The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc
What's hot about the upcoming movie

Article by David K. Wilson. Photos Courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment

"When I was thirteen, I heard a voice from God. The first time, I was terrified."

In the 14th century, French mystics foretold of a maid from the forests of Lorraine who would save France with her miracles

In the tiny peasant village of Domremy, this prophecy became reality

Soon this small voice in the heart of a simple girl had captivated her ruler, won her an army, and made believers of her countrymen

For over five centuries, she has been a blank slate on which thousands have written their obsessions, their hopes, their fears

She has been called a savior, a saint, a hero

A sorceress, a whore, a witch

Coming Soon to a Theater Near You

"The Messenger", directed by Luc Besson, is a modern retelling of the story of Joan of Arc, the young French maid who, in her late teens, answered the voice of God to defend her land and people, a young woman who took up arms in an era where women were considered little more than property, to install Charles VII as King of France against the wishes of the invading English, only to be betrayed, declared a heretic and witch, and burned at the stake.

The story of Joan of Arc has appeals on several levels - as a compelling story of Faith, of overcoming vast obstacles, of the power of one woman in a world of men, of both inspiration and loss, triumph and tragedy. And also naturally this film appeals to many of us as students of the sword and its use and place in history, as there are certain to be lots of swords (and other edged weapons) scattered throughout this film!

But many of us are wary of cinema's track record when it comes to dealing with history - let's face it, the old adage "don't take your history from film" is very valid advice! Even the most historically accurate films have flaws, many in the name of "artisitic license", preserving continuity, and keeping the story within 2 or 3 hours in length. The purpose of cinema is to entertain first, and historical accuracy often looses out to the primary concern.

But keeping a knowledge of the limitations of film in mind, how will "The Messenger" hold up? Of course, we won't know all the details until the film is released and people with the proper historical perspective can comment on it. Until then, however, SFMO's staff does have access to some pre-production notes from the producers of this film, as well as a couple production stills.

There are some interesting observations from these preproduction notes which we can comment on - there isn't a whole lot of specific information there, but we can glean a few observations from it, and give you a glimpse into this upcoming film.



Weapons and Armor

We are sure to see plenty of nasty 15th century implements of destruction - besides swords, there will be axes and "masses" (Sic - Maces, I do believe), as well as various polearms, daggers, bows, and siege engines. Production stills show of the ubiquitous military flail, known variously as a Morning Star or Holy Water Sprinkler. The production notes go so far to say that the weapons used in the film are the same weights as original ones -- this sounds promising. We now know that real medieval swords were not ponderously heavy, but in fact were light and well-balanced. They had to be! Of course, when filming battle scenes for a movie, with on-again, off-again, multiple takes action, even a feather could get ponderous after a while!

The armour is also "real". I take that to mean "steel". A weight of (approx) 20 lbs. was mentioned for the suit that Milla Jovovich (Joan of Arc) wears - this isn't too far out of line with reality. It sounds like most of the armour will be "distressed" for that "used in battle" look - a little of that "middle age grunge" look that is popular in period cinema nowadays.


Battle Scenes

We're promised some "up close and personal" combat in this film - large scenes with lots of claustrophobic mayhem. Very brutal and very dirty - there is going to be little in the way of finesse here. They mentioned shoving 400 warriors into one courtyard, in one particular battle scene!



Historical Authenticity and Research

It sounds like a great deal of research was undertaken on this production. Milla Jovovich herself read up on Joan of Arc (appropriate, since she is playing the lead role), focusing on St. Joan's heresy trial. A lot of the research was conducted at the Joan of Arc Museum in Orleans, France (where there are over 16,000 documents available on Joan of Arc alone! Of course, we don't know how many of those were consulted....) Some of the "props" used actually date from the period. Artworks from the period were consulted for costume design. An exact replication of the Tourelles (a bridge over the Loire, where one of the major battles occured) is promised as well. Authentic dialogue will be used as well - especially in the trial scene, in which the actual words of Joan (as recorded by the court) will be used.



The Cast

Milla Jovovich, who portrays St. Joan, may be familiar to viewers from "The Fifth Element". In that film, she displayed a combination of winsome innocence and "kick-butt" feminism, as well as athleticism - a combination which should translate well to the role of Joan.

Dustin Hoffman plays a rather mysterious role - "The Voice of Joan's Conscience", a voice that causes her to question her actions while she is imprisoned on heresy charges.

And John Malkovich (Charles the VII) is no stranger to period/costume roles before (Man in the Iron Mask, Dangerouis Liaisons, Mary Reilly) and he's also no stranger to being the heavy or bad guy (In The Line of Fire). He does have a great screen presence. And he won't fake a cheesy accent!

A Promising Premise

A great degree of historical research, combined with a compelling story - sounds like a winner! Whether this production will prove to be superior to the recent TV version of Joan of Arc - or any other version in cinema - remains to be seen. And it also remains to be seen how all this research and striving for authenticity will translate to the large-screen medium. The proof, as they say, is in the pudding; Will this movie be true to history and to the legend and memory of St. Joan of Arc, the young woman who took up arms and led men to victory over an invading enemy, or will it be one more addition to Hollywood's historical heresy? One can hope - with some enthusiasm.

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