Renée Jeanne Falconetti
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Renée Jeanne Falconetti [1] (sometimes credited as Maria Falconetti, [2] Marie Falconetti, [3] or Renée Maria Falconetti [4][5]) (July 22, 1892 - December 12, 1946) was a French stage and film actress, notable for her role as Joan of Arc in Carl Theodor Dreyer's 1928 silent film, La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc.
Born in Sermano, Corsica, Falconetti became a stage actress in Paris in 1918. By the time Dreyer watched her act in an amateur theater and selected her as his leading lady in his up-and-coming production La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc, she was already a celebrated stage artiste, and had appeared in one film, La Comtesse de Somerive (1917), directed by Georges Denola and Jean Kemm. Her portrayal of Joan of Arc in La Passion was one of the most astonishing performances ever committed to film, and it would remain her final cinematic role.
After filming La Passion, Falconetti continued with her career as a producer of light stage comedies, appearing with the Comedie Francaise. During the Second World War she escaped from France first to Switzerland, and then left for Buenos Aires, Argentina where she lived until her death in 1946. [6] Upon her death she was cremated.
[edit] References
- ^ Boroson, Warren (April 11, 2006). Wikipedia site filled with major mistakes Daily Record. claims: "Her name was Renee Jeanne Falconetti. Her daughter, Helene Falconetti, in a letter to me now in the New York Public Library Theatre Division, states that she does not know where the wrong name 'Maria' originated."
- ^ As listed on IMDb
- ^ Luft, Herbert G. Carl Dreyer: A Master of His Craft. Quarterly of Film Radio and Television, Vol. 11, No. 2 (Winter, 1956), pp. 181-196
- ^ Ebert, Roger (February 16, 1997). The Passion of Joan of Arc (review). Chicago Sun-Times
- ^ Mayumi Takada, Annihilating Possibilities: Witnessing and Testimony through Cinematic Love in Theresa Hak Kyung Cha's DICTEE LIT: Literature Interpretation Theory Volume 17, Number 1 / January-March 2006, 23 - 48
- ^ Falconetti, Hélène (1987). Falconetti. Les Éditions du CERF. ISBN 2204028452
[edit] External links
- Maria Falconetti at the Internet Movie Database
- Renee Jeanne (Marie) Falconetti (1892-1946), actress [collection, 1962] via The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts Billy Rose Theatre Collection
