26. Maria Falconetti as Joan of Arc
      The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)

One look at Falconetti’s wide-eyed countenance and you understand that she is the one movie actor for whom the term “iconic” has complete justification. And though director Carl Theodor Dreyer’s film records only Joan’s trial and execution, Falconetti’s performance shows you the entirety of the warrior’s life—transforming from unworldly, scared, wonder-transfixed young girl into saint right before our eyes. Dreyer summed it up perfectly: “In Falconetti . . . I found what I might, with very bold expression, allow myself to call ‘the martyr’s reincarnation.’ ”

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