Joan the Woman
Joan the Woman is a 1916 American epic silent drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Geraldine Farrar as Joan of Arc. The film premiered on Christmas Day in 1916. This was DeMille's first historical drama. The screenplay is based on Friedrich Schiller's 1801 play Die Jungfrau von Orleans (The Maid of Orleans). This film was considered to be the "first cinematic spectacle about Joan of Arc."
Plot
A British officer (Reid) in World War I has a dream of the life of Joan of Arc (Farrar). The officer pulls a sword out of the wall of the trench he is in, the sword used to belong to Joan of Arc. Removing the sword conjures up the ghost of Joan, leading to her telling her story. The setting then changes to France where the story of Joan of Arc is told, of her leading the French troops to victory and her subsequent burning at the stake. The story ends back in the trench with the officer deciding to go on a suicide mission, using Joan's story and sword as inspiration.
More details
| author | Jeanie MacPherson William Churchill deMille |
|---|---|
| director | Cecil B. DeMille |
| editor | Cecil B. DeMille |
| genre | adventure drama historical western |
| keywords | british officer burn joan of arc suicide mission world war i |
| musicBy | William Furst |
| producer | Jesse L. Lasky |
| productionCompany | Famous Players–Lasky Corporation |
| publisher | Paramount Pictures |
| theme | epic silent war |