Before his name became synonymous with the Biblical epic, Cecil B. DeMille experimented with several different modes of historical storytelling, with sex, spectacle, and narrative ingenuity punching up the textbook facts. His first such effort, Joan the Woman, wrapped the story of the Maid of Orleans within a framing story about the imperative of French and British cooperation in the trenches of World War I. Metropolitan Opera soprano Geraldine Farrar stars as Joan of Arc, who dons armor, exposes the innate weaknesses of patriarchy, and faces off against her ex-boyfriend (Wallace Reid) in battle after recognizing the futility of romance. A fractured feminist interpretation that simultaneously damns and exults traditional gender roles, Joan the Woman is nothing if not a film of its anxious moment. Though it does not shy away from depicting Joan’s divine visions, DeMille and scenarist Jeanie Macpherson routinely emphasize the fragility of flesh over chapter-and-verse, with a pair of elaborate battle sequences. “It is impossible to describe in detail what producer DeMille has accomplished with such a wealth of material,” effused Variety. “Suffice it to say that no one else could have done more and few, if any, could have done as much.” Long available only in substandard copies, this new restoration, derived from DeMille’s personal nitrate print, retains the elaborating tinting, toning, and Handschiegl hand-colored effects that haven’t been seen in their expressive glory in over a century.

Restored by the George Eastman Museum with funding from Century Arts Foundation

Preceded by: “The Pillar of Fire” (George Méliès, 1899) – 1 min – 35mm