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Retiring the Maid: The Last Joan of Arc Movie

2003; University of Toronto Press; Volume: 3; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.3138/jrpc.3.1.003

1703-289X

Peggy Maddox,

Photography and Visual Culture

Joan of Arc’s fascination for cinematographers began in 1895. Until 1999, Joan was presented in essentially religious and heroic terms, but then came Luc Besson’s The Messenger. Besson’s Joan, portrayed by Milla Jovovich, is neither heroic nor saintly. Besson’s nontraditional interpretation of the historical facts, and his studied manipulation of archetypal imagery, redefine Joan of Arc as an unbalanced woman explicable by Freudian psychology. In stripping Joan of her heroism and final certainties, the Besson film works to extinguish her value as either religious icon or female role model. More than a review, the following essay on The Messenger is an analysis of the way in which this film completely reshapes the popular image of Joan of Arc.