--- title: "The Passion of Joan of Arc: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-passion-of-joan-of-arc/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-passion-of-joan-of-arc" critics_score: 93 critics_reviews: 11 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928): what the critics said Critics' score 93 from 11 reviews: 11 positive, 0 mixed, 0 negative. The reviews are unanimously positive, with praise centred on Falconetti’s performance and Dreyer’s concentration on the human face. Most critics describe the close-ups as the source of the film’s emotional force, making Joan’s fear, pain and religious conviction palpable without relying on historical spectacle. The editing and fragmented space also draw repeated praise: critics find that the trial’s claustrophobia keeps attention on Joan’s suffering and her confrontation with her interrogators. There is little disagreement across these eleven reviews, and the spread of assessments is narrow. The Guardian offers the clearest reservation, finding the organ accompaniment used for a particular reissue bland, rather than identifying a weakness in the film itself. Elsewhere, differences are chiefly matters of emphasis: some critics stress spiritual anguish, others the physical directness of Falconetti’s acting or the close-ups and montage, but none offers a mixed or negative assessment. ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Rating 4/4. 16 February 1997. The critic hails Dreyer's film as a transcendent masterpiece centered on Falconetti's unparalleled performance as Joan, captured through intense close-ups that convey spiritual suffering and conviction. He praises the director's radical use of fragmented space and editing to focus solely on the human and emotional core of the trial. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-the-passion-of-joan-of-arc-1928) ## Empire — David Parkinson Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic calls the film a deeply moving masterpiece whose power comes from Dreyer's intense focus on Falconetti's performance and innovative close-ups and editing during the trial scenes. It remains one of the most inspired and purely cinematic films ever made. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/passion-joan-arc-review/) ## Time Out — TR Fi1m's normalised score 95/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. Dreyer's most universally acclaimed masterpiece remains one of the most staggeringly intense films ever made. It deals only with the final stages of Joan's trial and her execution, and is composed almost exclusively of close-ups, especially Falconetti's face which evinces physical anguish and spiritual exaltation palpably. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/la-passion-de-jeanne-darc) ## Los Angeles Times — Susan King Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 28 October 1999. The critic describes the film as one of the greatest ever made, a riveting tragic retelling based on Joan's trial transcripts, with unforgettable close-ups and Falconetti's performance cited by some as the greatest in film history. She notes the masterful photography by Rudolph Mate and the film's restoration history. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-oct-28-ca-26975-story.html) ## Slant Magazine — Eric Henderson Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 29 March 2018. The critic deems it a hermetically sealed masterpiece that distills Joan’s trial and execution into 80 minutes of sustained sensation via close-ups and balanced montage, singling out Maria Falconetti’s raw, pore-exuding performance as the essential element that conveys panic, pain, and empathy. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/the-passion-of-joan-of-arc/) ## The AV Club — Keith Phipps Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 29 March 2002. The critic calls the film an indisputable masterpiece of the silent era whose original negative was nearly lost, praising its claustrophobic intensity through extreme close-ups of the trial and Maria Falconetti’s expressive performance as Joan facing church authorities. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-passion-of-joan-of-arc-dvd-1798195528) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 18 July 2003. The critic calls the film a stunning, uncompromising silent masterpiece whose power scorches the screen through painterly close-ups, especially of Falconetti's agonised, Christ-like face. It transcends early cinema technically and spiritually, though the re-issue's bland organ score is a minor flaw. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2003/jul/18/artsfeatures3) ## The New York Times — J. Hoberman Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 22 November 2017. The critic calls the restored film a transcendent masterpiece of silent cinema, highlighting its innovative close-up style and Falconetti's intense, unparalleled performance as Joan confronting her inquisitors. He notes the film's basis in trial transcripts and its focus on spiritual anguish over historical spectacle. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/22/movies/the-passion-of-joan-of-arc-new-digital-restoration-film-forum.html) ## The Skinny — Keir Roper-Caldbeck Rating ★★★★★. 24 October 2012. The critic calls the film a revelation and a demonstration of silent cinema at its peak, far from typical melodrama. They highlight the intense close-ups contrasting Joan's features with those of her interrogators and praise Falconetti's extraordinary performance capturing her faith and fear. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/dvd-reviews/the-passion-of-joan-of-arc) ## Collider — James Napoli Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 2 July 2009. The critic praises the film's intense close-ups and Falconetti's iconic performance, highlighting how it immerses the viewer in Joan's trial and emotional struggle. He notes its transcendent montage of the execution and its enduring power as a depiction of spiritual integrity. [Read the review](https://collider.com/james-napolis-rental-of-the-week-this-week-the-passion-of-joan-of-arc-1928/) ## /Film — Joshua Meyer Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 21 May 2022. The critic praises the film's enduring power as a silent classic based on Joan's trial records, highlighting Renée Falconetti's monumental, human performance and the innovative close-ups that capture emotional intensity. They note its influence on later cinema and timeless relevance. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/869889/the-daily-stream-the-passion-of-joan-of-arc-is-potent-as-ever/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-passion-of-joan-of-arc.md