pay cuts, hair cuts, & burning at the stake

For any who don’t already know – my work situation has been a little screwy for a while. My boss has basically been paying $800/mo. for my office, only for me to telecommute from it to Naples, FL – where she is 99% of the time. Monday, she called me at said office and asked me to start working from home. I am very stoked about this. She also said I could take home the computer from the office (again – stoked) and keep it no matter what … (still stoked, but growing uneasy). Then she said she had to cut my salary by 25%. Stoked no more. The upside is, she only exppects 30 hours a week from instead of 40 – giving me time to garner more freelance work.

I’ve been want ing to get a portfolio online for a while and finally hit it hard last week. Donovanworks is at least presentable now. I invite your feedback (and by “feedback” I mean words of praise and encouragement). I spent a lot of time this weekend working on both the site and a minifolio to give to potential clients/employers. Last night was the first free night I’ve had in a very long time. So Kristin and I watched a movie on the laptop in bed.

My friend Rich hates movies directed by Mel Gibson. I think he’s still not seen The Passion of The Christ. Everytime someone mentions The Passion or Braveheart, Rich cries a little inside. Then he encourages them to watch The Passion of Joan of Arc. Originally shot in 1927 by French Director, Carl Th. Dreyer this silent film stars Maria Flaconetti (Jeanne d’Arc).

This film is amazing. It is no exaggeration to say it may be one of the finest examples of cinema to date (and that is what Rich always says). The burning of Joan at the stake is more real and more tasteful than any torture scene I’ve ever witnessed on screen. However, the most moving scene (to me) was when Joan’s hair is being cut as a preparation for her execution. Flaconetti’s performance is superb. It’s raw and emotive and gathers even more power through Dreyer’s vivid close-ups (which he uses unsparingly). This is nothing like Luc Besson’s freaky The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc. The following is from the opening credits of the film:

Shot in France by Carl Th. Dreyer, The Passion of Joan of Arc was the victim of several ordeals. Censored before its release in 1928, the original negative was soon destroyed by fire. A second negative reedited by Dreyer from alternate takes was also thought lost to fire.

For more than a half-century, this great classic of silent film was known only in mutilated copies, or in a sonorized version which made numerous changes to the original.

Then, in 1981, an original Danish copy, complete and in very good condition, was miraculously discovered in a closet of a Norwegian mental institution. Thanks to the aid of Ib Monty, Director of the Danish Film Museum, and of Maurice Drouzy, who reestablished the French text, the Cinematheque Francais has been able to reconstitue this French version, probably very close to the original.

A score for the film, entitled Voices of Light was later composed by Richard Einhorn. The score is optional on the Cirterion Collection DVD. Kristin and I watched the silent film on it’s own last night. I plan to watch it with the music soon. The following appears before the opening credits:

ABOUT THE MUSIC

The Passion of Joan of Arc is a silent film. At the time of its initial release it was presented with various pieces of music performed live, and there is no information that Carl Th. Dreyer ever selected a difinitive score for his film.

However, we feel that Richard Einhorn’s Voices of Light adds an extra dimension to Dreyer’s film, and that both works benefit from being presented together. Not actually a score, but rather music inspired by the film, Einhorn’s work interweaves medieval texts and original music to comment both on the legend of Joan and Dreyer’s depiction of her.

I commend this film to you – all who read this blog. It’s fantastic.