In praise of the Falconetti and some half-remembered guy
Born in Pantin, Seinne-Saint-Denis, Falconetti became a stage actress in Paris in 1918. Carl Dreyer watched her act in an amateur theatre and selected her as his leading lady in his upcoming production La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc, Falconetti was 35 years old when she played the role of 19-year-old Joan of Arc in La Passion. Her portrayal is widely considered one of the most astonishing performances ever committed to film, and it would remain her final cinematic role.
Many writers have claimed that Falconetti's performance was the result of extreme cruelty at the hands of Dreyer, a notoriously demanding director who pushed her to the brink of emotional collapse.
However, in their biography of Dreyer, Jean and Dale Drum say that these stories are based only on rumour. "Dreyer and Falconetti would watch the rushes of a single scene together, seven or eight times, until Dreyer could pick out a little bit, maybe a few feet, where the effect was what they wanted, and when they reshot the scene, she could play it without the least inhibition. Just those few feet of film had inspired her." Later, Falconetti became able to play scenes only from Dreyer's explanations, without the need even for rehearsal.
Cruelty or not, something resonates deeply from this performance and although I can’t really remember the guy’s name who showed me this extraordinary film on that hung-over morning twenty-five years ago, I would like to thank him, anyway. He did good. The Passion of Joan of Arc showed me the way.