Bresson’s 'Trial of Joan of Arc' is a beautifully composed, unadulterated account of an extraordinary event told only through eye-witness records and in the words of Joan herself, remarkably preserved from 15th-century transcripts of the trial.

Captured for her part in leading French troops to war against the English and her support of Charles VII, the 19-year-old Joan (played here by non-professional actor Florence Carrez) resolutely maintains that she has acted on the advice of heavenly voices.

Of the many adaptations of this story, it is Bresson’s pared-down style that allows the true strength and spiritual purity of this remarkable young woman to resonate.

Short: 'The End' (Maxime Leduc, Martin Ruyant, Michel Samreth, 2005) 6 mins
Loyalty is tested in this computer-animated tale about a scarecrow and a magpie.

Image above: Detail of still from 'Procès de Jeanne d’Arc' Credit Artificial Eye/ Source credit BFI.