Joan of Arc (1935 film)
Joan of Arc (German: Das Mädchen Johanna) is a 1935 German historical film directed by Gustav Ucicky and starring Angela Salloker, Gustaf Gründgens and Heinrich George. It depicts the life of Joan of Arc, and is the first female embodiment of the Nazi Führer figure in film. The press in Germany and abroad detected direct parallels between the presentation of France in 1429 and the situation in Germany in 1935.[1]
Joan of Arc | |
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Directed by | Gustav Ucicky |
Produced by | Bruno Duday |
Written by | Gerhard Menzel |
Starring | |
Music by | Peter Kreuder |
Cinematography | Günther Krampf |
Edited by | Eduard von Borsody |
Production company | |
Distributed by | UFA |
Release date |
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Running time | 87 minutes |
Country | Germany |
Language | German |
It was shot at the Babelsberg Studios in Berlin. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Robert Herlth and Walter Röhrig.
Cast
- Angela Salloker as Johanna
- Gustaf Gründgens as King Charles VII
- Heinrich George as Herzog von Burgund
- René Deltgen as Maillezais
- Erich Ponto as Lord Talbot
- Willy Birgel as La Trémouille
- Theodor Loos as Dunois
- Aribert Wäscher as Alençon
- Franz Nicklisch as Johann von Metz
- Veit Harlan as Pierre
- Paul Bildt as Bürger
- Bernhard Minetti as Amtmann
- S.O. Schoening as Pater
- Friedrich Ulmer as Captain
- Fritz Genschow as Hauptmann
- Paul Wagner as Herald
- Karl Dannemann as English soldier
- Wera Liessem as Mädchen aus dem Volk
- Maria Koppenhöfer as Frau aus dem Volk
- Elsa Wagner as Frau aus dem Volk
- Josef Sieber as Mann bei der Krönung
Reception
Writing for The Spectator in 1935, Graham Greene criticized the film for historical inaccuracies (like Joan's rescue of Charles VII at Orléans rather than meeting at Chinon), as well as for what he called its "Nazi psychology" (including the "heavily underlined" political parallels between the June 30 purge and that of Trémoille, and between the Reichstag fire and the execution of Joan in Rouen). Greene described the overall effect to be dull and noisy, and described the direction as "terribly sincere, conveying a kind of blond and shaven admiration for poor lonely dictators who have been forced to eliminate their allies."[2]
References
- Fox p. 24
- Greene, Graham (25 October 1935). "Joan of Arc/Turn of the Tide/Top Hat/She". The Spectator. (reprinted in: Taylor, John Russell, ed. (1980). The Pleasure Dome. p. 29. ISBN 978-0-19-281286-5.)
Bibliography
- Fox, Jo (2000). Filming Women in the Third Reich. Berg. ISBN 978-1-85973-391-2.