l'argent (1983)

adapted from a leo tolstoy story, roberty bresson's final film tells the story of yvon, a young man who, through a series of random events revolving around a forged 500 franc note, sees his life fall apart. this is a tale of greed; of money and consequence.

as this is only my second bresson i decided to take in one of his later works. what is most immediate, and perhaps most surprising about the later film, is just how similiar in style it is to "au hazard balthazar". bresson's unique style remained the same over the course of fifty years, without ever proving stale or under-developed. one of the most prevailing visual motives is the use of lines in his work, be it in the buildings and the streets, or the inner locations of each respective scene. contrasting lines are used to signify a shift in location, time and circumstance, proving a very strong technique when it comes to expressing such shifts. bresson's work has incredibly assured pacing, for example in the scene in which the prisoners are dining and yvon attacks; the movement of the assault is shown in a very literal and theatrical manner, the emphasis on movement through editing and camera placement is wonderful. the similiarity in style to bresson's earlier work here again is astounding.

bresson's incredibly traditional method of storytelling is shown particularly well in the scene set in the church mass. when attempting to show the reason as to why the mass is so popular, rather than using an obvious cinematic convention, bresson instead chooses to simply show the reason (mass is an easy opportunity in which to trade) using his familiar brand of literal visuals. its a hypocritical method of filmmaking in a way, as its very simple in one way, but complex in another. theres no explanation verbally, something which may jar when compared to modern cinematic technique. this concept is introduced using very basic (in style at least) classic film techniques. its very literal.

the nature of the cut makes the film feel like a much longer, much more epic story. theres very little narrative "baggage", with every scene serving to move the story forward. characterisation rarely stems beyond that of which is necessary, hence the streamlined running time of eighty minutes.

the use of sound in "au hasard balthazar" was incredibly prevailant. again in l'argent, the diagetic sound is impressive, the post-trial sound of shuffling feet overwhelming the previously overbearing traffic being particularly memorable. this compares well to the sounds of schubert in "au hasard balthazar". the verwhelming sounds throughout the first half of "l'argent is that of the sound of the parisian roads and the cars that are using them. the sound of the roads are left behind when the scene is moved to the prison, only to be reintroduced the moment that yvon opens the door to return to the outside world. the sound of the road is replaced with complete silence in the prison, with only the sound of the heavy prison doors locking breaking the calm.

the encounter with the woman towards the end of the film could be seen as yvon's encountering of faith, which is the one thing above all else that he is lacking, having had it removed from his personality throughout the course of the film. there are definite parallels between the woman and balthasar the donkey, both seemingly existing to serve those around her. yvon's slaughter of the woman's family could be seen as his reaction to the concept of faith, showing that he has finally gone beyond all areas of return. he is scarred beyond respite and his final arrest is the conclussion of the fate that yvon set himself earlier on in the film, in the scene where, describing to his cellmate prior to lucien's removal from the prison yvon has accepted that he and lucien will encounter each other again.