在英法百年战争中，圣女贞德带领法国军队对抗英军的入侵，带兵多次打败英格兰的侵略者，然而在贡比涅一次小冲突中贞德被勃艮第公国所俘，不久为英格兰人以重金购去，由英格兰当局控制下的宗教裁判所以异端和女巫罪判处她火刑，在法国鲁昂当众处死。

Five portraits of actresses in their "common" life, seen as women rather than movie stars.

Three allied prisoners, a Russian, an American and an Englishman, attempt to escape with the help of a young couple from Rome.

It does a reasonably good job of situating the drama in 5th century Roman Africa, even though the external sets are obviously contemporary (to Rossellini) Roman remains. The interiors are well done and convincing. The drama is dramatic when it needs to be, though there are some lengthy theological discussions, and one does get a sense of the power of St. Augustine's preaching, of the theological disputes of the time and of the tasks of a bishop. The scenes from his life, though limited till his later life, are well chosen to illustrate his character and accomplishments.

Dubbed "the most Catholic of all film directors" by one critic, I guess it was only a matter of time before Roberto Rossellini tackled the life of Christ on celluloid. Ironically, this he did in what proved to be his last feature film which was, in itself, a follow-up to his TV mini-series ACTS OF THE APOSTLES (1969). That earlier work was interesting for treating little-known passages from the New Testament but, with an unhurried pace and a generally unassuming tone, the end result was decidedly meandering. Conversely, THE MESSIAH presents all-too-familiar events – with the overall effect feeling lengthy still, yet distinctly more cinematic. That said, it starts off with the arrival of the Jews in the Promised Land and the appointment of their first king (Saul) before moving on to the life of Christ; actually, this is also one of the few films to show the famous incident in which Jesus is lost in the temple as a boy. Unsurprisingly, it doesn't stray much from the spirit – or word – of the Gospels: even so, in the throes of an agonizing death, Herod The Great (played by Vittorio Caprioli – though his trademark flustered demeanor is downplayed by having his voice dubbed) is seen planning the annihilation of his own subjects akin to the practice of ancient Egyptian rulers!
Incidentally, the rich and commanding voice of Christ himself is supplied by Enrico Maria Salerno – a superb actor in his own right who had actually already handled the very same task in THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW (1964) – which is effectively contrasted with the inconspicuous appearance of the young man who appears in the role (perhaps best approximating the Lothaire Bluteau of Jesus OF MONTREAL [1989]). This Messiah, then, is far removed from the striking good-looks of Jeffrey Hunter (KING OF KINGS [1961]) and Robert Powell (the Jesus OF NAZARETH [1977] TV mini-series) or the brooding power of Max von Sydow (THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD [1965]) and Willem Dafoe (THE LAST TEMPTATION OF Christ [1988])! Naturally, the bulk of the narrative is devoted to Christ's public life – though no overdue emphasis is placed on the miracles he performed (these are mentioned but rarely seen) – which also provides the film with its essential core…since the latter section, revolving around the more commonly-depicted events of Jesus' trial (where Jean Martin, the French Colonel in THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS [1966], nonetheless makes for a fine Pontius Pilate), crucifixion and eventual resurrection are curiously skimped here!
The subplot involving John The Baptist, however, is quite nicely handled; by the way, the only other recognizable face in the cast is that of Tina Aumont (even if her contribution amounts to no more than a few minutes of screen-time!) as the adulteress Christ famously pardons by denouncing her pursuers instead. The score is, once again, by Mario Nascimbene – though it's not as prominent as his work on ACTS OF THE APOSTLES. On the visual side, the film seems closest to the contemporaneous Jesus OF NAZARETH – yet the lyrical style and quiet dignity on display makes of THE MESSIAH a more than worthy companion piece to Pier Paolo Pasolini's aforementioned (and more renowned) THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW. With this in mind, while perhaps not the definitive film on the subject, it certainly emerges as an underrated achievement – both among the myriad treatments (including those by such great directors as D. W. Griffith, Carl Theodor Dreyer, Cecil B. DeMille and Abel Gance) of Christ's life over the years and in Rossellini's own highly respected canon.

Released in the United States in the early 50's under the title of WOMAN, this obscure early Rossellini film was made at the end of the war and completed by Marcello Pagliero. It is a sensational little tragedy about a prostitute who returns from the city to her home town where she is variously loved, spurned, and lusted over. The grim, fatalistic atmosphere bears a good deal of resemblance to the much better known contemporary masterpiece OSSESSIONE, by Luchino Visconti. In fact Massimo Girotti appears in both films. Elli Parvo is quite riveting in the main role.

Acts of the Apostles (TV mini-series 1969)

Vanina Vanini, a bored, spoiled Roman countess, falls in love with a dedicated young patriot who is in Rome to assassinate a traitor to the brotherhood of the Free Masons.