Summaries

Synopsis

In 1420, Henry V, King Of England and Charles VI, King of France, sign the treaty of Troyes, which states France will belong to England upon the King's death. But both Kings die within months of each other. Henry VI is a few months old and the new King of England and France. Charles VII, the Dauphin of France, will not abandon his Kingdom to a child. English Invade France.The English forces are held at the river in Loire. Charles VII (John Malkovich) is at Chinon and needs to get to Reims for his coronation, but Reims is in English hands.

As a child, Joan has a violent and supernatural vision (she even receives a sword, which appeared next to her while she had the vision). She returns home to find her village burning. Her sister Catherine tries to protect her by hiding her from the attacking English forces, part of a longstanding rivalry with France. Joan (Milla Jovovich), while hiding, witnesses the brutal murder and sexual assault of her sister. Afterward, Joan is taken in by distant relatives. Joan is anguished by her sister's death and her own survival. The priest explains to her that God has a special calling for her. So long as she answers that call, her sister would not have died in vain.

Several years later at Chinon, the Dauphin and soon to be King of France, Charles VII, receives a message from the now-adult Joan (Milla Jovovich), asking him to provide an army to lead into battle against the occupying English. After meeting him and his mother-in-law Yolande of Aragon (Faye Dunaway) she describes her visions. Desperate, he believes her prophecy (That a virgin from Lorine will be the Savior of France and that Joan herself will lead Charles to his coronation). Yolande believes that French already believe in Joan and will follow her into battle. Joan wins Charles's faith when she correctly says that Jean d'Aulon (Desmond Harrington) (installed by Charles on his throne as a test for Joan) is not the Dauphin of France.

Gilles De Rais (Vincent Cassel) is the Marshall of France. John II, Duke of Alençon (Pascal Greggory) is Charles's cousin and the richest man in France. La Hire (Richard Ridings) is the captain of the King's bodyguards.Joan is also given a test of virginity upon the insistence of the church, to be sure of her motives. The church leaders also interrogate Joan as to the specifics of her vision. They want a sign as proof that she is indeed a messenger of God. Joan says she will not perform any tricks and also adds that her surviving a journey of 500 leagues in enemy territory is sign enough that God wanted it to be so. She demands an army for an attack on English forces around Orleans.

Clad in armor, Joan leads the French army to the besieged city of Orléans (The city is ruled by Jean De Dunois (Tchéky Karyo), Charles's half brother). She travels to the other side of the river and gives the English a chance to surrender, which they refuse. The armies' commanders, skeptical of Joan's leadership (Joan wanted to recross the river and attack the English head on, which Dunois said was pure insanity, as that would leave Orleans exposed to an attack from other sides. Joan remarked that God would prevent that), initiate the next morning's battle to take over the stockade at St. Loup without her. By the time she arrives on the battlefield, the French soldiers are retreating. Joan ends the retreat and leads another charge, successfully capturing the fort.

They proceed to the enemy stronghold called the "Tourelles." Joan gives the English another chance to surrender, but they refuse. Joan leads the French soldiers to attack the Tourelles, though the English defenders inflict heavy casualties, also severely wounding Joan (She is shot in the chest by an archer). Nevertheless, Joan leads a second attack the following day (she removes the arrow with her bare hands and uses a mobile attack tower to destroy the draw bridge of Tourelles and enter the fort). As the English army regroups, the French army moves to face them across an open field. Joan is aghast at the bloodshed and feels this is not God's will. Joan rides alone toward the English and offers them a final chance to surrender and return to England. The English accept her offer and retreat.

Joan returns to Rheims to witness the coronation of Charles VII of France. Her military campaigns then continue to the walls of Paris, though she does not receive her requested reinforcements, and the siege is a failure. Gilles and Hire are still loyal to Joan, but tell her that Charles has his throne and is not interested in this war anymore. Joan tells King Charles VII to give her another army, but he refuses, saying he now prefers diplomacy over warfare. Joan is also deserted by her followers as she reveals that she has had no more visions since Charles's coronation.

Believing she threatens his position and will require the expenditure of treasure, Charles conspires to get rid of Joan by allowing her to be captured by enemy forces. She is taken prisoner by the pro-English Burgundians at Compiègne, who sell her to the English. Led in chains, her trial begins at the town of Rouen. Joan feels betrayed when she is told Charles never even offered to pay her ransom.

Charged with the crime of heresy, based on her claim of visions and signs from God, she is tried in an ecclesiastical court proceeding, which is forced by the English occupation government. The English wish to quickly condemn and execute Joan since English soldiers are afraid to fight while she remains alive, based on their belief that she could supernaturally affect battles even while in prison. Bishop Cauchon (Timothy West) expresses his fear of wrongfully executing someone who might have received visions from God.

About to be burned for heresy, Joan is distraught that she will be executed without making a final confession. The Bishop (who is under pressure from the English, but wants to save Joan) tells her she must recant her visions before he can hear her confession. Joan signs the recantation. The relieved Bishop shows the paper to the English, saying that Joan can no longer be burned as a heretic. Whilst in her cell, Joan is confronted by an unnamed cloaked man (Dustin Hoffman), who is implied to be Joan's conscience. The man makes Joan question whether she was actually receiving messages from God. The cloaked man says there are an infinite number of ways a sword (which Joan claims was God's sign to her), could have been in the field, but Joan saw what she wanted to see..

The frustrated English devise another way to have Joan executed by the church. English soldiers go into Joan's cell room, rip her clothes, and give her men's clothing to wear. They then state she conjured a spell to make the new clothing appear, suggesting that she is a witch who must be burned. Although suspecting the English are lying, the Bishop abandons Joan to her fate, and she is burned alive in the marketplace of Rouen, though a postscript adds that she was canonized as a saint 500 yrs later (she was burnt in May 1431, when she was 19 yrs old)