"au hasard balthazar" is my first robert bresson. a filmmaker known for the quality of his pictures over the quantity of them (only 14 films were made over a period of 40 years or so) bresson has in the past slipped under my radar in the past due to the conflicting nature of his work and the french new wave. as im going to be exploring his work in more detail over the next 12 months (due to my MA's reading list) i decided it was about time i dipped my toe into the water, picking up a selection of his work over the whole period of his career.
the concept alone of the tale of a donkey who is passed from owner to owner, some kind, some mean, draws comparisons with the life of christ, with the story being a strong analogy for that of his life, death and resurection. jean-luc godard's famous claim that au hasard balthazar is "the world in an hour and a half", certainly ring true, although im not sure that he would be as supportive of the religious overtones (a theory proven true later on in bresson's life, when he confirmed the analogy as being his intention).
the film is beautifully shot, in bresson's trademark workmanlike style. there is very little camerawork in the sweeping sense, in fact there is very little movement at all, but this is appropriate for the tale at hand. as is the score, which borrows from schubert.
This was my first Bresson as well, and my favourite.
ReplyDeleteThere is something very humane about having a donkey protagonist, and something haunting about the way his life parallels Marie's - that people too can be "beasts of burden" in various ways...
Great post!