14/04/2024
𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸
The Passion of Joan of Arc
Friday 3 May, 9.00pm
Spiritual rapture and institutional hypocrisy come to stark, vivid life in one of the most transcendent masterpieces of the silent film era.
It’s difficult to envision a purer, more pared-down work of cinematic art than Carl Theodor Dreyer’s wrenching, intensely focused 1928 film The Passion of Joan of Arc. The film is often talked about in terms of its use of the close-up, and indeed, its most memorable visual component is the central, repeated image of actress Renée Falconetti as the martyred Maid of Orleans, her haunted face so tightly framed, looming so large that we can’t escape her fear, sadness, and horror—or her final spiritual elation.
Chronicling the trial of Joan of Arc in the hours leading up to her ex*****on, Danish master Dreyer depicts her torment with startling immediacy, employing an array of techniques—expressionistic lighting, interconnected sets, painfully intimate close-ups—to immerse viewers in her subjective experience.
The Passion is perhaps a tribute even more to the power of the cinematic image than to its sainted subject; this screening of one of cinema’s great works comes with a new live score composed by the incomparable Matthew Nolan, who we’re delighted to welcome back to Sound! after his memorable appearance at last year’s event with his rescored take on Solaris, in collaboration with Seán Mac Erlaine, Thomas Haugh, and Sharon Phelan.
For this performance, Matthew (electric guitar / synths / electronics / percussion) will be joined by an ensemble that includes Sharon Phelan (vocalist, field-recordings), Seán Mac Erlaine (reeds / piano / electronics / percussion), Thomas Haugh (percussion), and guest vocalist Ceara Conway.
(1928, France, subtitled, 81 mins)
🔗 https://regionalculturalcentre.com/events/the-passion-of-joan-of-arc-with-live-musical-accompaniment/
