The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc
Directed by Luc Besson
- adventure
- drama
- action
- history
- war
The story
In 1429, a French teenager stood before her King with a message she claimed came from God; that she would defeat the world's greatest army and liberate her country from its political and religious turmoil. As she reclaims God's diminished kingdom, this courageous young woman has various amazing victories until her violent and untimely death.
What it’s like
Wide, mud-streaked battlefields under heavy grey skies, with sweeping crane shots that pull back to show armies swarming across fields and walled towns. The palette is earthy and cold, dominated by stone, iron and dirty linen, with warm firelight in the castle interiors and a bleached, washed-out look to the daylight. Battle scenes are loud, kinetic and crowded, while quieter moments linger on faces lit by candles or torches. The score swells with orchestral and synthetic percussion, and it often drowns out the clash of steel. Its vibe is grand, earnest and grimy, a historical epic with a bombastic pulse. The pacing is brisk and episodic, moving from victory to victory toward a sombre end. Its emotional register is heroic idealism shading into grief and betrayal, centred on a young woman who is cast out and then consumed by the forces around her. The intensity is high: sustained battle carnage with bloodshed, sexual violence including rape, and a harrowing execution by burning at the stake. It suits a long weekend afternoon for viewers who enjoy big, unapologetic medieval spectacle, and it is best for adults who can sit through brutal material.
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