johnfearly

Very much enjoyed "Jeanette" / The Childhood of Joan of Arc. Both actresses playing very young Joan were very good. Right away, though, I need to state that I hope I can be forgiven for thinking that the first very charming actress portraying a younger version of the person, could not be surpassed, or replaced, by "an older version". For the first few minutes after, I mourned for "the loss" of the younger actress, while realizing that people -- including Joan of Arc -- do grow (agrandir, in French) whether or not one wants them to do so, also on celluloid. The actress who ably replaces the younger girl is, like life itself, something that sort of happens. Too, she is very, very good in the follow-up role.

This interpretation of Joan, a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, is quite intelligent, mature, thoughtful, and wise. Joan is suitably depicted as emotionally and spiritually mature for her age, quite athletic, and consistently attuned from a very early age to politics. Viewers will have their own opinions about the nuns, the sisters Gervaise. My own thinking is that the singing was in a French manner, projecting some things that are occasionally off-putting / antithetical / heretical? in terms of Christianity. Still, one should be aware that Joan lived c. 1412 to May 30, 1431, and the theology expressed may have been either the "zeitgeist" of the times, or that of the director nowadays. Either way, this is a movie worth seeing for aficionados of Jehanne d'Arc. One final note: When doing a film about Joan of Arc, I truly believe that one had better be French, or be very much immersed in the subject matter That being stated, I still feel sad for Jean Seberg, who play Joan in "Saint Joan". Finally, I very much applaud Bruno Dumont, the director.