1959 pickpocket movieRating: 17/20
Plot: You can pick your friends. You can pick your nose. But you can't pick complete strangers pockets. Superman Michel disagrees and gets his thrills lifting cash and wallets from the unsuspecting at race tracks and on trains. His dying mother's nurse is kind of hot and seemingly interested in Michel, but she doesn't have pockets and is therefore of no interest to the titular pickpocket.
So I've seen a few Robert Bresson movies now. They've all been great--intriguing, thought-provoking, auteuristic. They've also all frustrated me because there's always a depth that I feel I'm not reaching, something heavy and spiritual. I've always felt that I needed to see them again to "get" them. Pickpocket is no exception. It's stark and realistic, but it still feels like a fantasy or at the very least a parable. It's a simple story, like Crime and Punishment without an ax, and it makes you wonder if Bresson picked Dostoevsky's pocket. And like Dostoevsky, there's a philosophical density that almost makes your head hurt. It definitely doesn't seem like Bresson, or his pickpocket protagonist, likes the world very much. Bresson uses non-actors in this as well as an almost stubborn refusal to have any style whatsoever. It forces you to focus on the story's fringes--the stone-faced expressions of Michel, the knowing glances of his victims, the opening and closing of doors. There is one terrific montage scene where Michel and his cohorts work together to pick pockets at a train station. Perhaps I need to think about it more, but I'm not sure I like how Pickpocket ended. Maybe that just means I need to see it again.
I've got another recommended Bresson movie coming up soon.
5 comments:
Maybe there is no depth to Bresson to find. I watched "A Man Escaped" recently, which is supposed to be one of his greatest. Even though it was based on a true story, and should have been exciting, it seemed to just lay there. It was good and competent, but not great. As you say, he almost refuses to have any real style... maybe he just doesn't have any.
looks like "The Devil Probably" is headed for mixed reviews... it's still the only Bresson I've seen...
Good, wr...that probably means I'll throw one on THE LIST as a recommendation.
You know as well as I do, cory, that a lack of style can be stylish. I don't know if Bresson doesn't have style or if he just chooses to flatly show his characters and tell his stories.
I liked 'A Man Escaped' but, since it's a Bresson movie, I felt like I needed to see it again. Not as much as the one about the donkey though.
I watched this, as well as "Au Hasard Balthazar", so I am going to talk about both films.
Let me just say I would have watched both of these Bresson films anyway at some point because they are both very well regarded and are on my "to see" lists. I had a lot of the same issues with both. "Pickpocket" was the more enjoyable movie. The montage scene that you talk about is great, and I liked watching them at work for the same reasons I like watching magicians. The main character is addicted to the high of the risk, and you could not pick a riskier lifestyle. I do wish there had some sort of emotional confrontation involving a victim, but Bresson seems to shy away from any emotional depth... again, the no style, style.
Both films have many of the same flaws. These non-actors can't act. They seem to specialize in making some pronouncement, then they look down, and then turn away (usually to their left). The conversations, actions, and interactions are not the way real people behave. Bresson exclusively gives us characters that we don't care about. There is no reason to connect with any of them, especially in "Balthazar"
I get that "Balthazar" is some sort of religious allegory, and the donkey is even referred to as a saint, but since I'm not religious, the idea that suffering leads to God (for animals, as well) kind of pisses me off. I get the idea that some beings are made by fate to suffer and some suffer though stupid choices, but I didn't need to watch this film to understand that. Any time I watch a film where animals or children are abused, it better be for a darn good reason. I found "Balthazar" to be a poorly acted (love the proud zombie-dad) experiment in cinematic sadism. Outside of the donkey, there is no one to like or sympathize with in any way. I was very unhappy watching this, and this is a perfect example of the kind of cliched arsty foreign film most people detest. I only wish I could get Barry Moore to watch it. That would be fun! A 14 for "Pickpocket", which has some positive qualities. A 9 for "Balthazar", which had none.
I'm sorry for not liking these more, and I could use a few more replacements, Shane.
Hmm. I guess this surprises me a little bit. Have you seen three Bresson movies now and not really liked any of them? I'm willing to bet that you'll hate 'The Devil, Probably' more than the others.
I guess I like that the non-actors don't act. To me, they seemed very believable. Nothing Bresson's actors do could be considered extraneous, and I like that.
With 'Balthazar,' I think we were only supposed to really like the donkey, weren't we?
No apologies necessary...if everybody I knew had to apologize for being wrong, all I would do all day is listen to apologies.
That's a joke!
I'll hit you with some replacements some time...I may give you a so-bad-it's-almost-good-but-not-quite-because-it's-just-awful movie with a BIG subjective warning. I'll ponder it.
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