preminger adaptation of g. b. shaw saint joan ( screenplay by graham greene ) receive one of the bad critical reaction in it day . it be vilify by the pseudo elite and the purist and the audience be unresponsive to a film that lack the piety and glamour expect of a historical pageant . a in peep tom and the reaction be malicious and unjustified . preminger adaptation of shaw intellectual exploration of the effect and action surround joan of arc ( her actual name in her own language be jeanne darc but this film be in english ) be totally faithful to the spirit of the original play and not only on the literal emotional level but formally too . his film be a brechtian examination of the functioning of institution and the division within and without of various faction all want to seize power . a such we be not allow to identify on an emotional level with any of the character and include joan herself . a play by jean seberg ( whose subsequent life offer a eerie parallel to her role here ) and she be present a an innocent and a figure of purity whose very action and presence reveals the corruption and emptiness in everyone . a such seberg play her a both saint and madwoman . her own lack of experience a an actress when she make this film ( which do show up in spot ) convey the freshness and youth of jeanne reveal both the fact that jeanne la pucelle be a humble illiterate peasant girl who stride out to protect her village and her natural intelligence . by no mean do she deserve the harsh criticism that she get on the film first release and it a performance far beyond the ken and call of any first time actress with no prior act experience . shaw and preminger take a secular view towards joan see her a a medieval era feminist and not content with be a rustic daughter who fate be to be marry away or a whore pick up by soldier to and away from battlefield . her faith and her voice and her vision which she intermingle with word such a imagination and common sense lead her to wear the armour of her fellow soldier to lead them to battle to chase the invading englishman out of france . and yet it can be say that the film be more interested in the court of the dauphin ( richard widmark ) and the office of the clergy who try joan lead by pierre cauchon ( anton walbrook and impeccably cast ) and the action of the earl of warwick ( john gielgud ) then in joan herself . the superb ensemble cast ( all male ) portray figure of scheme and machievellian ( although the story precedes niccolo ) opportunist who treat religion a a childish toy to be use and manipulate for their own end . the sharp sardonic dialogue give the actor great fun to let loose . john gielgud a the eminently rational earl whose intelligence and ( albeit accompany by corruption ) and allow him to calculate the precise manner in which he can ensure joan get burnt at the stake and anton walbrook pierre cauchon bring a three dimensional portrait to this intelligent theologian who will give joan the fair trial that will certainly find her guilty . richard widmark a the dauphin be a real revelation . a against type a casting choice you will ever find and widmark portray the weak future ruler of france in a frenzied and comic caricature that as close a this film come to comic relief . a comic performance that feel like an imitation of jerry lewis far more than an impetuous future ruler of france . preminger shot saint joan in black and white and the cinematographer be georges perinal who work with rene clair and who do the life and death of colonel blimp in colour . it perfectly restrain to emphasize the rational intellectual atmosphere for this film . preminger preference for track shot of long uninterrupted take be key to the effectiveness of the film and there no sense of a wasted movement anywhere in his mise en scene . it also mark the direction of preminger most mature ( and most neglected period ) his focus be on the conflict between individual and the institution in which they work and how the institution function and how the individual act a per his principle . these theme get their most direct treatment in his film and a always he keep thing unpredictable and find no black and white answer . this be one of his very best and most effective film .