(On Luc Besson's Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc, The (1999)) "The
point, is not that this or that miracle occurred or didn't occur. The
"miracle" is Joan herself. How did a seventeen-year-old girl, a peasant
from the fringes of the kingdom, manage to enlist the trust and support
of a nation and play a pivotal role in expelling a foreign invader? Not
only does this film fail to pose this central question, it seeks to
remove the authenticity of Joan's faith and the faith of her countrymen
as at least a factor in these complex events."
