The Trial of Joan of Arc (Procès de Jeanne d'Arc)

"My daughter was born of a legitimate marriage.

I had her baptized and confirmed.

I brought her up to fear God and respect the Church

within the limits of her age and simple condition.

She did not think, plot or do anything against the faith.

But envious people who wished ill

on her, her parents and the good of princes and peoples

tried her for heresy.

They accused her of false crimes,

condemned her with iniquity

and burned her."

TRIAL OF JOAN OF ARC

Joan of Arc died on May 30th, 1431.

She received no burial and no portrait remains of her.

But we have a better portrait:

Her words before the judges of Rouen.

I have used the genuine minutes of the trial.

For the last instants, I have used the witness statements

from the Trial of Rehabilitation which took place 25 years later.

When the film starts,

Joan has been imprisoned for several months in Rouen.

Captured at Compiegne by French soldiers loyal to her adversaries,

she has been sold to the English .

She appears before a tribunal

made up exclusively of members of the Anglophile University of Paris

and presided over by Bishop Cauchon.

My name is Joan. l am 19.

Swear to tell the truth.

I swear.

- Where were you baptized? - In Domremy.

- Who taught you the faith? - My mother taught me my prayers.

- Say a Pater Noster. - I will say it in confession.

What did you do at home?

I did housework. I didn't work in the fields.

- Did you learn other skills? - Yes, to spin and sew.

We, the bishop, forbid Joan to leave the castle of Rouen.

I do not accept it.

You have tried several times to escape.

Like all prisoners, it is my right.

It would be perjury for me to say what I have sworn not to say.

- Tell the truth to your judge. - You call yourself judge.

- It's a grave responsibility. - Take the oath.

Must I do it twice?

Will you take the oath?

You don't need it.

Swear to tell the truth.

I will tell the truth, but not all of it.

That will render you suspect.

I'm aware of that.

We demand that you take the oath.

I cannot tell the whole truth.

I come from God and do not belong here.

Send me back to Him.

On your knees!

It came from the right of the church.

It was always accompanied by a bright light.

I recognised the voice of an angel.

It told me to raise the siege of Orleans

and go to Vaucouleurs and what would happen there.

What were you wearing when you left?

Men's clothes.

On whose advice?

Next question.

- Do you hear this voice often? - Every day. I've come to need it.

Did you hear it yesterday?

- At what time? - Morning. I don't know what time.

- What were you doing? - I was asleep. The voice woke me.

- Was it in your room? - It was in the castle.

Did you thank the voice and kneel before it?

I sat on my bed and joined my hands.

What did the voice tell you?

To reply to you bravely.

Be on guard. God sends me and you're in great danger.

It tells you not to say everything?

- Not concerning the king. - The voice forbids it?

Who are you to deny that?

It comes from God?

I believe it comes from God.

I'd rather not reply than offend it.

Telling the truth displeases God?

The voice told me to speak to the king.

There are things I must tell him for his own good.

Can't you make the voice do that?

I would, if it would please God.

Can't the voice talk to your king like it did when you were present?

Perhaps it is God's will.

Without God's grace I can do nothing.

Are you in God's grace?

If I'm not, may God bring me to it. If I am, may He keep me in it!

When you lived at home,

did you play with other girls?

Do you remember the trees in your village?

There's a tree called "Ladies' Tree or Fairies' Tree".

Nearby there's a fountain where the sick drink.

Under this tree, we used to make flower garlands, sing and dance.

But I never saw any fairies.

And elsewhere?

Not as far as I know.

Take her.

You can judge her words but not burn her.

- Why? - This is not a proper trial.

She will burn.

Have you been well since last time?

I have been as well as I could be.

Have you heard the voice since then?

Have you heard it in this room?

- Is it relevant to your trial? - It will serve the trial.

- I've heard it. - What did it say?

I didn't understand until I was back in my room.

What did it tell you there?

I asked for advice on your questions.

Did it give you advice?

On certain points.

On others, I cannot answer without its permission.

If Our Lord gives it to me,

I will not be afraid to answer.

Did an angel talk to you or God Himself?

It was the voices of St. Catherine and St. Margaret.

How do you know it was their voices?

They've guided me for seven years.

Are they dressed the same?

I will tell the King of France, not my interrogators.

Are they the same age?

I don't know.

Did they talk together or separately?

I was also comforted by St. Michael.

How long have you heard his voice?

I only said I was comforted.

Which one of these saints appeared to you first?

St. Michael, accompanied by celestial angels.

Did you see St. Michael and the angels in the flesh?

I saw them with my own eyes.

What proof do you have your visions are from God?

Believe me if you will.

Was there an angel above your king when you first saw him?

I don't know. I didn't see it.

Some brightness, or light?

Much light, over 50 torches. Not all light is for you.

How did your king show his faith in you?

- He had a sign. - What sign?

I will not answer that question.

Where did you get your sword?

- In Vaucouleurs. - Did you have another sword?

I found one in the church of St. Catherine de Fierbois.

How did you know it was there?

It was on the ground, with five crosses on it.

My voices told me.

- Did you have it blessed? - It wasn't blessed.

Did you place the sword on the altar for luck?

Did you prefer your standard to your sword?

I much preferred my standard.

- Who carried it? - I did, to avoid killing someone.

I've never killed anyone.

How many men did your king give you?

10 to 12,000 men.

In Orleans, did you tell your men that the stones and arrows

would only hit you?

I told them to raise the siege.

When I placed the ladder, an arrow pierced my neck.

Did you know you'd be wounded?

St. Catherine and St. Margaret had told me.

Did they talk to you under the "Ladies' Tree or Fairies' Tree",

mentioned earlier?

I don't remember.

And at the nearby fountain?

I heard them there.

O gentle Lord, if you love me,

tell me what to say to these churchmen.

What are you doing here?

You know very well.

"Those of you outside the city of Orleans, return to your country.

King of England, I'm a commander.

I'll chase your men out of France.

If they don't obey, I'll have them all killed.

God sends me to fight you hand to hand.

Have no doubt, God will not give you the kingdom of France."

Do you recognize this letter?

I do, except where it says "commander" and "hand to hand".

What do you think will happen to your side?

In seven years, God will give the French victory over the English.

I want people to know I said this.

The date?

You will not know it from me.

How do you know if your visions are men or women?

They tell me. I see their faces.

- Do they have hair? - Possibly.

Do they wear their hair down?

I don't even know if they have a body.

How can they speak without a body?

I trust God. The voice is soft and speaks the language of France.

Do you have any rings?

You have one of them. Give it back!

The English have the other one. Show it to me if you have it.

Who gave you the other ring?

My parents. Inscribed "Jesus Maria".

Have you cured people with those rings?

Not by means of the rings.

Did the saints make any promises?

It's not relevant to your trial.

Did they promise to rescue you from the prisons?