In France ,many people know the color version of the story (1961) by André Hunebelle starring Jean Marais which had undergone lots of changes ,particularly concerning the female character ; although fairly entertaining , it cannot hold a candle to the silent version by Raymond Bernard who later made the best version of "les miserables " which had ever been and a great war movie ("les croix de bois" ).
Bernard 's screenplay focuses on the historical characters :Charles Le Téméraire ,duke of Burgundy , the last of the powerful French lords , Louis the Eleventh and Jeanne Hachette who urged men to strike back during the siege of Beauvais. In Hunebelle 's movie , Jeanne was a noble ,Jeanne De Beauvais , a damsel in distress, whereas she's a true heroine in the silent film,which had a strong feminist side just the same! Her attentive escort only intervenes when the assailants are about to surrender.
Made with a high budget ,the film contains battle scenes,crowds movements that are quite impressive for the time ,but the most memorable sequences are not war scenes:
-a "mystere" (a play based on the holy Bible)which shows Adam's temptation and his fall from grace,with hell flames galore ....the director interrupts his telling during long minutes to depict this show which in the Middle-Ages ,generallly would take place in the cathedrals .The sequence ,visually stunning ,is not gratuitous for all that: it's the villain 's desire for Jeanne who is almost raped .
-the "broken crown" scene ,an omen of the things to come ; Charles Dullin overplays but it makes sense.
-the piece of resistance , the miracle worked by the wolves that surrounds Jeanne and protects her against her ennemies who try to steal the precious letter from her .
No unfair accusation of witchcraft ,like in the color version, but a heroine who carries on with the fight and Jeanne Fouquet becomes Jeanne Hachette,a heroine dear to the inhabitants of Beauvais ,still today .
And the final scene is extraordinary, showing the king's victory in admirably succint style.
