Eighteen Brilliant But Unawarded Acting Performances
6. Maria Falconetti – The Passion of Joan of Arc
Even though it’s a silent film, her eyes say more than most characters do in a traditional film.
Like many classic black and white films, “The Passion of Joan of Arc” has a bizarre and tumultuous history.
When it was first released, the French government censored the film by cutting several scenes. Most of the original copies of the film were lost in a laboratory fire, and subsequent copies of the film were the result of different directors’ attempts to piece together the remaining clips.
Although Falconetti’s stunning performance was amazing to say the least, none of these versions managed to capture her vivid expressions and overall emotion like the original film.
In fact, the original was lost completely until 1981, when some original copies of the film were discovered tucked away in a janitor’s closet in a mental institute in Oslo, despite there being no record of the film having been sent to Oslo. “The Passion of Joan of Arc” is today considered one of the best films of all time, and possibly the absolute best silent film.
