Events

The Passion of Joan of Arc (La Passion de Jeanne d’Arc)
Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1928, 110 min.
Silent film screening following by discussion with Christia Mercer and Nico Baumbach

The Passion of Joan of Arc draws upon the surviving transcripts of Joan's 1431 trial, one of the most remarkable documentary records of the Middle Ages. Through Joan's testimony and the probing questions of her inquisitors, the film reveals not only an extraordinary individual but also the religious beliefs, legal reasoning, and gender assumptions of late medieval Europe. This 1928 silent film directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer is widely regarded as a landmark of cinema, and Renée Jeanne Falconetti’s performance as Joan is considered one of the most astonishing performances committed to film.

Watch the trailer here. 

Nico Baumbach holds a Ph.D. in Literature from Duke University. His research and teaching focus on critical theory, film theory, documentary, and the intersection of aesthetic and political philosophy. His first book, Cinema/Politics/Philosophy, was released by Columbia University Press in 2019. He is currently finishing a book titled The Anonymous Image and working on another project on conspiracy theory and critical theory.

Christia Mercer is the Gustave M. Berne Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University and Director of the Center for New Narratives in Philosophy. Her research focuses on early modern philosophy, the history of Platonism, gender, and late medieval meditative traditions. Her work has helped broaden and rethink the history of philosophy, with particular attention to women philosophers and traditions that have been overlooked in conventional accounts of the discipline. She is the author of Leibniz’s Metaphysics: Its Origins and Development and editor of the Oxford Philosophical Concepts series, as well as co-editor, with Melvin Rogers, of Oxford New Histories of Philosophy.

This film is featured in the Maison Française film series History on Trial. The series is curated by Shanny Peer, with contributions by Emmanuel Kattan and Jane Gaines. Additional support for the series is provided by the School of the Arts Film & Media Division, Alliance Program, Society of Fellows and Heyman Center for the Humanities, and Dean of Humanities.