MovieChat Forums > Joan of Arc (1999) Discussion > Well done biopic of an amazing young wom...

Well done biopic of an amazing young woman

posted 4 years ago by Wuchak (8079)
5 replies | jump to latest

While this was a TV production with the limitations thereof, it’s quite well done if you’re in the mood for a realistic medieval flick. The first two-thirds are great but, to be expected, the third act bogs down into a sad talky drama of impending doom. However, since this is a true story, we knew that’s where it was going, right?

Incredibly, Leelee was only 15 years-old during shooting. She has her own unique style, like John Wayne, Gary Cooper and Jack Nicholson. You either roll with it or you don't. I found her convincing; she struck me as a late teen who had the temerity and austerity of a proverbial "mission from God" to unite the French and motivate them in battle.

As always with these kinds of movies some things are inaccurate, whether due to artistic license or budget constraints. For instance, Joan's military devotees were not known to have gone to Rouen, Normandy, to liberate her at any time, let alone at the time of her killing. Speaking of which, she was burned at the stake on May 30, 1431, not during a snowfall in winter.

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

Interesting.

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8289) 4 years ago

I concur with the OP. If you actually have any interest in Joan of Arc, you should track this down and give it a look. Just be advised that it was made for television in the late 90s, so your expectations in terms of production values should be set accordingly. For a 1999 TV production though, it's surprisingly good.

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8289) 4 years ago

Kudos to you for bumping this excellent mini-series onto the Trending list.

Yes, it's quite good. I watched it right around the time it originally aired on TV and then I later purchased it on DVD. I still have that DVD to this day and, funny enough, just lately have been thinking that I should rewatch it.

Leelee is a great choice as Joan and handles the role well. I did not realize she was so young when the cameras rolled.

I think that Joan of Arc is an interesting historical character who raises a lot of questions and so a couple of years ago I finally got around to watching The Messenger with Milla Jovovich. It was, sadly, offensive: both to Joan's memory and also to my sensibilities as someone who likes to watch films that are actually good. This little television mini-series is much, much better.

[–] Wuchak (8079) 4 years ago

I haven't seen "The Messenger" yet. I've heard good and bad about it. One thing that turned me off was the idea of having Dustin Hoffman play Joan's 'conscience.' Things like that should be left up to the viewer's imagination IMHO. But I'll give it a try one of these days.

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8289) 4 years ago

It's awful. You'll probably hate it.

BTW, I was looking through the posts here and realized that I had started my own thread 10 years ago, offering my own praise. It got no responses.

Here's what I had to say (I guess I'm still waiting on that Blu-Ray release):

First off, I have to admit that I have a certain emotional attachment to this film, as I have fond memories of watching it when in the early 2000s. I enjoyed it then, and I still do.

Despite its apparent flaws--or what one might call flaws--such as the made-for-TV production values, the occasionally questionable acting, and the deviation here and there from historical facts, the movie is simply fun to watch. What it lacks in technical proficiency, it makes up for in heart and, in fact, many performances are quite good.

Sobieski does a great job as Joan, in my opinion. She's a girl playing a girl, with all the vulnerabilities of a teenager, despite the serious task that she's been called to perform. It was not hard to root for her and somehow hope that she escapes her destiny . . . despite the fact that we all know what has to happen at the end.

Some people on this board have complained about this film, but I personally enjoyed it thoroughly and am anxiously awaiting a (hopefully uncut) Blu-Ray release.