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The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc [Blu-ray]

Faye Dunaway (Actor), Dustin Hoffman (Actor), Luc Besson (Director) Rated:
Unrated
Format: Blu-ray
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,893 ratings
IMDb6.4/10.0
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December 2, 2008 		—
1
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$58.02 $38.33
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The Messenger: The Story Of Joan Of Arc $3.59 $19.99
Genre Kids & Family, Drama
Format Color, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen, Dubbed, AC-3
Contributor John Malkovich, Richard Ridings, Patrice Ledoux, Tcheky Karyo, Milla Jovovich, Faye Dunaway, Dustin Hoffman, Societe Gaumont, Desmond Harrington, Vincent Cassel, Pascal Greggory, Luc Besson, Timothy West See more
Language English
Runtime 2 hours and 38 minutes
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Product Description

Product Description

The year is 1429. France is in political and religious turmoil as members of the royal family battle for rule. But one peasant girl from a remote village gave her country the miracle it was looking for. Milla Jovovich (The Fifth Element, Dazed and Confused) is Joan of Arc, a young woman who would inspire and lead her countrymen until her execution at the age of nineteen. Raised in a religious family, Joan witnessed her sister's rape and death at the hands of an invading army. Years later, as the same war raged on, Joan stood before her king with a message she claimed came from God: give her an army, and in God's name she would reclaim his diminished kingdom. But was the message real, or thedelusion of a girl whose life had been shattered? This startling epic drama by Luc Besson (The Fifth Element) explores the life of Joan of Arc, her amazing victories, relationship with God, and tragic death. Co-starring John Malkovich and Academy Award(r) winners Dustin Hoffman and Faye Dunaway, THE

Amazon.com

1999 may be remembered as the year of Joan of Arc: NBC created a miniseries in her honor, Carl Dreyer's long-lost The Passion of Joan of Arc was discovered in a mental hospital, and Facets re-released Jacques Rivette's Joan the Maid. Luc Besson rounds out the corpus with his stylistic and vaguely heretical grand-scale feature, The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc. Besson (La Femme Nikita, The Fifth Element) challenges established notions about the Maid of Orleans as he creates a decidedly more human heroine than have previous biopics. The story line is the same--a young, illiterate peasant girl convinces the dauphin of France to give her an army, and she leads them to victory in Orleans, only to be burned at the stake for heresy--but Milla Jovovich, in the title role, is a woman possessed. Her influences are less than heavenly; as a child she witnesses the murder of her sister by the English, a death caused by the sister's giving her hiding place to young Joan, which causes an intense desire for revenge. Yes, God still speaks to Joan, but even this is undermined, as Dustin Hoffman, playing The Conscience, questions her motives. Cinematically, The Messenger is stunning, with fantastical sequences of Joan in communication with higher powers. Yet the graphic violence (scenes include random decapitation and a dog gnawing on a body); the uneven accents, which make it difficult to tell who is fighting on which side; and the rewriting of lore may make this version of Joan of Arc appeal only to Besson fans. Jovovich is convincing, and while at times the film may drag (at times you wish they'd hurry up and burn her), it is a remarkable and insightful retelling of a well-known piece of history. --Jenny Brown

Product details

  • Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 2.35:1
  • Is Discontinued By Manufacturer ‏ : ‎ No
  • MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ Unrated (Not Rated)
  • Package Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.69 x 5.35 x 0.35 inches; 2.47 ounces
  • Director ‏ : ‎ Luc Besson
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ Color, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen, Dubbed, AC-3
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 2 hours and 38 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ December 2, 2008
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Faye Dunaway, Dustin Hoffman, John Malkovich, Desmond Harrington, Milla Jovovich
  • Dubbed: ‏ : ‎ French, Portuguese, Thai, Spanish
  • Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ French, Portuguese, Korean, Dutch, Spanish, English, Mandarin Chinese, Thai, Indonesian
  • Producers ‏ : ‎ Patrice Ledoux
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B001GF8WOO
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 1,893 ratings

