The Trial of Joan of Arc

This minimalist French drama from 1962 does exactly what is says on the tin: it starts with Joan’s interrogation and trial by the Judges, ultimately leading to her being burned at the stake as a ‘lapsed heretic’. In other words, there are no battlefield scenes of the ‘Maid of Orleans’ leading the French army against the English or any other action, merely scenes in which this medieval ‘courtroom drama’ is played out using – as was often the case with director Bresson – a cast of non-professionals.