Exploring film and faith in the Secondary Phase
 Signs and Revelation
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (Note)
(start at 202 minutes and end at 206 minutes)
In exploring the content of this clip it is important to appreciate the cinematic techniques used and to encourage pupils to consider these when they discuss their responses to the film.
Cinematic Points to consider:
- Compare and contrast the two characters in this clip - direction/acting, make up, costume, voices - what do these tell us about their very different emotional states?
- What do the camera angles and the cutting between the cell and the field tell us about the 'reality' of Joan's experience?
- The visitor is filmed mainly in 'close up' - what is this technique trying to convey?
Points for Teachers to consider:
Warning: this scene is not representative of much of the rest of the film, which includes rape and graphic battle scenes.
Key Questions that may be useful to explore in unpacking this clip:
The cinematic presentation indicates that the visitor (played by Dustin Hoffman and listed as 'The Conscience' in the credits) is not physically in the room with Joan - who is he and where does he come from?
The music that accompanies the visitor's description of the supernatural appearance of the sword in the field was also used in the film The Omen (Note) about the appearance and demonic influence of the anti-Christ on earth. Does the director's use of this particular score alter the pupils' perceptions about the character of the visitor? Does it give new insight into what the visitor's intentions might be as he gets Joan to reflect upon her experiences? Can the pupils suggest an alternative score for this clip?
Joan believes that she has received several signs: the wind, the ringing clouds, the dancer and the sword. The visitor reiterates her list and offers several alternative explanations for the sword being in the field. What are they? If the visitor is correct and the sword got there by any of the means he suggests does that mean that Joan finding the sword was not a sign from God?
How do you think this encounter will affect Joan's faith: in herself, her mission and in God?
This film has been accused of taking liberties with the story of Joan of Arc - there is no historical record of this encounter ever taking place. Is the inclusion of such a fictional scene justifiable in a 'biography' if its inclusion seeks to tell us something about the nature of Joan's faith?
 The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999, 15) The Omen (1976, 18) |
