Joan of Arc was so cool, it’s about time she got her own thread here. She’s in songs, was wrongly burned at the stake and later exonerated, launched brilliant military tactics and strategy to end the 100 year war and bring France to victory, had never ridden a horse or used a sword before leading troops into battle on horseback at 16 years old, untrained and unschooled, a peasant who moved comfortably among the top echelons, and inspired a haircut symbolizing independence for women.
I like Acadian Driftwood and suspect that Joan of Arc though perhaps not Joan of Arcadia both of which I also like but for different reasons might have had something to say about the subject matter.
It’s a shame that Joan of Arc was caught by the FN (our nationalist, extreme right party) as a symbole of the fight against invaders.
She’s now reveared by those loonies who wish she could come back and throw immigrants out of the country.
Beside all this, I don’t like or dislike Joan. She might have been the cool person described by Billy but I pretty don’t give a damn about her.
I’m not really into war heroes comemorations.
Joan of Arc: There must be no swearing in this army, among high or low.
La Hire: Do you want to strike the army dumb?
Joan of Arc: This must begin with you.
translation is hard to come by because the original is a mix of pseudo “old french” and modern slang (but that precisely makes it funny in french).
“bouter les Anglois hors de France” -> “boot the english out of France”
(note that the english verb “boot” does not come from the “boots” you may use in the process but from french verb “bouter” -itself coming from latin “quousque tandem abutere patientiam nostram”-)
“Jehanne, Orleans, Les Anglois Nom de Dieu!” -> “Joan: Orleans, the english, holy ****” (note that the Angels are cursing! : shocking!)
“Remue-toi les myches!” -> “move along!”
(literally “move your bottom” : “miches” -here written “myches” just to look like old french- means a round loaf of bread -> in slang: “buttocks”)
