FAVORITE FILMS: VIVRE SA VIE

At a pivotal moment in Jean-Luc Godard's 1962 film VIVRE SA VIE, Nana (Anna Karina) enters a cinema to watch Dreyer's THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC.  As Nana, transfixed by Joan's tears, is moved to tears, Godard utilizes intertextuality to parallel Joan and Nana's stories.  Both women are victimized by society and punished by law, Joan for her faith, Nana for her prostitution. 

Cultural theorist Susan Sontag described VIVRE SA VIE as "a perfect film" and "one of the most extraordinary, beautiful, and original works of art that I know of."  The story, like THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC, blurs the lines between reality and ficition.  VIVRE SA VIE tells the fictional story of Nana, but it is guided by the real relationship between Karina and Godard, who were married at the time.



Also worth looking into is Danish director Lars Von Trier, who is known for sadistic relationships with his leading actresses.  His films BREAKING THE WAVES (1996), DANCER IN THE DARK (2000), and DOGVILLE (2003) can be viewed as Joan-like narratives of women who are persecuted and achieve a form of sainthood.