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
1,893 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome depiction of Joan D Arc!
Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2024
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If you want to see a butt kicking Joan De Arc--this is the movie for you!
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Steve
5.0 out of 5 stars DVD review & differences between International & US versions
Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2000
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Let me say that I like the movie and Jovovich's performance. The film is also more historically accurate to Joan life then the TV series with Sobieski. You aren't reading this to hear if you want to see the movie, but if you want to buy the DVD, so I'll review the DVD and this International version which is different from the American version shown in theaters. The picture quality is good especially the battle scenes and landscapes although in somewhat dim scenes the background did not have a lot definition which I don't remember from the theater. The sound quality was fine. I'll break down the difference from the International version with the American theater release version one by one and my own take them.
2:30 minutes was added to the scene where the Dauphin chooses who will be the impostor. This is a good addition because it introduces the characters that will be Joan's captains in the following battles.
A single line, where Joan tells the Dauphin her message. I didn't like this because the Dauphin never told anyone what Joan said to him to make him believe in her. The American version left this a mystery too.
7 minutes (a whole chapter, 3 scenes) was added right after the private audience where various officials examine and interview Joan. I liked this because historically this is what happened, although I don't agree about how it was done, a bit ridiculous, and it could have been cut in half.
A few lines here and there that I don't remember, particularly during the battle scenes that made the battles seem a little bit less intense. For example, "Do something!" "What do you want me to do?" "I don't care, just do something!" which are lines I don't remember, but I could be wrong. None-the-less some parts of the battles seemed less intense to me from what I remember.
I may be mistaken, but there seemed to be some deleted scenes too. The trial seemed shorter in the International version, which makes sense considering Americans love of the TV trial a la O.J. Simpson; they would have made it longer. I also think the lines where Joan screams out "Jesus!" were deleted which I didn't care for because it was reported that she did scream out his name. The final burning scene seemed rather abrupt. I could have sworn they had a scene where they brought her out, tied her down, and read the charges before burning her. I'd definitely buy this DVD if you like the movie. It would have been nice to get both versions of the film on this DVD much like they did for the Abyss. If you are interested in learning more about her, "Joan of Arc: Her Story" by Regine Pernoud is an excellent book as well.
17 people found this helpful
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4.0 out of 5 stars Good but has historical errors and a bias
Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2020
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I liked the acting. The rape scene in the beginning is inaccurate history, but soldiers of that time did do such things. It downplayed some of the miracles witnessed by many, and her trial they tried to find something that was a lie. She was burned for wearing men’s clothes. Given the circumstances of the time and war, that was acceptable by the church which is one of many reasons the Pope threw out the trial. They do try to get the audience to be question Joans sanity as well as the integrity of the clergy of the time. There is no mention of an empty ampoule of oil . There were 4 lords that guarded and escorted the abbot to the church. So the story of Charles step mom performing a miracle is inaccurate as is the story of how Joan acquired her sword. I. The movie they imply that it showed up in the field one day and in hail Satan is offering alternatives for how it got there. Basically saying she was a bit crazy for saying it was from Heaven which Joan never said.

In the Journal du siège and Chronique de la Pucelle, Jean Chartier, writes about the sword used by Joan of Arc and the circumstances by wich it was acquired: The King wanted to present her with a sword, so she asked for that of Sainte Catherine de Fierbois. "on lui demanda si elle l'avoit oncques veue, et elle dit que non"........

A black-smith was sent from Tours who found the sword amongst several other ex-voto that had been left in a trunk behind the altar. ( From1415 and the beginning of the battle of Azincourt, armed soldiers would come and offer all or least some of their weapons in thanks to Sainte Catherine who had protected them in battle ). It is amongs these weapons that Joan's sword was chosen.

The movie present Jain as basically mentally ill and confused. She had her wits about her at all times. She was not touched as they say and she was very accurate in what she said would happen including her predictions of her wounds and where they would occur. She did have quite the temper that was portrayed well in the film. It was well acted and the atmosphere of the violent times does put the viewer into the story. There was no question even among the English enemies that she was sent by God. These people were not fools and Joan proved to skeptical people that she was who she said she was.
26 people found this helpful
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Mercury
5.0 out of 5 stars Bewitched mystic, saint, martyr, the strange story of Joan of Arc.
Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2022
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I enjoyed this movie with fantastic battle scenes, old armor and an array of weapons including catapults, massive battle axes and cross bows to destroy each other, although the last thirty minutes drag with the trial and Dustin Hoffman as an inquisitor or the man who has invaded her mind and tormented and misled Joan. The costumes were extraordinary with extremes and extravagances, from the voluminous robes with their sweeping floor-length sleeves and ladies hats.

