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Musical Silents: The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

Thursday, September 17th, 2026
7:00 pm
Details
82 mins | France | Silent w/ live musical accompaniment
Category
Monthly Screenings
Film Type
Feature Film
Cost
$20 general admission | $10 student | Member benefits may apply
Location
Main Street Landing Film House
60 Lake Street, 3rd floor
Burlington, VT

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Director
Carl Theodor Dreyer
Sponsors
Vermont Arts Council, Lake Champlain Chocolates, John M. Bissell Foundation

Live improvised score by Freeway Clyde

Spiritual rapture and institutional hypocrisy come to stark, vivid life in one of the most transcendent masterpieces of the silent era. Chronicling the trial of Joan of Arc in the hours leading up to her execution, Danish master Carl Theodor Dreyer depicts her torment with startling immediacy, employing an array of techniquesexpressionistic lighting, interconnected sets, painfully intimate close-upsto immerse viewers in her subjective experience. Anchoring Dreyer’s audacious formal experimentation is a legendary performance by Renée Falconetti, whose haunted face channels both the agony and the ecstasy of martyrdom. Nothing about this movie has aged in the 98 years since it was released.

A Tony Award-winning composer and arranger, Michael Chorney is one of Vermont’s most prolific and collaborative artists. After working for years on the score for the Broadway hit Hadestown, he longed to develop a collective, ensemble approach to music making. He found it back in Vermont and put together a group of the region’s most intuitive players to form Freeway Clyde.