Theodore Roberts

Hollywood showman Cecil B. DeMille’s early Joan of Arc epic brings into conflict expectations of womanhood from history, both from the era and the history of cinema. Joan the Woman was DeMille’s first historical film, for which he cast notorious opera singer Geraldine Farrar in the title role.

Preceding Ruben Östlund’s splashy Triangle of Sadness by more than a century, Cecil B. DeMille’s prescient satire gleefully turns upper-class snobs into island castaways. Deprived of her luxurious comforts, Gloria Swanson’s snotty yet endearing socialite learns a tough lesson about life—and love.