Calling all fans of silent film; of great movie music; and especially all fans of Tristero, who has been posting since the beginning of this year over at Digby’s place.
Turner Classic Movies is showing the 1928 Carl Dreyer film
The Passion of Joan of Arc tonight at 12:15 AM Eastern Time
–that’s 11:15 PM Central Time for those of us here in Minnesotistan.
Of special interest is the musical score accompanying this silent film:
The Passion of Joan of Arc is undoubtedly one of the most difficult silent films to score effectively; one could even argue that it is, atypically for silent films, best viewed without music. There is always a danger that the prospective composer or arranger will fall back on cliched notions of “spirituality” without somehow confronting the film’s radically experimental style. The searing close-ups, off-centered framings and disjunctive editing are, after all, an important source of the film’s emotional power. The 1951 version distributed by Lo Duca, for instance, appropriates music by Bach, Vivaldi and Albinoni in an attempt to impose a comforting sense of piety on the proceedings.
The version broadcast on TCM is accompanied by Richard Einhorn’s acclaimed 1994 oratorio Voices of Light, which has often been performed in conjunction with the film in recent years, though it is also designed to be performed independently. The voice of Jeanne is sung by Anonymous 4, a leading female vocal quartet specializing in medieval music; texts quoted in the oratorio include writings by the famed medieval feminist writer Christine de Pizan and male ‘misogynist’ writers from roughly the same era. The bell sounds were recorded at the church in Domremy, Jeanne’s birthplace.
For those of you who missed Digby’s reminder, composer Richard Einhorn is also the blogger Tristero.
It wasn’t a secret, but many of us didn’t know it, so there was much whooping and exclaiming in greater Blogistan when Digby pointed out the identity of Einhorn’s alter ego.
I’ve been waiting ever since for this movie to show up on TCM, and tonight’s finally the night. That time once again:
The Passion of Joan of Arc
on TCM (Turner Classic Movies; check your cable company’s listings)
tonight, Sunday September 3rd, at
11:15 PM Central Time
12:15 AM Eastern Time
on Sep 3rd, 2006 at 1:03 pm
Wow! Thanks.
on Sep 3rd, 2006 at 2:59 pm
I saw this movie on TCM last year, I think. I think it had the same score, but won’t swear to it.
It’s a very moving film. Good on you for alerting people to it!
on Sep 3rd, 2006 at 5:09 pm
The history of the film is pretty amazing, too…
http://www.imagesjournal.com/issue08/reviews/joanofarc/text.htm
on Sep 4th, 2006 at 4:36 pm
Well, the youngest Observer offspring and I stayed up late to watch it. Some movie, I gotta say.
on Sep 5th, 2006 at 9:06 am
Both kids and I stayed up to watch it. Amazing. Unforgettable.
The boys remarked about how “weird-looking” Mlle. Falconetti’s eyes were, while I kept thinking (with rising rage)about how religion has screwed us over through the ages. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
on Sep 5th, 2006 at 9:40 am
Unfortunately, I kept thinking about that joke where we are asked why it is God talking to President Bush through a banana is considered crazy, but the elimination of the banana turns it into faith.
on Sep 11th, 2007 at 2:34 pm
You can watch this movie Free anytime at MaidofHeaven.com
http://www.maidofheaven.com