Joan of Lorraine
Encyclopedia
Joan of Lorraine is a 1946 play-within-a-play by Maxwell Anderson
. It is about an acting company who stages a dramatization of the story of Joan of Arc
and the effect that the story has on them. As in the musical Man of La Mancha
, most of the actors in the drama play two or more roles. Ingrid Bergman
was the star of the original production, playing both Joan and Mary Grey, the fictional star actress who portrays her. As the play begins, Mary Grey and the fictional director of the play-within-a-play, Jimmy Masters, are in conflict over how Joan is to be played. The conflict is resolved during the course of the play.
Bergman won a Tony Award
for this performance — one of the first such awards
ever given. Other notable actors who appeared in this production were Joseph Wiseman
and Sam Wanamaker
.
In 1948, an adaptation of Joan of Lorraine was filmed in Technicolor
as Joan of Arc
. This film also starred Ingrid Bergman, but it did not use the play-within-a-play framework. Instead, it made the story a straightforward account of Joan's life, omitting the fictional acting company altogether. Anderson's dialogue for the story of Joan was not only retained, but, in collaboration with Andrew Solt
, expanded with additional scenes involving historical characters who do not appear in the original play. For her performance, Ingrid Bergman was nominated for an Academy Award, but lost out to Jane Wyman
in Johnny Belinda.
Maxwell Anderson
James Maxwell Anderson was an American playwright, author, poet, journalist and lyricist.-Early years:Anderson was born in Atlantic, Pennsylvania, the second of eight children to William Lincoln "Link" Anderson, a Baptist minister, and Charlotte Perrimela Stephenson, both of Scots and Irish descent...
. It is about an acting company who stages a dramatization of the story of Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc
Saint Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" , is a national heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the...
and the effect that the story has on them. As in the musical Man of La Mancha
Man of La Mancha
Man of La Mancha is a musical with a book by Dale Wasserman, lyrics by Joe Darion and music by Mitch Leigh. It is adapted from Wasserman's non-musical 1959 teleplay I, Don Quixote, which was in turn inspired by Miguel de Cervantes's seventeenth century masterpiece Don Quixote...
, most of the actors in the drama play two or more roles. Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films. She won three Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, and the Tony Award for Best Actress. She is ranked as the fourth greatest female star of American cinema of all time by the American Film Institute...
was the star of the original production, playing both Joan and Mary Grey, the fictional star actress who portrays her. As the play begins, Mary Grey and the fictional director of the play-within-a-play, Jimmy Masters, are in conflict over how Joan is to be played. The conflict is resolved during the course of the play.
Bergman won a Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
for this performance — one of the first such awards
1st Tony Awards
The First Tony Awards, more formally known as the Antoinette Perry Awards for Excellence in Theatre, were held on April 6, 1947, in the Grand Ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. Presented by the American Theatre Wing, they celebrated the best in live American theatre over the...
ever given. Other notable actors who appeared in this production were Joseph Wiseman
Joseph Wiseman
Joseph Wiseman was a Canadian theater and film actor, best known for starring as the titular antagonist of the first James Bond film, Dr. No, his role as Manny Weisbord on Crime Story, and his career on Broadway...
and Sam Wanamaker
Sam Wanamaker
Samuel Wanamaker was an American film director and actor and is credited as the person most responsible for the modern recreation of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London...
.
In 1948, an adaptation of Joan of Lorraine was filmed in Technicolor
Technicolor
Technicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
as Joan of Arc
Joan of Arc (1948 film)
Joan of Arc is a 1948 Technicolor film directed by Victor Fleming; starring Ingrid Bergman as the French religious icon and war heroine. It was produced by Walter Wanger. It is based on Maxwell Anderson's successful Broadway play Joan of Lorraine, which also starred Bergman, and was adapted for the...
. This film also starred Ingrid Bergman, but it did not use the play-within-a-play framework. Instead, it made the story a straightforward account of Joan's life, omitting the fictional acting company altogether. Anderson's dialogue for the story of Joan was not only retained, but, in collaboration with Andrew Solt
Andrew Solt
Andrew Solt is a producer, director, writer and documentary filmmaker. He has done numerous television specials and series for both broadcast and cable television and also movies. Solt owns the rights to the The Ed Sullivan Show library and has produced over 100 hours of new programming from the...
, expanded with additional scenes involving historical characters who do not appear in the original play. For her performance, Ingrid Bergman was nominated for an Academy Award, but lost out to Jane Wyman
Jane Wyman
Jane Wyman was an American singer, dancer, and character actress of film and television. She began her film career in the 1930s, and was a prolific performer for two decades...
in Johnny Belinda.