "fit of frustration", Jovovich's eyes again dart around the room in a frantic manner, making her look timid yet again. I have come to see Joan as never being timid in any event in which she was discussing matters of war. Do you think this reference back to timidness is Besson's way of showing the youth Joan had while at Orleans?While I know this is a small matter within the film I do think it is worth mentioning. Have any of you seen Joan as being timid in either the meeting with Charles or while at Orleans? If not, why then do you think Besson choose to have Jovovich look timid in these key moments of retelling the story of Joan of Arc?
Works Cited
Besson, Luc. The Messenger. Perf. Milla Jovovich. Gaumont, 1999. DVD
I think this version of Joan completely contradicts the image of her that I had.
ReplyDeleteWe see here a young girl who has been commanded by God and against her will is following out the orders. It appears as though she has little to no choice in the matter and really wants no part of being there as she is alone and afraid. We've seen something like that in Joan that we have read about. Particularly Joan struggles amidst death and frequently sheds tears for those who have died. At first I attributed this to inner turmoil, questioning of her mission, but at least one source suggests that these tears are from her extreme piety; human suffering is not Godly.
Unlike this movie, I think that Joan has had instruction given to her and with her own boldness carried them out. It's a subtle distinction between God being behind her and driving her regardless of her fear, and her taking the lead in front of the word of God pulling his message. We know, at least from her trials, that she was not timid, but confident as her voices told her to be and was not scared of the men-at-arms.
I understand the directors aim to create a baseline of an ordinary child-like girl from which a hero could spring, but I prefer to think that she had these heroic qualities from the start. Perhaps these qualities may have been the only reason she was ever received by the Dauphin.
Good points, Beth and Alex. Keep in mind other things you know historically--like the trials of exorcism, Robert de Baudricourt, the 11 day journey, the dictating of a letter to the king, the wearing of a doublet for men, the court trial to not get married, the cutting of her hair and remaking herself--these seem to suggest a more confident one than what we see in the scene that Beth mentioned.
ReplyDeleteSo, if this is true, does The Messenger create a message about peasantry (meek, stupid, unaware, shy) that goes along with our modern day assumptions about medieval women, but might not always hold true. Alexander, I could envision this issue in your research paper on peasantry too.