"Children say that people are hung sometimes for speaking the truth."-Joan of Arc

Fall of '48 post #8

Joan of Arc

November 11, 1948

Starring Ingrid Bergman, Jose Ferrer, Francis L. Sullivan and J. Carrol Naish

Released on this day in 1948, the Victor Fleming film Joan of Arc tells the story of the life of famous 19 year old French heroine and now canonized saint. It begins with a scene in a cathedral,with a voice reading out the official proclamation for the canonization of Jeanne d'Arc, Maid of Orleans (Bergman). It then jumps into the story of her life, beginning at the time when she believed that God had called her into action through a holy vision, to drive the English out of the region, help escort Charles VII to his coronation, and help put a stop to the Hundred Years' War. Joan claimed to be around the age of 12 when she first saw three other saints in a divine vision.

By use of family connections, after previous failed attempts, Joan managed to come in contact with Charles VII, then nothing more than a Dauphin or royal prince. She told him of her plans and her visions and how she wished she could be of help to him, citing God as her leader and inspiration, and therefore turning the page of the war to a more religious setting. Charles was very interested in what she had to say and wished to let her proceed with her plans, as some of her predictions had already come to pass. He could not act too hastily, however, because if he should follow her lead and achieve coronation without having her religious background confirmed, then it could lead to disaster with the people saying he inherited his position from the devil. So, a background check, of sorts, was done and word was received saying that all evidence supported that Joan was a humble, honest, Christian young lady.

It is said that she had the idea and desire of her own to ride into battle as a knight, or any good man. But she did not have the means to make her own armor, so she depended on donations for all of her necessities. There are accounts that say that she then took the initiative to actually lead the armies into battles, and thanks to her holy visions, they achieved many great victories which simultaneously paved the road for the Dauphin to his coronation and changed the tide of the war. She was known for persevering despite the odds and showing great courage to those she worked with, which is why they viewed her as one of the last fragments of hope they had left. She approved of an aggressive approach at a time when they were afraid to approach the enemy, she captured a fort with the aid of only one other, and during one battle she was wounded in the neck by an arrow but soldiered on and returned to the front lines to lead the final charge. She eventually used her influence with Charles VII to take over the position of co-commander of the army. On March 23, 1430, just about a year after her participation in the first siege, Joan was captured after a battle with the English. At first she adamantly refused to surrender. 

She was put on trial for heresy, and although it was an unfair trial with the appointed bishop lacking judicial authority over her case, the trial was opened for political reasons without any adverse evidence, and Joan (who was illiterate) was forced to sign an official abjuration document without knowing what it was. Nonetheless, she was convicted of heresy and sentenced to death. She was burned at the stake on May 30, 1431 and her ashes were thrown into the Seine.

This 1948 adaptation of the story of the French heroine was one of the first extensive American productions of the entire story of her life, rise to fame, capture, and death. The film won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design in Color, and Best Cinematography in Color; it was nominated for Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actor. The film was fairly well received but audiences and the film studio were outraged to learn of Ingrid Bergman's affair with Roberto Rossellini shortly after it's release, and because of this, the film was edited or "butchered" before it was sent out for general release. Much of the content that was cut was feared to have been lost, and the film was not fully recovered in total and put back together for almost 50 years.

"I can't think of anything more exciting than trying to be an actor."

STAR OF THE MONTH

Leslie Howard

Born April 3, 1893

Died June 1, 1943

Leslie Howard Steiner was born in Forest Hill, London, England in April of 1893. He was one of four children born to Lilian and Ferdinand, members of the upper class. Leslie was well educated, but did not attend University. During WWI, Howard enlisted and served in the British Army for a short period. His acting career began after his involvement in the war, when he took to the stage in 1917. He was moderately successful at the London theater, but his launch to success didn't come about until he came to America in the 1920s. In 1929, he found himself as the lead character in the play Berkeley Square, which he would go on to play film adaptation in 1933--the beginning of his film career.

For his film roles, Howard most often portrayed the traditional old fashioned Englishman. Occasionally, with much success, he showed a different side of himself in playing characters such as Sir Percy Blakeney in The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934), or Professor Henry Higgins in Pygmalion (1938). As time went on, Howard also played his hand with romantic film roles, showing he could be successful in just about any shade of character with films like Romeo and Juliet (1936), It's Love I'm After (1937), and Intermezzo (1939).

Needless to say, Howard built an immensely successful career for himself in the film industry. He starred in over 40 feature films, 11 of which he produced, 4 of which he directed, and 2 of which earned him nominations for Academy Awards for Best Actor.

