Dreyer’s camera is frequently in motion, at times hysterically so. “Joan” is not just a movie shot largely in close-up, but one without establishing shots. “Joan” pleased neither French audiences nor clerical authorities and was recut to mollify the Archbishop of Paris. “The Passion of Joan of Arc” was canonized more or less instantly. If novels like “Madame Bovary” or “Crime and Punishment” are must-reads, then “The Passion of Joan of Arc” is a cinematic must-see.

Source: New York Times November 22, 2017 16:30 UTC