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  • Actor
· French · 1892–1946

Renée Jeanne Falconetti

A Paris boulevard comedienne who gave the screen one performance — Dreyer's Joan, often called the greatest ever filmed — and never made another movie.

In images

Details

Lived
1892–1946
Born
1892
Died
1946
Nationality
French
Roles
Actor
Also known as
Maria Falconetti · Falconetti

In the credits

Works that credit Renée.

People Renée Jeanne Falconetti Knew

Relationships with other people, with sources for each connection.

Illustrated portrait of Carl Theodor Dreyer

Carl Theodor Dreyer

  • Filmmaker

Collaborated with · 1927

Dreyer cast Falconetti, a Paris boulevard comedienne, as Jeanne and filmed her in close-up without makeup through the 1927 shoot. It was her only screen performance of consequence, and the film is built on it.

— Encyclopaedia Britannica — Carl Theodor Dreyer; Encyclopaedia Britannica — La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc

Illustrated portrait of Charles Boyer

Charles Boyer

  • Actor

Met · 1920

Boyer and Falconetti became close during his early Paris stage career, before Falconetti gave her defining film performance in The Passion of Joan of Arc.

— Charles Boyer — Paris studies and early career

Connections and Sources

Renée Jeanne Falconetti’s connections to people, places, and works, with the sources behind each one.

Performed in · 1928

The Passion of Joan of Arc

Renée Jeanne Falconetti plays Jeanne.

— Encyclopaedia Britannica — La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc

Collaborated with · 1927

Carl Theodor Dreyer

Dreyer cast Falconetti, a Paris boulevard comedienne, as Jeanne and filmed her in close-up without makeup through the 1927 shoot. It was her only screen performance of consequence, and the film is built on it.

— Encyclopaedia Britannica — Carl Theodor Dreyer; Encyclopaedia Britannica — La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc

Met · 1920

Charles Boyer

Boyer and Falconetti became close during his early Paris stage career, before Falconetti gave her defining film performance in The Passion of Joan of Arc.

— Charles Boyer — Paris studies and early career

References

References

The sources below include biographies, scholarly essays, interviews, and primary materials that informed this page. They reflect both the historical record and ongoing critical conversations about Renée Jeanne Falconetti and their work.

  1. 1Encyclopaedia Britannica — La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc

    Website
    Used for

    Web source consulted for documented facts and historical context presented on the Renée Jeanne Falconetti page.

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  2. 2Encyclopaedia Britannica — Carl Theodor Dreyer

    Website
    Used for

    Web source consulted for documented facts and historical context presented on the Renée Jeanne Falconetti page.

    View source
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Why these sources are here

These references anchor the page in the documented record and in the scholarly conversations around Renée Jeanne Falconetti. Every claim on this page traces back to one or more of the works listed here.

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