Joan the Woman, 1916 directed by Cecil B. DeMille

Joan the Woman is a 1916 American epic silent drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Geraldine Farrar as Joan of Arc. The film premiered on Christmas Day in 1916. This was DeMille’s first historical drama. The screenplay is based on Friedrich Schiller’s 1801 play Die Jungfrau von Orelans (The Maid of Orleans). This film was considered to be the “first cinematic spectacle about Joan of Arc.”

This was the first film to use the Handschiegl Color Process (billed as the “Wyckoff-DeMille Process”) for certain scenes. This process is especially noticeable in the scene of Joan burning at the stake, the use of red and yellow gave this a heightened dramatic effect. A print of the film still exists. DeMille has said that in the weeks before shooting he became obsessed with historical research, costume and set design, and casting decisions.