The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc
In 1429, a French teenager stood before her King with a message she claimed came from God; that she would defeat the world's greatest army and liberate her country from its political and religious turmoil. As she reclaims God's diminished kingdom, this courageous young woman has various amazing victories until her violent and untimely death.
The film struggled financially against its considerable budget of $85.0M, earning $67.0M globally (-21% loss).
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999) demonstrates meticulously timed story structure, characteristic of Luc Besson's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 38 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.0, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 2 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Young Jeanne plays peacefully in the French countryside during the Hundred Years' War, an innocent girl in a violent time. She confesses her small sins to the priest, embodying childlike purity.. Significantly, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 18 minutes when Jeanne discovers her sister's murdered body and retrieves a sword from the field. This trauma triggers her first vision of the Virgin Mary, transforming her grief into divine mission. The catalyst is both external tragedy and internal psychological break.. At 11% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 38 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 24% of the runtime. This indicates the protagonist's commitment to Jeanne actively chooses to leave her village and journey to Chinon to meet the Dauphin Charles, defying social convention and family expectations. She cuts her hair, dons armor, and crosses into her new identity as a warrior for God., moving from reaction to action.
At 76 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 48% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Structural examination shows that this crucial beat Charles is crowned King of France at Reims Cathedral with Joan at his side. This is a false victory - Joan has achieved her stated mission, but the war isn't over, and the political intrigue that will destroy her is already brewing. The stakes raise as success breeds envy., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 114 minutes (72% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Joan is captured by Burgundian forces at Compiègne and sold to the English. Abandoned by Charles and France, she faces trial for heresy. This is her "whiff of death" - literal imprisonment and the death of her identity as God's chosen instrument., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 126 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Joan briefly recants her visions to save her life, but then has a breakthrough realization: whether her visions were divine or not, she must remain true to her conviction. She reaffirms her testimony, accepting martyrdom over compromise. This synthesis costs her life but saves her soul., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc against these established plot points, we can identify how Luc Besson utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc within the adventure genre.
Luc Besson's Structural Approach
Among the 12 Luc Besson films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.0, reflecting strong command of classical structure. The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Luc Besson filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional adventure films include Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, The Bad Guys and Zoom. For more Luc Besson analyses, see The Fifth Element, Anna and The Family.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Young Jeanne plays peacefully in the French countryside during the Hundred Years' War, an innocent girl in a violent time. She confesses her small sins to the priest, embodying childlike purity.
Theme
The priest tells young Jeanne that God works in mysterious ways and faith requires trust beyond understanding. This establishes the central thematic question: Is Jeanne divinely inspired or driven by trauma and delusion?
Worldbuilding
Young Jeanne's idyllic childhood in Domrémy is shattered when English soldiers raid her village. She witnesses her sister's rape and murder, traumatizing her. The setup establishes France's desperate state under English occupation and Jeanne's psychological wound.
Disruption
Jeanne discovers her sister's murdered body and retrieves a sword from the field. This trauma triggers her first vision of the Virgin Mary, transforming her grief into divine mission. The catalyst is both external tragedy and internal psychological break.
Resistance
Years later, teenage Jeanne experiences escalating visions commanding her to save France. She debates her calling, resists leaving home, but ultimately cannot ignore the voices. She convinces local captain Robert de Baudricourt to provide her escort to the Dauphin.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Jeanne actively chooses to leave her village and journey to Chinon to meet the Dauphin Charles, defying social convention and family expectations. She cuts her hair, dons armor, and crosses into her new identity as a warrior for God.
Mirror World
Jeanne meets the Dauphin Charles and his court. Charles becomes her thematic mirror - a weak, indecisive leader who needs faith. Their relationship will explore the tension between divine authority and earthly politics, between conviction and pragmatism.
Premise
The "promise of the premise" - Joan as warrior-saint leading armies. She lifts the Siege of Orléans, wins battles through divine conviction, inspires the French troops, and becomes a legendary figure. This is the spectacle the audience came for: Joan triumphant in battle.
Midpoint
Charles is crowned King of France at Reims Cathedral with Joan at his side. This is a false victory - Joan has achieved her stated mission, but the war isn't over, and the political intrigue that will destroy her is already brewing. The stakes raise as success breeds envy.
Opposition
After the coronation, Joan loses political support. Charles makes peace treaties that exclude her. She continues fighting without royal backing, becomes increasingly isolated, and her visions grow more disturbing. Her rigid certainty alienates allies and her military luck runs out.
Collapse
Joan is captured by Burgundian forces at Compiègne and sold to the English. Abandoned by Charles and France, she faces trial for heresy. This is her "whiff of death" - literal imprisonment and the death of her identity as God's chosen instrument.
Crisis
During her imprisonment and trial, Joan confronts a mysterious figure (her conscience/the devil/madness) who questions whether her visions were divine or delusions born from trauma. She wrestles with doubt, facing the possibility that her entire mission was self-deception.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Joan briefly recants her visions to save her life, but then has a breakthrough realization: whether her visions were divine or not, she must remain true to her conviction. She reaffirms her testimony, accepting martyrdom over compromise. This synthesis costs her life but saves her soul.
Synthesis
Joan is condemned and burned at the stake. She faces her execution with dignity, asking for a cross and forgiving her executioners. The finale resolves the thematic question: faith transcends proof, and integrity matters more than survival. Her death transforms her into legend.
Transformation
As Joan dies in the flames, she sees a final vision of herself as a child running through a golden field toward light, achieving peace. The closing image mirrors the opening innocence but transforms it - she has returned to grace through suffering, completing her spiritual journey.