It was once said of Ingrid Bergman that she'd played Joan of Arc so often that she wouldn't be satisfied until she was burned at the stake. Actually, nobody ever said that, but someone should have. Directed by Bergman's then-husband Roberto Rossellini, Joan at the Stake is a nonmusical adaptation of the oratorio by Paul Claudel and Arthur Honegger. Essentially a glorified monologue, the film makes no bones about its theatricality. Bergman is impressive as always, far more so than the presentation. While not nearly as bad as its reputation suggests, Joan at the Stake was a box-office flop, principally because the torrid Bergman-Rossellini romance was old news by 1954. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
The film takes place mostly in a surrealistic fantasy around the time of the execution of Joan of Arc. Joan of Arc, played by Ingrid Bergman, is being burned alive for heresy. In a kind of dream state, she departs from her body and begins to look back upon her life. She begins this journey in a depressed and demoralized state. However, a priest appears to help guide her. First, he shows her those that accused her in the guise of animal characters, in order to show her their true nature. Then, he shows her the good that she has performed for people. In the end, she is proud of what she has done and is ready to face the flames.
Reception
Like most Bergman and Rossellini collaborations, it did not perform well at the box office.
Dafne (1936) •Prélude à l'aprés-midi d'un faune (1937) •La Fossa degli angeli •Luciano Serra pilota (1938) •La Vispa Teresa (1939) •Il Tacchino prepotente (1939) •Fantasia sottomarina (1940) •Il Ruscello di Ripasottile •Un Pilota ritorna (1942) •La nave bianca (1942) •L'Uomo dalla Croce (1943) •Rome, Open City (1945) •Desiderio (1946) •Paisà (1946) •L'Amore (segment: "Il Miracolo") (1948) •Germany, Year Zero (1948) •L'Invasore (1949) •Stromboli (1950) •The Flowers of St. Francis (1950) •Medico condotto (1952) •The Seven Deadly Sins (segment: "Envie, L'Envy") (1952) •Machine to Kill Bad People (1952) •Europa '51 (1952) •We, the Women (segment: "Ingrid Bergman") (1953) •Amori di mezzo secolo (segment: "Napoli 1943") (1954) •Dov'è la libertà...? (1954) •Journey to Italy (1954) •Fear (1954) •Giovanna d'Arco al rogo (1954) •India: Matri Bhumi (1959) •General Della Rovere (1959) •Escape by Night (1960) •Viva l'Italia! (1961) •Vanina Vanini (1961) •Uno sguardo dal ponte (1961) •Anima nera (1962) •Benito Mussolini (1962) •Ro.Go.Pa.G. (segment: "Illibatezza") (1963) •The Carabineers (1963) •Da Gerusalemme a Damasco (1970) •Rice University (1971) •Intervista a Salvador Allende: La forza e la ragione (1971) •Agostino d'Ippona (1972) •Concerto per Michelangelo (1974) •The World Population (1974) •Anno uno (1974) •Il messia (1976) •Beaubourg, centre d'art et de culture Georges Pompidou (1977) •
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