4 Star

A Force from God, or a Witch?

StudioCanal brings us Luc Besson’s (Leon, Nikita, Arthur and the Great Adventure) 1999 historical epic story of one of the most prominent woman of the 15th Century, when England wanted French soil during the ‘Hundred Years War’. Now they bring Luc’s vision of this heroic tale to 4K UHD Steelbook, with an extra bonus disk (See details below). You can almost smell the sweat and feel the dirt on your face as they wade through some epic battle scenes.

The film starts with a young Joan (Jane Valentine), as she has visions from up above, and she tells the local priest of these visions three times a day. It is a tumultuous time in France, as the English and their allies the Burgundians sweep across France burning and pillaging villages and the villagers. Heading back to her village and finding it ablaze, she makes it back to her house where her sister gives up her hiding place to her just as the English enter the house. This doesn’t go well for her sister, and Joan witnesses the defiling of her dead body.

About ten years later and in Chinon, the Dauphin and soon to be King of France, Charles VII (John Malkovich, Being John Malkovich, Penguins Of Madagascar) has heard about the madly religious woman that wants him to give her an army, so she can fight the enemy from their lands.

But the Dauphin has now coins in the coffers, for a new army. On the advice of his mother-in-law Yolande of Aragon (Faye Dunaway, Three Days of the Condor, Network) he agrees to meet her, but only if she can identify him without him being introduced. They try to confuse her, when she arrives, by having someone dress as him, but she immediately sees through this. She finds him, and they talk, and he believes in her, but the church does not. She must go through a virginity test (That really happened) to see if she is divine, before they will believe her stories of divine intervention.

As well as the church, the army is sceptical as well, until she shows them how to lead a charge. Then as they say, the rest is history.

Hands, legs and heads, they all come off in these battles.

Joan of Arc is a cracking restoration, and now it is a Steelbook, this is the ultimate edition, ready for your 4K shelf.

Joan of Arc is available on 4K UHD Steelbook

 

CONTENTS:

UHD Disc:

●Feature

●Making of (86 mins)

• Interview with André Labbouz, technical director (5 mins)

Blu-ray Disc 1:

●Feature

• Interview with André Labbouz, technical director (5 mins)

Blu-ray Disc 2:

• Making of (86 mins)
• Interview with Gérard Krawczyk, second unit director (25 mins)
• Interview with Thierry Arbogast, cinematographer (8 mins)
• Interview with Sylvie Landra, editor (16 mins)
• Interview with Catherine Leterrier et Olivier Bériot, costume designers (28 mins)
• Interview with Hugues Tissandier, production designer (32 mins)
• Interview with Bruno Tarrière, sound designer (35 mins)