Joan of Arc at the Stake

Marion Cotillard and Eric Génovèse in Joan of Arc at the Stake. Photo: Patrick Berger

Marion Cotillard often portrays characters who are a mix of fragility and strength. Last month, I was fortunate to see her play one of these roles when she appeared with the New York Philharmonic in Arthur Honegger’s oratorio Joan of Arc at the Stake. Composed in 1935 with a libretto by Paul Claudel, the piece was performed in French by Cotillard (in one of the few speaking parts) along with the New York Choral Artists and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus.

Joan of Arc at the Stake opens with a dramatic prologue sung by the chorus about darkness having fallen on France. Added in 1943, it served to establish the situation of the country during Joan of Arc's life while simultaneously condemning the Nazi-occupation of France.

A seemingly dazed Joan appears. Having been found guilty of heresy, she is about to be burned at the stake. She conjures up an imaginary sympathetic friar, Brother Dominic, who has with him a book that tells the story of Joan's life. He reads to her, and we see flashbacks of Joan’s life, starting with her trial, which is represented as some sort of surreal circus with a jury comprised of sheep and a pig for a judge. When Joan asks Brother Dominic why she’s been condemned, he explains that she was a pawn in a card game, which is then shown being played by foolish royals. Joan recalls hearing the voices of her beloved St. Catherine and St. Marguerite, how she helped the King to claim his throne, and of happy moments during her childhood in Lorraine. Brother Dominic leaves, and Joan goes to her death with the Virgin Mary and a choir of angels watching over her.

While some of the farcical scenes like the animal trial were entertaining (if not a bit jarring), the piece was at its strongest when focused on Joan, who was portrayed perfectly by Cotillard. In one memorable scene, Joan shouts out the words that were thrown at her by her accusers—heretic, sorceress, apostate—as they are repeated back to her by the chorus. And the scenes between her and Brother Dominic, played by the excellent Eric Génovèse, were poignant and deeply moving. 

At times defiant, at other times scared, Cotillard's Joan was mesmerizing to watch. Often offering up childlike responses, she reminded the audience that while she may have led troops into battle, Joan of Arc was, after all, a young girl.

If you missed the New York performances, there's a DVD of an earlier production with Cotillard that can be purchased here.

Bon Anniversaire, Marion

Marion Cotillard by Studio Harcourt Paris (1999)

Today is the birthday of my favourite modern actress, Marion Cotillard. From her film roles to her advertisements for Dior, I just adore everything she does. Which is why I am so excited to see her in conversation this weekend at the New York Film Festival where she'll be promoting her new film, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s Two Days, One Night.

Last night I attended a festival talk with another French favourite, Mathieu Amalric, who was intelligent, funny, and charming. He spoke for more than an hour about the directors he's worked with and his own filmmaking process. Absolutely wonderful. Now all I want to do is watch French cinema. 

The Immigrant

Joaquin Phoenix and Marion Cotillard in The Immigrant

There is a shot of Lady Liberty as seen by passengers on an incoming ship at the beginning of James Gray’s The Immigrant that’s misty looking and almost sepia in colour. It sets the mood for a period film that is as unsettling as it is engaging.

It’s 1921 and Ewa Cybulska (Marion Cotillard) arrives at Ellis Island with her sister, Magda (Angela Sarafyan), from war-torn Poland ready to make a fresh start. They have no money but Ewa can speak English and they have a loving uncle and aunt waiting for them. Things go wrong though once they depart the ship. Magda is held back and quarantined for what we later learn is tuberculosis while Ewa discovers that she’s been labelled a woman of “low morals” for an incident that occurred during the crossing and that the address she has for her relatives is fake. She’s waiting in line to be deported back to Poland when a man appears who says he’s from Travelers Aid and that he can help her.

