The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc 4K 1999 Ultra HD 2160p

Story Movie

The 15th century. Joan of Arc finds her home village in flames. Invaders rape and kill her older sister. Jeanne goes to Chinon to the Dauphin Charles to ask to join the army. The pious young maiden receives a detachment of soldiers and inflicts several defeats on the English and lifts the siege of Orleans. The name of Joan of Arc is on everyone's lips, the soldiers believe in her and are ready for new feats.

Review 4K Movie

Another film adaptation of the life and death of Joan of Arc is in the works, with (presumably) Bella Ramsey in the title role. Maybe I'm just getting old, but I have a feeling that Baz Luhrmann, who has lost his sense of taste and proportion, won't be able to surpass Luc Besson's film, in which Hollywood's most underrated star gave her best performance. After all, The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999) is too well-made, while American films of recent years are nothing but low-quality rubber graphene.

No matter how many times I rewatch this film, I am always amazed at how it has not lost any of its coolness. There are no flat or forgettable characters here; on the contrary, they are all vivid, with personality, humor, and character. Gilles de Rais, Jean d'Aulon, and Dunoix are like family to me; I feel like I know everything about them.

And, of course, Joan (Milla Jovovich). Over the years, my admiration for this girl has only grown and strengthened. Getting into a role that was previously played by the greatest actresses in history, Renée Falconetti and Ingrid Bergman, is a huge responsibility. Jovovich took up the baton more than adequately, humanizing the mythical heroine. Maybe the real Joan of Arc wasn't like that, who knows? But in any case, Milla breathed the lively spirit of youth into this role.

Her Joan is not a ceremonial portrait, but a tireless, goal-driven girl with burning green eyes. She shouts at the top of her lungs, breaking her voice, urging the soldiers not to give up, and you believe her. Because she is real, combative, and pure of heart. Such courageous people make history, infecting everyone around them with fearlessness.

Jane Valentine proved herself no less impressive in the role of 8-year-old Joan. At the beginning of the film, we see how gentle she was as a child; how little Jeanne enjoyed the simple things in life and played carefree in harmony with nature. And then we see what war is like through the eyes of a defenseless child. Nightmarish horrors come to life, thoroughly traumatizing the fragile psyche of the little girl. And then, having survived a monstrously terrible shock, Jeanne's childish brain copes as best it can, choosing the path of hyper-substitution.

Of course, all great people are driven by trauma — trials that, by some miracle, they were able to overcome. And the Maid of Orleans was no exception; she put all her pain and all her fury into the successful struggle for the lives of her oppressed compatriots. Joan could not give up, could not retreat; she fought until her powers were exhausted. She was a true patriot, a martyr, and a saint. Milla Jovovich portrayed d'Arc's desperation and uncompromising nature so passionately that, for me, there is no other version of this woman in cinema. Eternal memory to the folk heroine of France, and thanks to Luc Besson for making a stunningly beautiful tragedy about her.