David O'ConnellPickpocket (1959): Bresson's French classic
July 24th 2008 02:56
This was my first viewing of Robert Bresson’s masterpiece about a spiritually and emotionally distraught young man who feels little connection to the world around him, finding solace only in his growing compulsion for stealing. It’s an acknowledged influence on many later filmmakers, especially Paul Schrader (Hardcore, Mishima, The Comfort of Strangers, and screenwriter of Taxi Driver).
One of the more interesting things about it for me was its obvious connection to Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment, one of my favourite books, which I was unaware of before seeing the film. Like Raskolnikov in Dostoyevsky’s novel, Michel (Martin La Salle) matches wits with a policeman who suspects him of his crimes. Michel believes there is a higher order of men, a race of “supermen” who stand above the law and deserve to be exempt from punishment.
The film traces his reluctant beginnings as a thief, stealing from a wealthy woman at a racetrack, after which he’s taken in by police, but when nothing can be proven beyond doubt he’s released. He continues to give in to his compulsion however and hones his craft whilst mastering doubts about his own abilities.
Later on he works in tandem with a couple of accomplices and there are a couple of great sequences where they brilliantly pull off a series of thefts, including one especially memorable setpiece as they're boarding a busy train. It’s brilliantly shot and edited, a real masterclass in perfect cinematic technique – it’s almost like watching a visual adaptation of a textbook on thievery.
Michel moves on to Rome and then England when he fears that time is running out for him in Paris, the attention – whether perceived or real – of the police closing in on him. But he returns after a couple of years, you feel almost convinced in a way that he’ll be caught eventually, it’s only a matter of time before his ultimate, natural destiny is fulfilled.
His spiritual redemption will come in the form of Jeanne (Marika Green), a neighbour of his mother who he comes to know after his mother’s death. She’s the symbol of purity for him in the world and he’s convinced their paths will interlock in a meaningful way even after the inevitable has come to fruition and he’s sent away.
Bresson, as was his want, used all non-actors for this film and certainly most of the performances are wooden and without emotion but it suits the tone of the film somehow and never really bothered me; in fact it gives the film a uniqueness that only convinces you even more of its greatness.
La Salle in particular is riveting, always with a sly but haunted look on his face; he conveys a lot in his eyes alone, particularly in the key scenes when he’s on the verge of another theft.
Pickpocket is a lesson in brevity at less than 75 minutes long but it remains a landmark of French cinema, one of Bresson’s most lauded works nearly 50 years later, and deservedly so.
One of the more interesting things about it for me was its obvious connection to Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment, one of my favourite books, which I was unaware of before seeing the film. Like Raskolnikov in Dostoyevsky’s novel, Michel (Martin La Salle) matches wits with a policeman who suspects him of his crimes. Michel believes there is a higher order of men, a race of “supermen” who stand above the law and deserve to be exempt from punishment.
The film traces his reluctant beginnings as a thief, stealing from a wealthy woman at a racetrack, after which he’s taken in by police, but when nothing can be proven beyond doubt he’s released. He continues to give in to his compulsion however and hones his craft whilst mastering doubts about his own abilities.
Later on he works in tandem with a couple of accomplices and there are a couple of great sequences where they brilliantly pull off a series of thefts, including one especially memorable setpiece as they're boarding a busy train. It’s brilliantly shot and edited, a real masterclass in perfect cinematic technique – it’s almost like watching a visual adaptation of a textbook on thievery.
Michel moves on to Rome and then England when he fears that time is running out for him in Paris, the attention – whether perceived or real – of the police closing in on him. But he returns after a couple of years, you feel almost convinced in a way that he’ll be caught eventually, it’s only a matter of time before his ultimate, natural destiny is fulfilled.
Martin La Salle as the enigmatic and troubled Michel
His spiritual redemption will come in the form of Jeanne (Marika Green), a neighbour of his mother who he comes to know after his mother’s death. She’s the symbol of purity for him in the world and he’s convinced their paths will interlock in a meaningful way even after the inevitable has come to fruition and he’s sent away.
Bresson, as was his want, used all non-actors for this film and certainly most of the performances are wooden and without emotion but it suits the tone of the film somehow and never really bothered me; in fact it gives the film a uniqueness that only convinces you even more of its greatness.
La Salle in particular is riveting, always with a sly but haunted look on his face; he conveys a lot in his eyes alone, particularly in the key scenes when he’s on the verge of another theft.
Pickpocket is a lesson in brevity at less than 75 minutes long but it remains a landmark of French cinema, one of Bresson’s most lauded works nearly 50 years later, and deservedly so.
Michel with Jeanne, his only hope for salvation
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Screen Fanatic
Looking forward to seeing Bresson's Trial of Joan of Arc soon too.