He was also just as popular off-screen as he was on. He was reportedly very personable and witty, and built and maintained lifelong friendships with the likes of Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, and most espeicially the acting duo Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. It was, in fact, Howard who was responsible for launching Bogart's career, when he insisted on Bogart playing the gangster "Duke" in what turned out to be his breakout film, The Petrified Forest (1936). Later on, when Bogart married actress Lauren Bacall, the two remained such good friends that Bogart and Bacall named their daughter after Howard--Leslie Howard Bogart.

Howard himself, somewhat of a womanizer, eventually settled down and married a woman named Ruth Martin in 1916. Together they had two children, a son Ronald, who also became an actor, and a daughter Leslie.

Howard was killed in 1943. When travelling from Lisbon, Portugal to Bristol, England, flying over the Bay of Biscay, a German maritime fighter aircraft shot down the plane, killing 17 people, Howard among them. He was 50 years old.

MOVIE OF THE MONTH

Intermezzo: A Love Story

1939

Starring Leslie Howard, Ingrid Bergman, and Edna Best

Holger Brandt (Howard) is a world famous violinist. As a working musician, he spends much of his time on tour, mostly of various European countries, leaving his wife Margit (Best) and two children Eric and Ann Marie back home. When he comes home after one of his tours, he discovers that his wife has hired a piano teacher for their daughter. When he meets the teacher, by the name of Anita Hoffman (Bergman), he has her play for him. He sees that she is extremely talented, and offers her the opportunity to tour with him as an accompaniment. Though hesitant at first, Anita agrees. When the next tour begins and they are away from home, Holger and Anita fall for eachother and begin an affair. When Holger's wife, Margit, discovers what is going on she is heartbroken, and asks Holger for a divorce. Following the divorce, Holger takes Anita and they move to Italy, the land of love, to begin a new life together. Even though they should be happy, they are not. Anita sees that Holger desparately misses his children Ann Marie and Eric. The more she thinks about what has happened, the more guilty she feels about breaking up their beautiful family. Even though she still has feelings for Holger, Anita knows he needs to go back to his family before it is too late, so she leaves him in order to pursue a career of her own.

Holger is suprised and upset at first when Anita leaves him. Once he has time to think about things, however, he hesitantly but excitedly makes his way back home to his family, praying they will forgive him. He decides to surprise his daughter, Ann Marie, first. So, he goes to ger school. When she sees him, overjoyed, she runs across the street to greet him, but before she makes it all the way to him, she is hit by a car. Horrified, Holger immediately takes his injured daughter home and calls a doctor. Once the doctor is there, the rest of the family just has to wait. While waiting, Holger has the chance to speak to his son, Eric, who has been feeling angry that his father walked out on the family. To everyone's huge relief, the doctor emerges and tells the waiting family that Ann Marie is going to survive. Reunited in light of a near-tragedy, Holger gets his family back, and the film ends with Margit welcoming him back.

Intermezzo: A Love Story is more of a dramatic film, but it is beautifully done. It was originally made in Sweden, with Ingrid Bergman playing the role of Anita. A Hollywood executive got his hands on the foreign film, fell in love with Bergman, and personally asked her to come to the United States, sign with his company, and do a remake of the film for American audiences. She accepted, Leslie Howard was chosen for the role of Holger, and filming began.

You can see the original trailer for the movie here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL-p08MafqE

Also, if you will remember, I fairly recently did a post on Leslie Howard's 1934 film The Scarlet Pimpernel, so here is the link to that post, if you are interested: http://www.classicvintagelove.blogspot.com/2012/04/they-seek-him-here-they-seek-him-there.html

"The truth is that, to enjoy acting, one must be an exhibitionist at heart. One must revel in those exposures of the emotions which would be agonizing to a shy or reserved person. All the great actors have been and are exhibitionists. It is easy and pleasureable for them to shout, to weep, to tear their hair, to laugh, to make love. They enjoy it and they make their audience enjoy it. They are the ideal actors. As a boy, the possibility of being an actor never occurred to me. Nor could it have occurred to anybody who knew the shy and inarticulate youth that I was. I wanted to write. I felt I could express myself on paper; alone in a room, I felt articulate and creative. But I was also lazy--a thing a writer never dares to be. Application is, I am convinced, the first rule for authors. Then, mysteriously, a part in a play offered itself--at a time when to earn a living was a prime motive of existance. And then another part in another play. And gradually the miracle took place. The metamorphosis of a nervous, inhibited, agoraphobic individual who had other ambitions altogether into a fairly successful actor."

-Leslie Howard