The movie is beautifully filmed representing 15th century France and documents the life of Joan of Arc who experiences strange visions, voices, gifts and paranormal activity who she assumes are from God. Whatever you choose to call her, it is difficult to dispute that Joan of Arc faced much adversity and sorrow, orphaned at a young age, her determination to succeed. Realistically acted by Milla Jovovich who puts her heart and soul into this role.

I don't think Joan was a witch but a victim of witchcraft, I don't think these were voices from God but an angry individual who practices magic and decided to get even with her parents and family by haunting her because her father would not fight the English and their French allies and influenced Joan to become a female warrior that in the end would humiliate her with a gruesome and cruel death, burned at the stake as a demented witch.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Lucie Boutet
5.0 out of 5 stars Un excellent film mais qui en prend large avec l'Histoire
Reviewed in Canada on December 5, 2017
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Le film de Luc Besson est très bien fait, bien que sa version de l'histoire de Jeanne d'Arc en prend large avec l'Histoire. Le vrai personnage de Jeanne d'Arc était probablement moins hystérique que celui campé par Milla Jovovich qui joue cependant très bien son rôle. Il est probable que si la véritable Jeanne d'Arc avait été telle qu'on nous le montre, elle n'aurait pas pu convaincre grand monde qu'elle était envoyée par Dieu pour bouter les Anglais hors de France. Milla est très bien entourée par une flopée d'excellents acteurs jouant très leurs rôles. Il faut remarquer John Malkovich dans le rôle d'un Charles VII faible mais sournois (en fait le véritable Charles VII était ainsi). Il faut aussi remarquer Dustin Hoffman qui campe de manière sombre la conscience de Jeanne d'Arc. Je m'en voudrais de ne pas souligner la présence de Vincent Cassel dans le rôle de Gilles de Rais, un compagnon de Jeanne qui va finir mal en devenant l'un des pires tueurs en série du Moyen Âge. Si on le voit avec un sens critique, le film est très regardable.
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Charly Madrid
2.0 out of 5 stars Es falso lo del doblaje al castellano!!
Reviewed in Spain on February 5, 2013
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No se todavia donde esta el doblaje al castellano la verdad...si castellano es Español latino...vaya timadores sois! y lo de los extras doblados? pero si solo viene un misero video de promocion de los blu ray!
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Vivian
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it!
Reviewed in Canada on December 8, 2013
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Milla Jovovich is cast as the lead, and portrays an unbalanced and driven Joan d'Arc (as opposed to the Leelee Sobieski portrayal of about the same time with Alliance's "Joan of Arc") I found this to be more entertaining than the Alliance release, with more drama and less historical accuracy. It's very entertaining, and as such, it is easy to forget any historical discrepancy as we glimpse at the personal battle raging within Joan as she struggles to reconcile her faith, love of France and her King, and the acts of war she has committed while on trial for heresy. There are several humorous bits, and the edgy raw action of medieval combat, and Dustin Hoffman's portrayal of Joan's "conscience" is all that we'd come to expect of an actor of his caliber. John Malcovich and Faye Dunaway deliver just as well, and there is a gritty feel throughout the movie that pulls the viewer in to the era.
2 people found this helpful
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Sylvie B.
1.0 out of 5 stars Ne correspond pas à la description
Reviewed in Canada on March 11, 2023
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Le DVD n’est pas multilingue.
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Alain from Canada
4.0 out of 5 stars Good movie
Reviewed in Canada on November 17, 2020
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The messenger is a good movie, with good pace. Things are always happening.
But seems simplified, compared to the Alliance Atlantis movie...Joan of Arc.

The Alliance Atlantis movie with Leelee Sobieski is also good, but feels longer, because there is more development of Joan. Make sure you have a comfortable sofa. It's a long one. You are in for a Journey!
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