The Passion of Joan of Arc

What have members of Portishead been doing in the last decade since they released their previous album? All sorts of things it turns out including member Adrian Utley restoring the 1928 cinematic phenomenon The Passion of Joan of Arc with Goldfrapp member Will Gregory. "Long regarded as a towering masterpiece of silent cinema, the film chronicles Joan's trial, imprisonment, torture and execution. The story is told using her own words from trial transcripts discovered in 1924 shortly before her canonization. Dreyer shot much of the film in close up, allowing the faces of the actors to tell the story through their expressions, inspiring many future generations of film makers including Sergio Leone. The original negative, was, for decades, feared lost in a fire until incredibly, in 1981, it was discovered in a cupboard in a Norwegian mental institution. This new print has been made available courtesy of Artificial Eye film distributors." The score is unsurprisingly fantastic, expressive, horrific and ethereal, what you would expect from these two musicians. It's an ideal pairing and a very good excuse to watch what would otherwise not be your usual Friday night viewing.