“Saint Joan is a 1957 British-American film adapted from the George Bernard Shaw play of the same title about the life of Joan of Arc. The restructured screenplay by Graham Greene, directed by Otto Preminger, begins with the play’s last scene, which then becomes the springboard for a long flashback …This was the film debut of actress Jean Seberg, who won a talent search conducted by Preminger that reportedly tested more than 18,000 young women for the role….(Wikipedia)
“Several reviews… noted that Greene’s condensation of the play resulted in ‘some odd omissions, interpolations and additions” and that “the result is a certain scrappiness and confusion in the first half of the film in place of Shaw’s slow and careful build-up.’ …Greene, a convert to Catholicism, was also criticized for changing Shaw’s view that the entire church was responsible for Joan’s execution. The film places the blame on individual judges….Upon release of the film, Jean Seberg’s performance as Joan was soundly panned, and Preminger was heavily criticized for casting an inexperienced unknown in a role which required her to act with veteran actors such as John Gielgud, Anton Walbrook, Felix Aylmer, and others.” (Wikipedia)
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