Joan of Arc (1948)... complete on DVD!
 

Joan of Arc (1948), director Victor Fleming (Gone With the Wind, The Wizard of Oz, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde)’s last film, has just been released in its complete, uncut 145 min. version.

The film had been pared down to 100 minutes following the mega-scandal (in the USA) surrounding star Ingrid Bergman’s elopement with Italian director Roberto Rossellini. The cut version (once available on VHS) showed a badly-damaged print preserving only the bare facts of the historical Joan (complete with dumbed-down maps and voiceover) and totally negating any attempt to show Joan as a saint or mystic.

This restored version on DVD (Image) features the complete film in full frame, clear mono sound and a magnificent and luminous Technicolor restoration that simply has to be seen to be believed. The complete version allows Maxwell Anderson’s play (“Joan of Lorraine”) to shine and make sense, and Hugo Friedhofer’s complex and unusual score (El Cid meets Song of Bernadette) to be fully appreciated.

Chances are the film would not have been a great success in the English-speaking world at any rate, even without the knee-jerk reaction to its star’s personal life, in view of the fact that no version of this story has ever been popular with English-speaking audiences, from Shakespeare to today, for obvious reasons.

Imagine being given a chance to go back in time and see once again a film of this high level of quality and grandeur, despite all the outrages of time…

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0...1.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

Where's the petition for the widescreen release?! :mad:

Interesting. I'll check it out.

Actually, the film was re-released (the complete 145 min version) as a widescreen SuperScope attraction in 1957, which means it was mercilessly cropped top and bottom, of course. It's a good thing this print was around too because this is where the restorers of the present version (UCLA) got 98 % of their pristine soundtrack from, back in 1998...

Image keeps coming up with these incredible DVDs - they're one of my favorite labels! I'll definitely be going after this one.