Speaking of silent films, the simple and funny visual effects of "Watering the Gardener" and the extremely comedic conflict in Chaplin's films often make us marvel at the permanent artistic charm of silent films. In 1927, the Warner Company of the United States had already shot the world's first sound film "The King of Jazz" .
"The King of Jazz"
However, when the United States on the other side was brewing the arrival of Hollywood's heyday/announcing the end of the silent film era, the avant-garde film movement was sweeping across the European continent (of course, the division of artistic expression in the United States and Europe has continued to this day).
An international creative trend emerged at the historic moment, straddling the borders of European countries-combining German expressionism (scene management), French impressionism (camera movement), and Soviet montage (camera group) in one film. This is of course a deliberate initiative in the context of "the decline of the art film movement" and "the United States seized absolute market share in World War I", and at the same time, it is also an artistic consciousness.
This technique of collage embodies the most unique aesthetic style in the work "The Passion of Joan of Arc" directed by Danish director Carl Delaire , reaching the peak of the silent film period.
"The Passion of Joan of Arc"
The artist of the film is Herman Worm, who is famous all over the world with "Dr. Caligari's Cabin" (a representative work of German expressionism), and the photographer is French Rudolf Madai.
"Dr. Caligari's Cabin"
Joan does have a man in history.
The script of the film directly adopted the real dialogue records of the judges in the trial of Joan in the historical documents (in order to strengthen the dramatic effect, certain deletions and compressions were made). In addition, Joan of Arc in the film is by no means always awe-inspiring. She has also expressed timidity and self-doubt. She has also fainted due to the threat of punishment. She has also signed the trial to save her life.
"The Passion of Joan of Arc"
Dreyer insists on his realistic style, rejecting facial makeup, wigs, and gorgeous costumes.
Joan of Arc's real shaved hair in the film
The actor of Joan of Arc, Maria Fao Conneti, contributed to the first and last wonderful screen performance of her career. She showed her boundless suffering in the face of pain and became a self-contained system -this is what she endured and kneeled on the set The terrible pain of the earth, the expression of restraint from the sadness expressed over and over again.
"The Passion of Joan of Arc"
Such Joan of Arc is real and three-dimensional, exuding a saint-like pure and determined character arc on that stubbornly raised face (a space for interpretation of the ambiguity of the face welcoming the light).
Dreyer even built the largest and most luxurious miniature castle set in Europe at the time with the help of Herman Worm (the Danish Film Museum in Copenhagen now has a model of this scene), although the small amount of presentation in the film makes people wonder whether It is necessary.
The film also pays attention to the scene scheduling of a single shot , juxtaposing symbols in the depth shots to adapt to the visual expression of the character's psychology and spirit.
Bazin likened to the film "like a wonderful mural composed by the head," "is a documentary of the face" . The whole film is presented in close-ups and subtle facial changes , conveying a sense of emptiness of alienation of human nature in the gray background .
The most exciting and also the largest section of the film is the verbal battle between Joan of Arc and the bishop, which shows the illiterate national heroine's heartfelt piety and relief when facing the literary prison.
"Are you sure you will be rescued"
"Yes"
"Then you mean you are making atonement?"
"If I am, ask God to continue to forgive me. If I am not, ask God to give it to me."
Joan of Arc always looked up at the bishop and judge (silent training posture), and these executioners always faced him face down (aggressive in motion), moving/still, pitching/leaning . Visual aesthetics shows " the conflict of will between people " (Howard Lawson's words).
"The Passion of Joan of Arc" Bishops
The camera was facing Joan of Arc, listening clearly to the death of her body and the rebirth of her soul. Isn't this the "self" in the mirror ? A trial is a re-washing of the original holy mind, and it is an emotional sympathy achieved by Dreyer's proper use of the "Kurishov effect" .
In this way, facing the camera and ignoring the front and back fights deliberately or unintentionally, the performances and murmurs in the plot appear in large numbers in Ozu Yasujiro's films;
"The Taste of Saury" Ozu Yasujiro
The close-up of the face was used as the main technique in the 2018 Taiwanese documentary "Your Face".
"your face"
In that passage in the torture chamber, shots of various instruments of torture and close-ups of Joan’s desperate face appeared one after another, while the pen fell from her hand, increasing our understanding of the polymorphic elements in her entire state (Kracauer) ；
In the scene of the execution ground, the scenes of Joan on the torture table were cross-edited with scenes of nursing mothers, soldiers with guns, and crowded and angry monks and laymen. These two passages are combined with the solemn symphony of counterpoint rhythm, edited into a tragic visual symphony on the screen .
This kind of " juggling montage " played a huge psychological compensation role in the film, and accurately stimulated the audience's senses and psychology. In 1925, Eisenstein's classic passage of "Odessa Stairs" in "Battleship Potemkin" was so successful as a metaphor of thought and emotion.
"Battleship Potemkin"
The film seems to have a single technique, but there are many meaningful details in the religious color of the unified style. The bishop who asked Joan of Arc "Is there a halo on God's head?" There was just a circle left on his head in the Mediterranean;
When someone defended Joan, her face no longer lifted up like a scrutiny, but looked up;
In the close-up, her expression went through the stage of "lost-fear-despair-relief"...
In the film, the bishops attacked Joan about menswear. In fact, this not only fits the real history, but also an eternal issue : Does the power of women/women as strong as men touch the sensitive nerves of those in power? Are women under patriarchal power unable to resist? Isn't these hypocritical images of parents something to be wary of in any age? Is faith not worth mentioning?
When the sound enters the film in an unstoppable manner, the previous film techniques have to be repeated. If there is any regret in "The Passion of Joan of Arc" , it is generally recognized-the subtitle stuck from time to time has destroyed the rhythm and atmosphere of the film to a certain extent.
But this "mutilation" was not intentional by the director, but a helpless move under the pressure of many opponents to protest the new technology of using sound. It finally brought a perfect end to the end of the silent film era, and at the same time used its spirit of sacrifice to justify the arrival of the voice.
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Public Account: Director Gang (daoyanbangwx)
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