Visual Communication in The Passion of Joan of Ark

In The Passion of Joan of Ark, Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer uses the camera and setting in a new and interesting way to connect the audience with character of Joan. Because of the specific visual techniques Dreyer utilizes, the audience is instantly drawn into the story. The very first scene begins with one of the few wide-shots of the film. The camera is behind a crowd of people.

 Due to the contextual knowledge we have on the story of Joan of Ark and the setting of the movie, it is clear to the audience that this is the jury which is going to judge our heroine. The shot is interesting because it is a point of view shot from just behind the crowd. The camera smoothly pans the room and we see the many different types of men in the courtroom. As the wide shot panorama of the room is finished. The movie begins using short, close-up shots of the main characters and objects. This pattern of close-ups will persist for the remainder of the film, especially with single shots of Joan, meanwhile, shots of other characters will alternate between close-up and medium shots. Due to the high number of close-up shots, there is very little contextual information given about the setting. There is usually one wide shot of a setting, such as the torture chamber, but after the initial wide shot, it is unclear where the characters are standing in the context of the setting. I found this technique very interesting because it caused me to really focus on the characters. The characters were all I was allowed to look at throughout the film, and due to this, I was drawn to engage with them.

The angles used throughout the film, especially during close-up shots, were thought-provoking and caused for very interesting pictures to be created. For a few characters, mainly for Joan, he chose to put the camera at angles either above the head, as though it was the point of view of God, or from below.

Dreyer brings many meaningful images and visuals throughout the film that inspire feelings within the audience. My favorite was the tableaux created by the grave digger. The image involved a skull on a mound of dirt and the smallest image of a cross in the background that appeared to also be on the same mound of dirt. This are juxtaposed images that would one not see everyday, yet they communicate a clear and powerful message to the viewer. Through the use of the visual techniques, I think Dreyer accomplishes what Stan Brakhage expects artists to accomplish: showing the viewer the world from a different perspective.