ABSTRACT
Like other iconic figures of medieval legend, such as King Arthur and Robin Hood, Joan of Arc endures as a perennially favorite subject of the cinema. To date, there have been no less than forty-one films and TV movies on Joan of Arc, a total that rivals that of the Robin Hood genre. Cinematic interest in Joan began early, with two pioneering French filmmakers, Georges Méliès and Georges Hatot, each coming out with a film entitled Jeanne d’Arc in 1897–1898, at the dawn of the film industry. Nor has recent history shown any slackening of interest in the Maid. Just as 1991 produced a spate of Robin Hood films, so 1999 saw the almost simultaneous release of two movies about Joan. She has also enjoyed an international appeal. In addition to the Hollywood and other English-language productions, movies about Joan of Arc have been made in French (in equal number to English films), Italian, and one each in German and Russian. Many of these films have been inspired by an abundant literature on Joan that includes—aside from historical works—novels, plays, poems, operas and oratorios. To an even greater degree perhaps than King Arthur, Joan of Arc has attracted the highest literary talent, although this does not necessarily translate into works of high literary merit. In plays alone, Joan has enjoyed the attentions of Shakespeare, Schiller, Péguy, Shaw, Brecht, and Anouilh; this does not count the eclectic contributions of Christine de Pizan (the only author contemporary with Joan), Voltaire, and Mark Twain. One reason for the special fascination with Joan may be that—unlike King Arthur or Robin Hood—she is a legend with a highly distinct personality, probably the single-most documented individual to emerge from the Middle Ages. As if this was not enough, she was also a transvestite, she claimed to hear voices, and she died extremely young.
