The Passion of Joan of Arc
Based on Joseph Delteil's novelized account of the 'Trial of Joan of Arc,' this is undoubtedly a pinnacle of silent cinema. The harshness of the scene where Joan, tortured as the 'devil's child,' yields once to suffering and has her hair cut as a prisoner (a close-up of her actually having her hair cut and weeping), and the moment when she regains herself, deliberately faces the stake, is set ablaze, and writhes in agony—a pain that pierces the viewer (also rendered in striking close-up).
Source: cinematokyo.com · Tokyo mini-theater & independent cinema showtimes.