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Joan Of Arc - The Messenger [DVD] [2000]
 
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Joan Of Arc - The Messenger [DVD] [2000]

DVD ~ Milla Jovovich
3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Actors: Milla Jovovich, John Malkovich, Dustin Hoffman, Faye Dunaway, Tchéky Karyo
  • Directors: Luc Besson
  • Format: Anamorphic, PAL
  • Language English, German
  • Subtitles: English, German, Hindi, Turkish, Danish, Icelandic, Swedish, Hungarian, Polish, Arabic, Dutch, Finnish, Croatian, Czech, Greek
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: 15
  • Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
  • DVD Release Date: 1 Jan 2008
  • Run Time: 151 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B00004YA9W
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 13,773 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

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Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review

Over the years, many film directors have attempted to tell the story of legendary 15th-century heroine Joan of Arc, a simple country girl who claimed she was inspired by God to lead the French troops in a victorious assault on the mighty English army. Luc Besson's 1999 epic might not be the best version of her life, but it's certainly the biggest. The movie cost a reported $60 million. Even if you are terminally unimpressed by the scale of such recent blockbusters as Gladiator, your eyes will pop out at the sheer number of bodies (living and dead) that Besson has assembled for the dynamic battle scenes. The lavish sets and costumes are almost equally gobsmacking, though neither will show to maximum advantage on the small screen. That's a pity because size is the only thing Joan of Arc really has going for it--as a human drama, it falls completely flat.

The historical Joan was eventually made a saint by the Catholic Church, and earlier biopics tended to treat her celestial visions as literal fact. It was probably a mistake for Besson and his co-screenwriter Andrew Birkin to take a more psychological approach and present them as figments of her hysterical imagination. It makes it hard to work up the necessary empathy when the spectacle revolves around a confused and neurotic babe who couldn't organise a Tupperware party, let alone a vast military campaign. Milla Jovovich (the star of Besson's previous The Fifth Element and formerly his wife) doesn't help matters with her shrill and amateurish performance. But a couple of the supporting players are passably amusing--John Malkovich camps it up energetically as Charles, the dispossessed French king whom Joan reinstates, while Faye Dunaway wears outlandish headgear and carries on like a science-fiction creation in the role of his scheming mother-in-law. (The less said the better about Dustin Hoffman's pompous turn as Joan's personified conscience.) Besson keeps to the same glossy visual style even when the Maid is burning at the stake, but it isn't enough to prevent this empty shell of a movie from being a colossal yawn. --Peter Matthews

Special Features

2.35 Wide Screen
16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
DVD 9
German
English
Region 2
Dolby Digital 5.1 English German
Dolby Digital 5.1
Filmographies
Isolated Score
Making Of Featurette
Teaser Trailer
Trailer
Arabic\Bulgarian\Croatian\Czech\Danish\Dutch\English\Finnish\German\Greek\Hebrew\Hindi\Hungarian\Icelandic\Norwegian\Polish\Swedish\Turkish
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Customer Reviews

