Throughout watching The Passion of Joan of Arc it is apparent that Carl T. Dreyer values human facial expression. He uses it as a great tool in order to evoke emotion from his viewer. More importantly, he uses it as an asset of differentiating the 'good' from the 'evil' or as Eliade put it, the 'sacred' and the 'profane.' More specifically, by analyzing the facial expressions and eye contact of the characters in this film, one can understand the hierophany/theophany that can be found in this film.
Let's take a quick refresher: in layman's terms, what would Eliade call hierophany and theophany? Hierophany is a manifestation of the sacred--this is easily identified as Joan, a young girl thrown into the gauntlet, being persecuted by those who are by definition of the church 'sacred' (quite an ironic story). We also have theophany-- an appearance of a god to a human being, essentially the reason why Joan is in this big ole mess in the first place.
Let's being by seeing how Joan's persecutors are portrayed. Eye contact in this film is extraordinarily important, and it is simple to see how the director wants us to feel towards these characters. Below are some pictures of Joan's persecutors:
Look at how these characters are portrayed- these profane characters. In the first picture, the eyes remain unseen behind a shadow. In the second, a glazed ghostly look. In the third, a menacing closeup of eyes that judge and eyes that condemn. Finally, a shot at eyes through a prison door, watching and waiting.
During the movie Joan is told by these men that she was sent not by St. Michael, but by Satan. She retorts that it is they who have been sent by the devil. Taking a long at these pictures one would have to agree with Joan. Not connecting with the viewer as men of the church are supposed to connect (with feelings of reverence and holiness), the viewer is shown the faces of some of the seven deadly virtues: Wrath, Pride, and Envy (the devil's own instruments). These characters like an important aspect- and that is humanity. They have no humanity, they are the faces of the profane.
Joan as Sacred and as Heirophany
After watching The Passion of Joan of Arc, the viewer is very familiar with the face of Joan. Dreyer puts extra emphasis on her facial expression, making sure to incorporate every possible emotion the real Joan of Arc would have portrayed at her own trial. However, these long shots into Joan's beautiful big eyes evoke different emotions from the viewer than that of any other character. This girl, being put to death, is shown as sacred-- she is a heirophany by any standards. The feelings she emits are those of sacredness and holiness (to further emphasize Joan as heirophany) but also those of fear, pity, and sadness (she, sent here by God, is not holier among us but is just as human, this is what makes her so valuable- her humanity). Theophany exists as God Himself, who told Joan to be a leader and to defend France. She admits to not knowing how to read, her fingernails are dirty- this is a girl from humble beginnings who had been divinely inspired. In the last scene, Joan disappears from her fiery grave and it is assumed that she has been welcome into heaven as a daughter of God.
In conclusion, Dreyer makes excellent use of the characters' eye contact to label characters as either sacred or profane. It shows the character's humanity- or in some cases, the lack thereof. It is an efficient tool, especially in a silent film, that draws the viewer into the film and creates cinematic gold.
Excellent point. To accentuate the effect of the silent movie, I watched the first half of the film with no score or subtitles, and I was able to follow the plot quite well. It was great camera work and excellent casting work to create the effect. One of the things I found interesting was how sightlines didn't always match up. One particular scene I found interesting was when Joan (and the camera) deliberately look about 3 feet above the heads of her accusers. It makes them look small and on an entirely lower plane that Joan. Dreyer was truly a master of non-verbal communication.
ReplyDeleteI love your take on Dreyer's specific focus and repetition of eyes in the film. Eye contact is such an important part to physical human connection. What I find interesting is that we rarely, if not ever, are shown intense eye contact between characters in the same shot. We see only close-up images of particular characters, using "shot-reverse-shot" techniques. Dreyer provides each vital character their personal time and personal space on the screen. Again, this is another way Dreyer marks the importance of building that close and personal connection with the characters.
ReplyDeleteGood point on how the physical representation of eyes symbolizes sacred and profane individuals. I think this can be further extended to the dialogue of these individuals to show that their questions/answers suggest a sacred or profane understanding of the world. For example, when the Judges ask about Saint Michael, Joan only responds to one of the many ignorant questions posed, "Was he naked?" To which Joan responds, "Do you not believe that God would have clothes for him?" Her reply shows that she understands the morality of God, which is further supported by her actions throughout the film--for example, Joan refuses to wear a dress to church, a technicality that the theologians are concerned with, while Joan seeks only to hear the message of God. I think Joan's subtle, yet telling, response emphasizes that she represents a physical manifestation of the sacred.
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