Director: Jacques Rivette
Screenplay: Jacques Rivette, Pascal Bonitzer, Christine Laurent
Starring: Sandrine Bonnaire, Édith Scob, Tatiana Moukhine, Jean-Marie Richier
Country: France
Running Time: 336 minutes
Year: 1994
Rating: PG
Jeanne la pucelle (1994), or Joan the Maid, portrays the French patron saint in a grounded manner, showing her rise from obscurity, her conquests as a military leader, and her barbaric execution. This slow-burn 5 hours and 36 minute biopic is in two parts, with the subheadings Les Batailles and The Prisons.
Radiance Films is releasing the two-part feature on Bluray with a 4K restoration from the original camera negatives. The picture looks absolutely stunning.
The film has a lived in earthly quality. The rustic old fashioned garb, gleam of armour and vibrant coats of arms give the mise en scène a moody stained glass window quality.
The lustre of the costumes glistens on the screen, especially the texture of the silks and furs. The medieval colour palette of the costumes, light blues, crimson reds, and golds of robes cut through the screen in crystal clear quality, amid the rugged pastoral landscapes and medieval chambers.
Sandrine Bonnaire stars as Jeanne d’Arc (Joan of Arc) in this two-part epic directed by French New Wave veteran Jacques Rivette. The César Award winning actress has a commanding presence and gravitas befitting a young saint and military leader. There are moments of vulnerability, but she is quick to cast these feelings aside and perform her heavenly duty of reclaiming France for Charles VII, and defeating the English.
The ‘Maid’ can be sweet in one instance and ominous the next. As Jeanne is preparing for battle, she sternly proclaims: “God sent them so we might punish them. Even if they were hanging in the sky, they would be ours.” She is a war leader but noble in her aims. While Bonnaire was almost ten years older than the saint, who was burned at the stake when she was just 19, her performance has a forthright sense of verisimilitude.
Whether Jeanne is a saint is left up to interpretation. The film does a good job of showing how she was so convincing to those around her.
The historic account felt authentic, and the dialogue was absorbing. Each scene takes place in one setting and usually involves only a handful of characters. It had the feel of a television play, rather than an epic. It seems the low budget may have held it back, but this led to an interesting framing device where peripheral characters filling in the story between scenes monologuing to the camera, in a vox-pop style.
The film felt authentic in how it showed everyday life in 15th Century France. It effectively showed the quiet and isolation of the countryside, small villages and townships. Menial tasks, like stripping and gutting a rabbit and setting up a fire to cook it. Fixing up camp. A man fumbling with old leather bag and pouch, containing quills and papers. The preparations for war as men build ladders.
The battle scenes also felt realistic and gritty, if again, quiet small scale. The actors’ command of horseback riding while performing was impressive.
The film is a slow burn and it took several viewings to get through it but it was fascinating to learn about Joan’s life. Bonnaire’s performance was so engaging.
Film:
SPECIAL FEATURES
- 4K restoration of each film from the original negatives, presented on two discs
- 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
- Interview with co-writer Pascal Bonitzer (2026, 13 mins)
- Archival interview with Jacques Rivette and Sandrine Bonnaire (1994, 5 mins)
- Interview with critic and author Beatrice Loayza (2026, 20 mins)
- Original French theatrical trailers
- Newly improved English subtitle translation
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Filippo Di Battista
- Limited edition booklet featuring new writing by film critic Willow Catelyn Maclay, a newly translated interview with Jacques Rivette, and newly translated writing by Sandrine Bonnaire
- Limited edition of 3000 copies, presented in full-height Scanavo packaging with removable OBI strip leaving packaging free of certificates and markings
Interview with critic and author Beatrice Loayza (2026, 20 mins): Fascinating interview/video essay on all things Jeanne la Pucelle and the different portrayals of Joan of Arc over the years. Loayza speaks about how she is a “loaded historical figure” with a defiant French identity. She speaks about how the film detaches Joan from the mythmaking saintly figure with a more grounded take and is more naturalistic than previous portrayals. She compares it with the more famous The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928). She also speaks about Rivette and Bonnaire’s careers.
Interview with co-writer Pascal Bonitzer (2026, 13 mins): Speaks all about how the project came about, how he researched Joan of Arc, the great records about her, why they decided to focus on larger biopic story rather than just the final days and execution, unlike most other adaptations, the challenge of writing while filming. It’s interesting to learn how he “filled blanks in” within Joan’s known story. Very detailed interview, a lot packed into it.
Archival interview with Jacques Rivette and Sandrine Bonnaire (1994, 5 mins): Insightful interview. Rivette talks about the process of what story to portray and the long runtime. Ho Joan was a character on the move and that attested him to the character. Bonnaire speaks of the psychology of Joan.
Disc/package:
Radiance Films releases Jeanne la Pucelle on Bluray on 18th May, 2026.