The Passion of Joan of Arc enjoys a glorious South West homecoming on Mon 25 Nov with a performance in Bath Abbey, one of the country’s great medieval buildings, as part of the Bath Film Festival.

Developed in Bristol by musicians Adrian Utley (Portishead) and Will Gregory (Goldfrapp) working with inspiration from Watershed, The Passion of Joan of Arc is a live performance to Carl Theodore Dreyer’s 1928 classic of silent cinema.

The powerful music conducted by Charles Hazlewood includes six electric guitars, percussion, synths, harp, brass section and choir and, combined with the intensity of Dreyer’s cinema and the on-screen performances, is an incredibly moving experience.

The Passion of Joan of Arc premiered in Colston Hall in Bristol in May 2010, before going on to be performed in Warsaw, Brighton, London and New York.

Joan’s globetrotting is a real achievement – especially considering Dreyer’s film was, for many years, seen in only a very fragmented form. It was lost for decades, and only rediscovered in 1981 in a Norwegian asylum.

Our Cinema Curator Mark Cosgrove, who was instrumental in developing and supporting the project, said:

“Since its premiere in Bristol this new score from Adrian and Will to Dreyer's powerful film about faith and persecution has been performed in opera houses, music venues and cinemas. The opportunity to experience it in the sacred surrounding of Bath Abbey will be unique and, I am sure, deeply moving."

Tickets are selling fast, so if you want to be part of this special event, hop on over to the Bath Film Festival website now and be sure to check out the rest of their great programme, which includes sixteen previews, a science fiction strand and much more.

Want to know more about the genesis of The Passion of Joan of Arc? Watch the short film below where Adrian, Will and Charles discuss the development of the score:

---