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The Passion of Joan of Arc poster

Movies that feel likeThe Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

A classic of the silent age, this film tells the story of the doomed but ultimately canonized 15th-century teenage warrior. On trial for claiming she'd spoken to God, Jeanne d'Arc is subjected to inhumane treatment and scare tactics at the hands of church court officials. Initially bullied into changing her story, Jeanne eventually opts for what she sees as the truth. Her punishment, a famously brutal execution, earns her perpetual martyrdom.

If you loved The Passion of Joan of Arc, the closest films we have are Day of Wrath (1943), Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) and Mutiny on the Bounty (1935). All three share The Passion of Joan of Arc's contemplative and epic feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Captain Blood (1935).

πŸ… 98% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 8.1 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Carl Theodor Dreyercontemplativeepic
9 of 12 streaming nowHBO Max Β· Paramount Plus Premium Β· Criterion Channel

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If The Passion of Joan of Arc hit the spot, these will too

Day of Wrath poster
Day of Wrath
1943 Β· dir. Carl Theodor Dreyer
πŸ… 100%β˜… 8drama Β· history

Carl Theodor Dreyer working the same nerve twice

In a Danish village in the early 1600s, a young woman named Anne, whose mother was thought to be a witch, develops sympathy toward an old woman, Marte, who is accused of witchcraft. The intervention of Anne's older but kindly husband, Pastor Absalon saved her mother -- but now, urged on by his overbearing mother, he refuses to help Marte. When Absalon's son returns home and is attracted to Anne, it's a matter of time before her family destiny catches up with her.

Judgment at Nuremberg poster
Judgment at Nuremberg
1961 Β· dir. Stanley Kramer
πŸ… 93%β˜… 8.3drama Β· history

Common ground in both: court case and judge

The difference: Made in the 1960s, in a different era of the craft

In 1947, four German judges who served on the bench during the Nazi regime face a military tribunal to answer charges of crimes against humanity. Chief Justice Haywood hears evidence and testimony not only from lead defendant Ernst Janning and his defense attorney Hans Rolfe, but also from the widow of a Nazi general, an idealistic U.S. Army captain and reluctant witness Irene Wallner.

Mutiny on the Bounty poster
Mutiny on the Bounty
1935 Β· dir. Frank Lloyd
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.6adventure Β· drama Β· history

Both land stillness and scale at once

The difference: Played as adventure first

Fletcher Christian successfully leads a revolt against the ruthless Captain Bligh on the HMS Bounty. However, Bligh returns one year later, hell bent on revenge.

Pather Panchali poster
Pather Panchali
1955 Β· dir. Satyajit Ray
πŸ… 98%β˜… 8.2drama Β· historyMax

Common ground: black and white

Impoverished priest Harihar Ray, dreaming of a better life for himself and his family, leaves his rural Bengal village in search of work. Alone, his wife, Sarbojaya, looks after her rebellious daughter, Durga, and her young son, Apu, as well as Harihar's elderly aunt Indir. The children enjoy the small pleasures of their difficult life, while their parents suffer the daily indignities heaped upon them.

Throne of Blood poster
Throne of Blood
1957 Β· dir. Akira Kurosawa
πŸ… 96%β˜… 8drama Β· historyMax

Both keep coming back to the same thing: black and white

Returning to their lord's castle, samurai warriors Washizu and Miki are waylaid by a spirit who predicts their futures. When the first part of the spirit's prophecy comes true, Washizu's scheming wife, Asaji, presses him to speed up the rest of the spirit's prophecy by murdering his lord and usurping his place. Director Akira Kurosawa's resetting of William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" in feudal Japan is one of his most acclaimed films.

Captain Blood poster
Captain Blood
1935 Β· dir. Michael Curtiz
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.7adventure

Both lean on scale more than on drama

The difference: Goes its own way on the stillness

Dr. Peter Blood, unjustly convicted of treason and exiled from England, becomes a notorious pirate.

The Ten Commandments poster
The Ten Commandments
1956 Β· dir. Cecil B. DeMille
πŸ… 82%β˜… 7.9drama Β· historyParamount+

Both are built on the same subject: religion

Escaping death, a Hebrew infant is raised in a royal household to become a prince. Upon discovery of his true heritage, Moses embarks on a personal quest to reclaim his destiny as the leader and liberator of the Hebrew people.

The Girl with the Needle poster
The Girl with the Needle
2024 Β· dir. Magnus von Horn
πŸ… 93%β˜… 7.5drama Β· historyRent or buy

History built on stillness, twice over

Struggling to survive in post-WWI Copenhagen, a newly unemployed and pregnant young woman is taken in by a charismatic elder to help run an underground adoption agency. The two form an unexpected bond, until a sudden discovery changes everything.

Labyrinth of Lies poster
Labyrinth of Lies
2014 Β· dir. Giulio Ricciarelli
πŸ… 83%β˜… 7.3drama Β· history

The same preoccupation in both: trial

A young prosecutor in postwar West Germany investigates a massive conspiracy to cover up the Nazi pasts of prominent public figures.

Aguirre, the Wrath of God poster
Aguirre, the Wrath of God
1972 Β· dir. Werner Herzog
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.8history Β· adventure Β· drama

One thread runs through both: sentence

A few decades after the destruction of the Inca Empire, a Spanish expedition led by the infamous Aguirre leaves the mountains of Peru and goes down the Amazon River in search of the lost city of El Dorado. When great difficulties arise, Aguirre’s men start to wonder whether their quest will lead them to prosperity or certain death.

Night and Fog poster
Night and Fog
1956 Β· dir. Alain Resnais
β˜… 8.6documentary Β· historyMax

Contemplative history, and it commits to that

Filmmaker Alain Resnais documents the atrocities behind the walls of Hitler's concentration camps.

Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India poster
Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India
2001 Β· dir. Ashutosh Gowariker
πŸ… 95%β˜… 8.1adventure Β· drama Β· history

Drama with a pulse of scale, in both cases

The year is 1893 and India is under British occupation. In a small village, the tyrannical Captain Russell has imposed an unprecedented land tax on its citizens. Outraged, Bhuvan, a rebellious farmer, rallies the villagers to publicly oppose the tax. Russell offers a novel way to settle the dispute: he challenges Bhuvan and his men to a game of cricket, a sport completely foreign to India. If Bhuvan and his men can defeat Russell's team, the tax will be repealed.

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The best-reviewed films that share The Passion of Joan of Arc’s defining feeling.