In the introduction to the trial Daniel Hobbins addresses the reliability of a text or trial conducted by the English, against whom Joan had just fought a war. Hobbins believes the text is accurate, and the trial lacks enough bias to skew the ruling. He cites the fact that the transcript was printed and circulated in Latin, a language accessible to people from many countries at the time, as evidence for self-vindication on behalf of the judges. In other words, the judges wanted to be as transparent as possible because they knew their decision was contentious. They believed the trial itself, and all the evidence collected for it, would justify their ruling to those who still supported Joan. By circulating it far and wide they were declaring that they had followed all procedures correctly and had committed no wrongdoing in condemning Joan.
In the matter of bias Hobbins mostly discusses the figure of Cauchon, who led the inquisition. The later inquest focused on him and how much his desire for power and favor from the Burgundians or the English influenced his decision. Hobbins dismisses bias due to the depth and detail in the evidence collected, stating that Cauchon was obsessive in his quest to be accurate. Despite this, Hobbins acknowledges that the trial was enormously political in nature, that the end result was already decided, and that religious authorities were constrained by the desires of the English. He does not believe that the English did or could purposefully force their desired outcome. More importantly, he doubts that they forced her into men’s clothes so that she would be declared a relapsed heretic and handed over for execution.
“The Messenger” displays the exact opposite opinion. The trial is portrayed as entirely biased. Joan’s condemnation and execution are forgone conclusions and the mockery of the trial must play out for the sake of image. The English threaten the head inquisitor, reminding him that he answers to them. They actually arrest a dissenting priest, one who is well respected and from Rome, who refuses to take part in the trial. They demand that Joan be tortured until she tells them what they want to hear so that they can cease with the trial and execute her. When Joan is asked to sign her abjuration and the priests beg her to reconsider her stance the English are impatient to simply burn her. And when all else fails, they enter her cell and create circumstances where she must return to men’s clothes, which will force the Church to denounce her as a relapsed heretic and hand her over for execution.
While Joan in the film puts the clothes on herself and doesn’t tell the priest what happened, Besson still casts blame on the English for her death by having them force her into a situation where she must choose to wear men’s clothes or be partially nude. One option leads to a loss of dignity, the other to death. She just chooses a preferred option.
Getting Medieval 