Whether or not Milla Jovovich can act, she gave a practically perfect performance for her (former?) husband, director Luc Besson, in harmony with their shared perspective on Joan of Arc and the meaning of her story (whether or not we in the audience agree with that perspective.)
A great deal of discussion on these boards is about the "historical accuracy" of this movie, and the "believability" of Milla as Joan.
I think this movie addresses one of the most intriguing aspects of historical fact, in that whatever else she may have been, Joan of Arc was a young girl, only 17 years old, from a small country village, who had never seen actual combat prior to being placed in command of an army.
What would the effect have been on any of us, if suddenly we were thrust into a sea of blood and guts, dismembered limbs and severed heads, savage man-to-man, hand-to-hand, face-to-face medieval combat with sword and cudgel and mace?
We recognize "traumatic stress syndrome" nowadays, not just in combat soldiers, but aircraft pilots, equipment operators and other behind-the-lines personnel far removed from the battlefield trenches, - and even among patrol dogs! The visceral cost of war, even in victory, in a righteous cause, over a hated foe, the true price of "Glory" registers with Joan, not when she herself is wounded on the first day, but when she surveys the aftermath of carnage on the second day, and tries to stop the killing of a single enemy on the bridge.
The shockwave of revulsion that ripples across her face and reverberates in her body is a realization that cannot be ignored, and it shatters the protective shield of her youthful innocence forever.
Milla Jovovich is absolutely awesome in conveying that tidal wave of emotion, that MUST have been felt at some actual time, in some actual place, by Joan, the actual historical 17 year old female human being. I think that Milla shows what that might have been like, felt like. Stunning. Staggering. Bewildering. And that is Milla's great contribution to this film.
But the scene she plays of Joan on that morning of the second day, is even more astounding. Awakening from the nightmare of her vicious wound, so severe that the enemy thinks she's already dead, and her army fears she won't survive the night, she rises slowly from her bed and walks quietly out of her tent into the camp, among the sleeping soldiers. She hears the vile and vulgar taunts coming from the fortress of the foe, walks down close to the castle walls, and calls up a warning to the captain of the guard:
"May God forgive your blasphemy, because I never will." She turns back toward camp to wake her army, then over her shoulder shouts again, "I never WILL!!" In that moment, Milla embodies everything about Joan, by gesture, by posture, by the look on her face, the fire in her eyes, the sound in her voice, expressing all at once perfectly the outraged and indignant young girl that she is, and the fearless General of a fearsome army that she . . . also is!
Milla is perfectly cast as THIS Joan of Arc, the one she and Besson both wanted to portray to the audience in their version of this story. I cannot imagine any other actress who could have so convincingly portray Joan as the character that Milla and Luc Besson wanted to depict in this movie.
There are many more examples, but these typify and exemplify what I mean to say about Milla and her portrayal of Joan. She played another difficult to portray character in The 5th Element, too, and in other movies. She might not have been as good as Meryl or Charlize have been in some of the roles they have played, but I think the reverse is also true.
I can't imagine anyone else investing Milla's roles with any more authenticity and believability than Milla has herself. She's actually an actress, folks, in my opinion. A unique one, and a good one.
She can't be judged by roles she didn't play. And neither can anybody else.
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jingizu_z
8 years ago
Agreed, and well said.
She was excellent in portraying Jeanne de Arc, the emotional and traumatic psychology of an unstable young girl, that is nevertheless full of anger and passion and energy. Yet also full of fear and confusion.
For me the best scene was the one with Dustin Hoffman where Jeanne confronts herself, Milla's acting there was just brilliant.
She was also very good in Fifth Element, giving an excellent portrayal of an innocent yet tough girl who must save the universe.
I like the first three Resident Evil movies and the non-game character of Alice. Me not liking the rest of the franchise had nothing to with Milla but everything to with the lack of plot and story with repetitive action sequences. Hopefully the new RE: Final Chapter, will return to form.
Also liked her a lot in movies such as Stone, He Got Game, Bringing Up Bobby and The Three Musketeers.
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