TCM is airing this on Sunday

I really enjoyed this and probably would not have watched it any time soon if it wasn't for ram's choice and James' well thought out review. Thanks guys, because this is a good one. I'm not sure what I can add because everything I want to say has been said already. I'll second the point about the eyes. Never before have I seen eyes like that, and I probably never will again. Such emotion. I also have no problem with the Voices of Light score. In fact, I think it's a real asset. The hair on my hands actually stood on end during one key scene just because of that score. 9/10. It's one that I intend to revisit in a few years, because I feel that my rating might go higher.

Curious what scene you're talking about there Ed.

True...the score is a real asset as you said. Gives the movie great impact. Almost like the classical music in 2001. Maybe I'm reaching on that one.

Embarrassingly I can't recall the exact scene now. That's what I get for waiting more than a week. I think it was when Joan was in her cell and some of the inquisitors came in and kept making rapid fire accusations. The score swelled at the exact time as she denied them again. I guess it was the all those verbal blows that she kept shaking off. That sounds awkward, but I don't know how to express it.

Those who want to watch this on Netflix Instant should be warned that the Voices of Light score is not present. I watched the entire thing without any sound. I probably won't watch the film with the score for a long time, but the absence of noise heightened the experience for me. I made my own emotional responses and, indeed, focuses more on composition and camera movement (of which Vampyr was way, way, way more).

I have more to say, of course. I'll chime in when Pete and Josh watch it.

I'd love to add more after watching this, but James' review is 100% spot on. Really. It's one of the best reviews he's written. I think he should tackle older films more than he does (because he's really good at it), but I understand the need to keep up with the current releases.

I guess I can echo a few of his sentiments. Firstly, I'm glad he mentioned the rioting because I didn't remember anything like that from what I've read on the subject. It's good to know that Dreyer invented that for the film. It seemed a little overly dramatic to me given that the film had been so intimate up to that point.

I watched the version with no score on Netflix and I'm with Pedro, I liked it. I loved the structure of the film and how it pertained to what Dreyer was trying to accomplish. Exploring faith in the face of adversity and corruption from power fits perfectly with the portion of Joan's story he chooses to tell. Falconetti's expressive performance meshed well with how intimate Dreyer wanted to get with the character. Obviously, his use of extensive close-ups was a perfect choice, too. I wonder if Darren Aronofsky watched this movie before he made Black Swan? That movie uses extensive use of the close-up as well.

As for the camera, aside from the tracking shot at the beginning and the mirroring one towards the end, it was virtually non existent. That isn't a bad thing because, as has been said, Dreyer's focus on the close-up is the correct choice. There are quite a few low angle shots used, however. I thought they were used to good effect. Like James said, there's more cutting in this than I can remember in any silent film I've seen.

Overall, I liked this one quite a bit.

PS - Did James use "dovetail" correctly in his review? Maybe JamesKunz can come in here and let us know?

Hilarious.

...and I agree completely with your thoughts on pretty much everything. It's cool that JB put so much thought into the review because the film clearly deserved it (on a related note I admire that he's putting the same effort into the Behind the Mask: Rise of Leslie Vernon flick).

You could have gleaned this from my comments above but I'll repeat: the Voices of Light score is really something and I believe it adds to the experience. Do check it out if you ever get the chance to.