This man is Bruno Weiss (Joaquin Phoenix), an entrepreneur who runs a “theatre” in the Lower East Side. It’s really a second-rate burlesque show whose performers supplement their income (and Bruno’s) by turning tricks. Upon first appearance Bruno seems kind, offering Ewa a place to stay and promising to do whatever he can to help her and her sister. He is soft spoken and jokes with the other women whom he calls his "doves” but something sinister is lurking beneath his demeanour. When he places a hand on Ewa's shoulder and she tells him not to touch her, he becomes angry and shouts “shame,” shocking both Ewa and the audience. It soon becomes apparent that Bruno is falling for Ewa even while he pushes her into prostitution.

Enter his cousin Emil (Jeremy Renner) to further complicate the situation. The opposite of Bruno, Emil is funny and filled with nothing but flattering words for Ewa. At their first meeting at Ellis Island where he's performing (he makes a living as Orlando the magician), he tells her she’s beautiful and hands her a rose. He quickly declares his love for her and asks her to run away with him. Yet Ewa is unsure because her sister is in New York (as is Bruno).

Marion Cotillard, for me, is one of the best actresses working today and she's wonderful as Ewa. With her expressive large eyes, she would have made a great silent screen actress. In fact, Ewa is very much a character out of a silent melodrama—an innocent thrust out in the cold big city where evil lurks at every corner and a villain attempts to steal her virtue. The difference here is that while Ewa’s virtue is taken she is no milksop, refusing to be subjugated by the men around her. Bolstered by a steely determination, she never detours from her ultimate goal, being reunited with her sister. While she may appear fearful of Bruno’s outbursts she stands up to him, coldly repeating “give me my money.”

And speaking of Bruno, who else to better portray a character of such complex emotions than Joaquin Phoenix? Unable to control his feelings, Bruno literally lashes out; he is unpredictable and dangerous. Yet even though Bruno is a pimp and a little psychotic, Phoenix makes the audience sympathize with him (a difficult feat). There is a certain sadness about Phoenix that's present in most of his roles and here we see it when he looks at Ewa and when his luck starts to run out. It's almost heartbreaking to watch.

If there’s one misstep in the casting it's Jeremy Renner who is a fine actor but who just reads as too modern for this story (and the black eyeliner he wears while performing his magic act unfortunately brings to mind Malcolm McDowell in A Clockwork Orange). Or perhaps it's just that he's not as compelling to watch as Phoenix.

So often period films appear glossy, too new but The Immigrant looks authentic thanks in part to the brilliant work of cinematographer Darius Khondji. The muted colours add a historical air to the film as do the sets, which are incredibly authentic. When Bruno first brings Ewa into his tenement flat, I thought for a second that it had been filmed in the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side, the layout was so perfect. 

With The Immigrant, James Gray has given us the story of a woman whose American experience is more nightmare than dream. And it may just be the best film I've seen this year. 

Dior Magazine

Last week was incredibly busy and this week looks like it's going to turn out to be about the same. I have a ton of tales to write but am just too tired at the moment. So for now here are some gorgeous photos by Jean-Baptiste Modino of Marion Cotillard (my favourite) wearing classic Dior pieces from the past for the debut issue of Dior Magazine. Beautiful.

To see more images visit here.

Marion en Rouge

I'm starting to think Marion Cotillard can do no wrong. Besides being a fabulous actress, she's gorgeous and always looks incredibly chic and cool as these photos from a Surrealist holiday spread by Tim Walker for the December issue of W magazine can attest.

The life sized toy soldier may be a tad creepy but look at those clothes: Chanel, Gaultier, Lanvin, Valentino. And she's sporting red lipstick and a black bob! It doesn't get much better than that. 

For the rest of the photos and the interview, visit W Magazine here.

Lady Dior

J'adore Dior and Marion Cotillard. What a perfect pairing. So naturally I was more than happy this morning to watch the first episode of a new Lady Dior web series featuring Cotillard. Entitled "Fantasia," it gives you a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on at the Dior workshops. Enjoy!