Joan the Maid I: The Battles

Jeanne (Sandrine Bonnaire) is certain that she alone can lead France to victory against the invading English, and she leaves her childhood home to say so to Charles, the heir to the throne. She wants his soldiers, and she wants to ride at the front of them. Jacques Rivette tells the first half of her story from the French side, in plain scenes that let her conviction carry the film.