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74 THEFACEOFMAN
into the depths — it was given the possibility of presenting a passionate life-and-death struggle almost exclusively by closeups of faces.
Dreyer's film Jeanne d'Arc provided a convincing example of this in the powerful, lengthy, moving scene of the Maid's examination. Fifty men are sitting in the same place all the time in this scene. Several hundred feet of film show nothing but big close-ups of heads, of faces. We move in the spiritual dimension of facial expression alone. We neither see nor feel the space in which the scene is in reality enacted. Here no riders gallop, no boxers exchange blows. Fierce passions, thoughts, emotions, convictions battle here, but their struggle is not in space. Nevertheless this series of duels between looks and frowns, duels in which eyes clash instead of swords, can hold the attention of an audience for ninety minutes without flagging. We can follow every attack and riposte of these duels on the faces of the combatants; the play of their features indicates every stratagem, every sudden onslaught. The silent film has here brought an attempt to present a drama of the spirit closer to realization than any stage play has ever been able to do.
DETAILS OF FACES IN CLOSE-UP
Everything I have said until now about facial expression and play of features referred to the whole face. This sort of facial expression is more or less under control — a man may, if he wishes, prevent his feelings from showing in his face — he may even feign other emotions, dissemble, tell a lie with his facial expression.
But the camera can get so close to the face that it can show 'microphysiognomic' details even of this detail of the body and then we find that there are certain regions of the face which are scarcely or not at all under voluntary control and the expression of which is neither deliberate nor conscious and may often betray emotions that contradict the general expression appearing on the rest of the face.
This has a great artistic value and significance because speech, that is the speech of an adult and sober human being,