The manipulation of time is crucial to the hero's journey in The Passion of Joan of Arc. Though in reality, Joan's trial took place over the course of 18 months--Dreyer concentrates it into just under an hour and a half. Despite this condensation of material, time moves very slowly. It also moves linearly, which really helps to emphasize Joan's own journey. As I'm sure you all know, this film is notable for is use of close up shots, particularly of Joan's face. While this film style is important for a number of reasons, it really emphasizes how slow and torturous of a process this was for Joan as an individual.
As Campbell says, "If you realize what the real problem is--losing yourself, giving yourself to some higher end, or to another--you realize that this itself is the ultimate trial. When we quit thinking primarily about ourselves and our own self-preservation, we undergo a truly heroic transformation of consciousness" (126.) In the first half of the film, Joan is very much struggling to maintain her own self preservation. The passage of time here is agonizingly slow, as Joan is dealing with the anguish of all of these men who believe her to be following the message of Satan. The first spark of a transformation occurs when Joan enters the torture chamber, and is enlightened with the knowledge that she will be alone with God if she does not confess, and time instantly picks up with the spinning of this torture wheel (no clue what it is, sadly my knowledge on 15th century torture devices is slim.)
After Joan finally reaches her revelation, time begins to move at a rate closer to real time. This is indicative of Joan letting go of all of her anguish and fears, and her transcendence of human limitations. No longer does she feel the need to be held back by the words of those who have condemned her--she knows that the only way to God now is to not only sacrifice her self-preservation, but her life. It is once she has accepted this fate that Joan confidently takes the final steps in her quest towards both holiness and heroism.
At this point, though, Joan's moral resolve is not yet strong enough for her to complete her spiritual journey to heroism. She ends up fainting, and time again reverts to almost a standstill. Joan's true transformation occurs right after she finally makes the mistake of agreeing to sign the confession. Almost two minutes of film time is devoted to the shaving of Joan's head--an impressive amount for a usually trivial task. But it is in these moments that Joan sacrifices her self-preservation for her true journey towards God. She even vocally admits that she has "renounced God to save her life."
After Joan finally reaches her revelation, time begins to move at a rate closer to real time. This is indicative of Joan letting go of all of her anguish and fears, and her transcendence of human limitations. No longer does she feel the need to be held back by the words of those who have condemned her--she knows that the only way to God now is to not only sacrifice her self-preservation, but her life. It is once she has accepted this fate that Joan confidently takes the final steps in her quest towards both holiness and heroism.
It's quite impressive how much research you put into your blog posts. I'm glad to have been given this new perspective on time. The movie moves at quite a slow pace, making sure that the viewer understands every part of Joan's struggle. It is quite interesting how the trial was actually 18 months long as the hour and a half I watched seemed plenty long enough. I'm glad you took this unique approach to analyze The Passion of Joan of Arc.
ReplyDeleteI remember from reading the assigned reading, Joan of Arc and Cinema, that "the film was shot chronologically to further increase the feeling of authenticity in the actors." This relates to your point about how realistic the timing feels during the film, sometimes agonizingly slow, sometimes fast, sometimes at a standstill. I've never heard of a film actually being shot chronologically, so this is another way Dreyer's movie stands out.
ReplyDeleteI did not think of time in this film in that perspective which has opened my eyes to a new view. I do agree that her struggle with becoming a hero rested in her struggle with giving of her life. It is evident throughout the film that she is in agony in giving up the ultimate sacrifice. But, when her transformation becomes evident as you showed in the shaving of her head, it is clear that she has become a new person and is willing to sacrifice herself to change the world for the better and is determined to stay true to God.
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