31 Reviews
5 star:
 (10)
4 star:
 (8)
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 (6)
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Average Customer Review
3.5 out of 5 stars (31 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Much maligned but I liked it, 17 May 2007
By Jay "The Amazon Reviewer" (Mauritius) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc [DVD] [2000] (DVD)
Luc Besson has a reputation for spectacular movies such as Taxi, Leon, The Fifth Element, etc. Joan of Arc is no exception. It details the life of Jeanne, the maiden of Lorraine, who in and around the year 1431, helped France defeat England, and win a war that has lasted for almost an entire century. The plot is great, and paced well. The performances that impressed me the most, however, were those of Milla Jovovich and Dustin Hoffman, as Jeanne and her conscience, respectively. They never cease to amaze me. The characters were well-written and credible. I liked the way the film seems to question Jeanne's sanity; whereas most believe that she *was* in fact, sent by God, this film sits down and asks the question, if she really was, or if the signs and miracles weren't all in her head, and caused by everyone wanting to believe it. The very last scenes especially puts doubt in the viewer. It was quite a gutsy move by Besson, to question his own country's hero. I will admit, the film does really make it seem more like she is crazy rather than sent by God, but it doesn't feel like Besson is pushing his view onto us, telling us that that's the way it was; it feels more like he tries to make us question it. The action and the war scenes were very well done, very chaotic and disturbing, very intense and bloody.
All in all, a very enjoyable war-drama, with an authentic story and some well-done battle sequences. I recommend it to fans of the actors, of Luc Besson's other work and of war movies/dramas in general. Just don't expect a full-out war movie; it's two hours and thirty minutes long, and I don't think more than forty-five minutes in total are spent fighting.
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19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Riveting epic, 6 May 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Joan of Arc-the Messenger [VHS] (VHS Tape)
I really enjoyed this film. Contrary to Amazon's review, I felt that Milla gave a riveting performance as Joan, making her a sympathetic, but real, warts and all, character. The portrayal of her God given messages are suited to today's more sceptic audiences. The film never really answers the question were they real or not, which is a positive point, as no one really knows. It's nice not to be offered simple answers. On a personal level it's the interaction between Joan and the generals that interested me most, and which gives the film a human aspect. I know very little about the real Joan of Arc, but this film makes me want to find out more, which is what historic films should do. The battle sequences were honestly brutal - making Gladiator look tame by comparison. Not a film for the faint hearted but fascinating for anyone who wants to watch a complex film that doesn't insult the audience by offering a lame, cliched solution.!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb interpretation of story of Joan of Arc, 1 May 2006
This review is from: The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc [DVD] [2000] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC] (DVD)
First saw this film a year ago - and was immediately struck by the dynamic, Oscar-deserving performance by Mila Jovovich as Joan. Energetic, mystical, obsessed - all the things a religious military leader would be. Mila Jovovich also portrays the vulnerability of the character, her almost manic alternating bouts of self-doubt and then supreme self confidence (fuelled by the strength of her medieval faith). An excellent film, in parts quite gory - but realistic battle scenes are bound to be bloody. Watch this film sometime.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars I loved this movie!
I loved it not only because it was the portrayal of one of the most studied women of medieval Europe, but because of the strong and definitive angles that Luc Besson, the... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Jessica

4.0 out of 5 stars "I don't think. I leave that to God. I'm nothing in all this, I'm just the Messenger."
A few unfortunate lines of dialogue aside, it's hard to see why Luc Besson's epic was met with such derision - it's full of some terrific film-making, the battles are the right... Read more
Published 7 months ago by Trevor Willsmer

1.0 out of 5 stars An Obviously Biased Portrayal
This movie was very disappointing in that it represents Joan of Arc as a psychotic rather than the truly amazing, courageous, sane individual that she actually was. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Ben

3.0 out of 5 stars Not an epic, but still very good
I found this film very informative and interesting to watch, it's not a film with alot of action which may disappoint some people, but I had no problem with it. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Dazman

1.0 out of 5 stars Very poor direction
A very unconvincing film in which Joan one of the true heroes of France and indeed the world is projected as a neurotic fruit cake. Read more
Published on 20 Jan 2008 by qwakko

3.0 out of 5 stars An interesting Joan, but not my Joan
Oh dear! Having come fresh from seeing Shaw's play about Joan of Arc at the National Theatre, and having been inspired then to read histories of her and her times, I was curious... Read more
Published on 28 Oct 2007 by Nicholas Casley

5.0 out of 5 stars Milla Jovovich shines
I wished to watch a 5 star movie that was both entertaining and original...so i bought this at a bargin price, and all i can say is WOW! Read more
Published on 6 Sep 2007 by Setzer Fan

4.0 out of 5 stars Could be a lot better and less naively simpleminded
This is not the best film by Besson. In fact it is in many ways incredibly naive and superficial, even in its desire to look and sound profound. Read more
Published on 23 Nov 2006 by Jacques COULARDEAU

1.0 out of 5 stars Action without the accuracy
If you are looking for a film that has plenty of action and lots of blood and guts, then this film is great. Read more
Published on 10 Oct 2006 by Thomas Webber

4.0 out of 5 stars A modern interpretation of Joan of Arc's life
This film takes an an unusual approach to the historical narrative of Joan of Arc short life by probing the borderlands of mystical experience and psychology, so it may not be... Read more
Published on 13 July 2006 by golden meadows

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