Das Mädchen Johanna

Featuring many German theatre stars, this film portrays Joan of Arc as a simple woman whose belief in victory enables her to bring people from ignominy to national rebirth. Directed by Gustav Ucicky, this film would make a good double bill with the 1949 Ingrid Bergman film `Joan of Arc'.

I would be the first to admit that this film by Gustav Ucicky is difficult to like. Does one have to like a film however in order to appreciate its qualities? It is after all as dark, as bleak and as brutal as the times it depicts. It is extremely effective as a piece of propoganda and is surprisingly overlooked in Ian Garden's excellent book 'The Third Reich's Celluloid War'. The French in particular are shown as monsters of duplicity and treachery but has any version of St. Joan shown them to be otherwise? Neither are the English shown in a favourable light courtesy of Erich Ponto whose portayal of Lord Talbot is the epitome of cruelty and venality. There are some excellent scenes and once again the production values of UFA are on display. Stunning cinematography by Gunther Krampf, stirring score by Peter Krauder and superlative production design as always by Rohrig and Herlth. The Duke of Bergundy as played by Heinrich George is a drunken buffoon and Gustaf Grundgens as Charles VII is more pragmatic politician than monarch. Both actors are superb. Although almost a secondary character in this, the title role is beautifully played by Angela Salloker and her first meeting with the King is highly effective. Very well lit by Krampf to emphasise her saintliness. The dunce's hat that she is obliged to wear at the stake inscribed with the Latin phrase 'Heretical by the co-operation of the Devil' adds to the scene's pathos. Graham Greene in his critique in 'The Spectator' has quite rightly highlighted its historical inaccuracies and the similarities between France in the late 1480's and Germany in the mid 1930's but his judgement of the film as 'dull and noisy' is totally unjustified. Judge for yourselves.

For starters, IMDb shows the wrong poster/different version for this film and should change it. I recently bought a subtitled DVD from a website featuring old and rare foreign films. Video/audio quality varies but the prices are good. It's an interesting film but historically inaccurate. Because this film was made in 1935, keep in mind it's an anti-French and anti-British propaganda piece disguised as a historical epic. Check out Grahame Greene's contemporary review where he compares the performance of Gustav Grundgens(who the novel and film 'Mephisto' is based on)as the French King to Hitler: 'The real hero is Charles VII with his Nazi mentality, his belief in the nobility of treachery for the sake of the nation. The purge of 30 June and the liquidation of Tremouille, the burning Reichstag and the pyre in Rouen market-place - these political parallels are heavily underlined. The direction is terribly sincere, conveying a kind of blond and shaved admiration for lonely dictators who have been forced to eliminate their allies.'

This was a big UFA production for its time(good music too)and it did well because of the subject matter. It's worth watching for the performances of famous actors although the stress on political intrigue sometimes makes Joan a secondary character. This is a good history lesson on the uses of propaganda although you can't help feel sympathetic for the title character who becomes a 'tool' and victim of the crafty king. The DVD's video quality is acceptable and could have been better but who knows if there is a better copy out there.