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Reviews (2)
04 November 2013
Great documentary with a lot of coverage of actual historical sites.
This is an interesting documentary that gives a new perspective on the story of Joan of Arc and shows a portrait of what Joan probably looked like. It also suggests Joan's story may have had a happy ending.
The facts appear well researched and many of the historical sites are shown. The story is told in a manner which involves down to earth explanations for the events that took place and does not rely on the supernatural as does the legend. In that sense,I found the theory put forward to be quite plausible, although many will find it to be controversial.
France and England were still in the midst of the Hundred Years war and the Treaty of Troyes had been signed. This treaty handed the French crown to the King of England, thus disinheriting the Dauphine (the French King's son and heir to the throne). The Dauphine and his supporters wanted to contest the treaty but who could possibly overrule a treaty between two kings? God.
So the French nobility arranged for Joan to come forward in 1429 and say that she had divine visions and that they had given her a message from God. That message was that the Dauphine was the true King of France and that God had sent Joan to help him claim the throne. The Dauphine's supporters then set about making Joan seem miraculous and tried to draw various biblical parralels, such as describing her as a good shepherdess. All this was aimed at lending weight to their argument that Joan was divinely inspired and that God was on their side.
Although some of the Dauphine's supporters may have had ulterior motives, Joan herself was very sincere in her belief. She was deeply religious and believed God wanted to relieve the French people's suffering by driving out the English invaders.
Joan set about fulfilling her mission with all the faith,devotion and incredible courage that she is legendary for. She was also highly intelligent and very determined but this put her at odds with some of the Dauphine's supporters.
Ultimately,Joan was captured by the Burgundians, then handed over to the English. She apparently did not receive any help from the French king and was burned at the stake in Rouen.
Five years later, however, a young woman comes forward claiming to be Joan. This woman was met by many of Joan's family and friends. These include her two brothers, a captain who served alongside Joan in the siege of Orleans, many nobles who had known the original Joan, as well as many of the city officials who had hosted the original Joan during the siege of Orleans.
All of these people declare that she is the same Joan who had
liberated Orleans and taken the Dauphine to be crowned. Whether or not one accepts that this lady is the original Joan, she must have had at least a strong physical resemblance to her, for Joan's close friends to mistake her for Joan. So in that sense, the portrait at Jaulny must also bear a close resemblance to the original Joan.
The documentary explores these arguments in some detail and
offers an interesting alternative view on Joan's story. It
ultimately leaves it up to the viewer to form their own opinion. For those interested in learning more about this theory I would recommend a book called Operation Shepherdess by Andre Guerin.
24 January 2019
Nice timber bench.
Good quality item for the price. Storage space is handy. Feels solid for the price.