Just before the advent of sound transformed the art form, prodigious Danish director Dreyer accepted a French studio’s offer to make a silent movie about Joan, canonized only a few years prior. In stunningly dramatizing her final hours, drawing from historical transcripts, Dreyer cast stage performer Maria Falconetti; filmed largely in close-up with no make-up, the French actress gave her all in a searing portrayal of purest emotion—and never acted onscreen again.