In The Passion of Joan
of Arc, the camera angles in the scene where a group of men enter Joan’s
cell to taunt her and place a crown on her head emphasize Joan’s passivity and
each man’s dominance.
In Robin Blaetz’ Joan
of Arc and the Cinema, she states about the film, “Heads loom high in the
frame or are compressed into corners to express relations of power and
spiritual states.” (p. 150) At the beginning of the scene, Joan’s close-up
depicts her looking up. This camera angle reveals Joan’s hopeless state as she
cowers in anticipation of things to come.
The minute that the three men enter the room, Joan expresses a look of terror. The camera angle still captures her upward glance to assert the authority that the men have over her and to reveal her inability to control the situation.
As one of the men approaches Joan with a sharp object, the camera angle depicts him looking down at her. This man has complete control of the situation, while Joan must quietly endure the torment.
Likewise, the close-up of the second man shows his downward glare at Joan as he makes a fool of her by placing a crown on her head.
Each angle strategically allows the viewer to understand the divide in power between Joan and her oppressors. This helps viewers to experience the film from a very real perspective. The camera angles add to the drama of the scene by exaggerating the already obvious predator-prey relationships between Joan and the men. This visual emphasis makes for a more realistic representation of Joan’s suffering and the tragic story of her martyrdom.
Blaetz states, “The film’s title announces that the scope of
La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc is limited to Joan’s suffering and initiates a
comparison with the tribulations of Christ.” (p. 150) The placement of a crown
on Joan’s head in this scene is a literal interpretation of Joan’s parallel to
Jesus Christ’s crown of thorns.
I believe that Dreyer wrote this film the way he did so that,
in addition to understanding the torment that Joan of Arc faced, viewers might
have a better picture of Christ’s suffering. Each man’s demeaning treatment of
Joan and downward glance on her destitute form present a very real
representation of what Jesus experienced in the days leading up to his
crucifixion.
I do agree with your interpretation of this scene. This scene parallels the passion of Jesus when he was ridiculed, bullied, and then made to wear the crown of thorns in mockery. Joan is ridiculed by these men and made to wear a crown all in the same fashion as Jesus. This film definitely represents Joan in parallel with Jesus, but I think the reason for this might be that her story and Jesus's passion are both so well known that the movie is made to emulate the parallels between these to show that both gave their lives in order to save mankind and better the society. Also, when she looks up in anticipation of her tormentors, I also believe that this reveals her devotion and trust to God knowing that she must endure this for the sake of bettering the world.
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