james

So here's where the report goes I guess. Fnord.

Joan D'Arc's story is legend. Her story is one of the greatest in all of France. She was burnt by the Church and after her death, canonized. In the film Joan of Arc, Joan's story is elaborated on, lended a more human aspect. Characters such as Jean De Mets, Captain La Hire, Bishop Pierre Cauchon, and Charles VII of France. All of the characters display a remarkable depth of personality, from La Hire's hunt for vengeance, Bishop Cauchon's mixed feelings towards Joan, and the King's desire to be a good king versus his Machiavellan politics. Every character, even the minor ones, displays a complex and conflicted personality.

For me one of the most interesting characters was Bishop Cauchon. The Bishop (played by Peter O'Toole) served for part of the story as Charles' spiritual advisor. The faithful yet ruthless Bishop suffered from mixed feelings towards Joan. He admired her depth of faith in God, yet at the same time couldn't stand here disrespect towards the Church. This conflict was central to the character and to the story. After Joan's trial, the Bishop tries his best to keep Joan alive, as he respects the girl and does not want her death on his soul. He's filled with remorse at the results of his and Joan's actions.

Yet this compassion is offset by his ruthlessness. He is a calculating and determined plotter, which seems to sometimes get in the way of his priestly work. He also suffers from pride, ironic given that he accuses Joan of that same sin. He was willing to hand Joan over to the English, knowing that she could not gain a fair trial there, so that he could gain his vengeance for Joan's impudence.

Cauchon is a mirror image of Joan, sort of like Captain La Hire. But where La Hire is Joan's warrior counterpart, the Bishop is her spiritual opposite. He believes in the Church and in God, in that order. He truly believes that the Church is God's hand in Earthly affairs. He is a true believer, yet where Joan's faith leads her into humility and piety, the Bishop's leads him into pride and cruelty. Joan's very existence is a challenge to his dearest beliefs, and like many people do when their faith is under attack, he sought to destroy the source. In an act of even greater irony, he destroys himself by destroying Joan.

Captain La Hire is at first a skeptic of Joan and her mission. He is a veteran of the Battle of Agincourt, and that horrible defeat destroyed his faith in God. Joan serves as a catalyst for La Hire, reviving his faith, maybe not in God, but in France itself. He is the cynical foil to Joan's idealism and Jean's devotion. He is the classic grizzled veteran, battered in mind and body by the world, yet incredibly strong and loyal to those who gain his love.

Yet, La Hire is not a perfect man. He is driven by vengeance for Agincourt. The battle left him with many scars, and he desires to revenge himself upon his adversary from that battle. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, for him, Joan kills his enemy before La Hire can do so. This takes La Hire's belief in himself, but gives him faith in Joan and her mission. Joan's foolhardy and panicked attempt to take Paris shakes this new-found faith as well, and La Hire abandons Joan. He doesn't completely lose faith in the Maid, as he later attempts to save her life from the British. The central conflict of La Hire's character is faith. He yearns for faith in something, be it God, Joan or himself. He overcomes this insecurity by finding a balance between faith in himself and in Joan's mission.

King Charles was probably the character I dislike the most. He is a perfect example of the worst sort of ruler, a true Prince of the Machiavellian tradition. He lacks faith in anything but power, and uses Joan to acquire it. He manipulates everyone around him, except for his spiritual adviser, Cauchon, who is too wily to fall into his webs. He wants the Crown but doesn't want to stick his neck out to acquire it. Joan is perfect for this, as she is both incredibly effective and completely deniable. If she ever fails in her work Charles is safe in the knowledge that he can attribute it to a diseased mind rather than his will.

The King does have his good qualities though. He does make a good king, combining political acumen with a nearly sociopathic disregard for morals to produce a monarch capable of holding off other, greater kingdoms. He //does// feel regret for his actions, especially his betrayal of Joan. But he is perfectly willing to perform immoral actions for the greater good of his nation. This is what will make him a good king. He is also honest with himself, or at least it seems that way. He knows that he is not a good person, and accepts it. He's a great man, but not a good one.

Joan on the other hand, manages to be both great and good. The protagonist of this story grows from a pious peasant girl to a great leader of men. She gives her nation a king and a chance to become the kingdom is should be. She follows God's will with perfect humility (most of the time), and she eventually sacrifices herself for him. Joan isn't quite as complex on the surface as the other characters, but she has hidden depth. Joan is honest, virtuous, humble, and faithful in the extreme. Yet she is plagued by doubt about her mission. While she doesn't doubt that it is God who directs her, she isn't sure as to what purpose she is being directed. This insecurity leads her to folly at times, such as the doomed siege of Paris. It costs her many friends, and undoes some of what she accomplished.

Unlike most of the other characters, Joan's conflict isn't internal but external. For most of the story she is secure in her faith, and the few times she does lose hope, she quickly rallies. Rather, Joan's conflict is against the greater political powers around her. England and Burgundy both fear the hope she gives the French people, the Church views her as a potential threat to their monopoly on God. These enemies are what eventually undo her, yet she also undoes them in the process. The English end up giving the French a martyr, and the Church (represented by the Bishop Cauchon) damages its own faith in killing her.

The two main traits that distinguishes each of these four characters are goodness and greatness. For the purpose of this analysis, goodness is adherence to basic morals such as honesty, piety, and love of human life. Greatness is power, ability to affect large numbers of people, etcetera. Joan boasts both of these traits, as she has a great ability to inspire and lead people, which stems from her innate goodness. Captain La Hire is good but not great. He is an honest and honorable man, but does not have the ability to influence the lives of anyone but his men and whoever he happens to be sticking a sword into. King Charles is opposite to La Hire, as he is great but definitely not good. He is an influential man and an able politician, but is perfectly willing to betray others for his own ends. Finally, the Bishop Cauchon lacks either goodness or greatness. He is particularly tragic as he had the capacity to, like Joan, have both of these traits. Yet, his petty pride and wrath overcome his compassion and mercy, limiting his ability to do good. This also limits his efforts for greatness as he is willing to cater to the wills of others to satisfy his own emotions.

In conclusion, the movie Joan of Arc displayed a depth of character that is uncharacteristic of anything less than a miniseries, and a good one at that. No character was free of flaw, or incapable of being sympathetic. Each one has his or her own challenges and issues to overcome, and in a very realistic fashion, not everyone rose to the challenge. The characters even more than the story behind them, made the film great.