olivia porazzi I just finished watching this movie with my history class and we all enjoyed it. The acting was pretty good, but there were scenes when I felt that the young actress playing Joan could be doing so much better. She was okay and did a phenomenal job in some scenes but in others, she fell completely flat. Neal Patrick Harris was amazing as the king, and to be perfectly honest, I never thought he had it in him. when I saw his name in the credits I was like, "Oh, boy," but he was really good.Peter O'Toole was...well, he was Peter O'Toole. He was the real gem of the picture. Playing the role of the conflicted bishop, his performance was by far the strongest. The movie is rather long but I think it is well worth the watch.

yourke I had to write a comment after reading the previous one. I found this to be a very refreshingly straightforward rendition of the Joan of Arc story that taught me, as one who only knows the story from movies, a great deal about the political and social realities at the time, including the hunger for real leadership and real spiritual authority. Not too different from our own times now. Apparently a great deal of research was done, including a thorough reading of the transcripts of Joan's actual trial in the original French, to get both the setting and Joan's personality right. And I think it shows. It certainly held my interest, and nothing about its budget distracted me. Plus they did not make her a complete victim - she knew enough to go willingly to the stake. And that's a courageous move on the part of the film's creators which adds that final necessary element of spiritual integrity. Enough so I willingly cried many times through it without feeling manipulated... these matters of soul and spirit felt real to me, and for a skeptical Scorpio like me that's high praise for work well done.

richtxn What can I say ? Many, many inaccuracies; oh, let's just call it "historical fiction". The basic storyline is complete, just overlook the fictional parts. E.g. : Neither Baudricourt nor the Dauphin ever saw Joan on her first attempt to gain an audience with either of them. I will list all the mistakes I have found, so far, on a 'movie mistake' web site.Leelee does okay, but the best actor is, by far, Peter O'Toole, of course. Certainly, Peter Strauss does very well, as does Neil Patrick Harris.Be sure to buy the CD from a dealer. The rental is cut down and some minor parts are left out.

matjag This is a riveting presentation of the life of St. Joan of Arc that will bring tears to the eye and a deep appreciation of the faith of this farm girl from Lorraine, France. From a lowly child that almost didn't get to live past her day of birth to the single-most significant solidifying force of a woefully divided France under a weak King Charles, this emotionally charged, suspenseful film will pull the viewer deeply into the difficult, driven life of this 19 year old heroine who was both executed for heresy and canonized as a saint by the Church. The film is blessed with an excellent cast, fantastic scenery, great directing, and very believable script. The characterization is very round, with Joan herself portrayed as a holy and tortured soul in love with her faith and her Church. This dichotomy of simple faith and torturous self-doubt makes this film so palpable as to render the viewer more as a cast member than as a movie watcher. Beautiful!