Carl Theodor Dreyer

The Aesthetics of Passion and Betrayal In The Passion of Joan of Arc, Carl Theodor Dreyer uses the visuality of spatial relationships in each shot with the human face and its ability to convey unspoken emotion in his portrayal of the demise of Joan of Arc. Unlike most film, the message is almost entirely told by just the eyes and expressions of the actors. There is very little reliance upon props and background. The camera angles and close-up shooting accentuate emotions and reactions. The

Silent films ushered in the era of moving pictures and paved the way to modern cinema. Films such as “The Passion of Joan of Arc” and “Sweet Smell of Success” represent the early and later stages of this time period that was dominated by silent films. Within these films, two actors stand out for their performances and there own unique traits they utilize to make the character they are representing their own. Renée Jeanne Falconetti and Burt Lancaster both are superb leading actors that, through

film director Carl Theodor Dreyer based on the trial of Joan of Arc, national heroine of France, who claimed that God had spoken to her and led the French army to several victories against the English in the Hundred Years’ War. During the trial for heresy, Joan is subjected to abuse and scare tactics by the court officials which lead her to signing a confession. After realizing that she has been unfaithful to God she renounces her confession and is sentenced to execution. When Dreyer was invited to