700. L'Argent

L'Argent
Money
1983
Directed by Robert Bresson

700 films down, 301 to go! It usually takes me around two years to finish 300 movies.  That's a rather discouraging statistic, but I have been hitting the Book rather hard lately.  In all likelihood I will still be an old maid by the time I finish.

A young, unibrowed passes on a fake bill after his friend urges him to use it at a shop.  Although why the store clerk took it, I don't know, because they really couldn't have been more obvious about it.  Anyway, the owner of the store passes it on again to Yvon, a young working man.  Yvon is caught and the story follows the consequences of him being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I didn't hate this as I was watching it, but now I feel like I have only negative things to say about this.  First of all, the acting was terribly dull and wooden.  I don't know if it was the director's choice or the actor's choice to have the main character never make an expression, but either way it was a bit hard to watch.  Also Bresson didn't seem to want to use establishing shots so a lot of the time we are forced to watch characters walking to each location.  You could probably watch this film and not notice this, but I am cranky today so I am hyper aware of irritating things.

There were several intensely moralistic lessons that the filmmakers were obviously trying to teach us, but I think the messages were kind of lost on me.  The main character was so unlikable and the ending so ridiculous that I don't think I walked away (or, in my case, hobbled) enriched in any way.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Bresson's last film.

457. Au Hasard Balthazar

Au Hasard Balthazar
Balthazar
1966
Directed by Robert Bresson

Has it really been two weeks since I last posted?  I have been extremely busy and today only managed to squeeze this movie in while I was unpacking.  Unpacking has to be one of the biggest pains in the asses (besides when people say anyways) as it always takes about triple the time that I think it will.  ANYWAY, this wasn't exactly the welcome back gift that I would have wanted.

Balthazar is a donkey is passed around from owner to owner.  First of all, isn't that the name of a demon?  I am pretty sure it showed up in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Regardless, Balthazar's journey is paralleled by his most beloved owner Marie.  They discover zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Sorry, I fell asleep and my head hit the keyboard.  Man, this movie was a snore that was just way too sentimental for me.  Additionally, Marie is just a super annoying character that had me yelling at the screen more than once.  In one scene, Marie demands that a farmer let her stay in the barn.  She then goes on to offer him a kiss for his kindness, assure him that no one knows she is there, and hands him all her clothes.   Goodness, I hope she never has daughters.

I also don't really understand what the message is here. That the meek shall inherit the Earth?  That is just upsetting.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

The donkey was untrained for the most part, making the movie especially hard to film.

350. Pickpocket

Pickpocket
1959
Directed by Robert Bresson

I hope everyone enjoys the new feature I added to the blog's sidebar.  I have labeled each post by director so instead of scrolling through the archives by year, you can now easily find a film you are looking for.  It has also helped me realize how many films I have seen by each director.  I did not know I had spent that much time with Howard Hawks.

Anyway, here we have Pickpocket, which is one of those movies that I like in theory but the execution was not great.  This is the story of Michel who compulsively steals but isn't especially good at it. He tries to quit many times but never can resist for long, even when a hot dame is involved.

Kleptomania is definitely an interesting topic.  I know a lot of people that want to learn how to pickpocket (though they claim they would give someone their wallet back immediately).  It seems to be the ultimate rush, which is why I thought it would be exciting to see it on film.  I was somewhat disappointed.

Let me start by saying that the pickpocketing scenes were very exciting.  In fact, when the film opens with Marcel stealing cash at a horse race, I thought I had found a new favorite.  However, the plot quickly moved to things that I really didn't care about, like Marcel's mom or the romance between Jacques and Jeanne.  Additionally, none of the actors really sell their roles; I got rather bored watching them since they generally only had one expression.

So points for the pickpocketing scenes but a thumbs down overall.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

An early example of parametric narration (the style is shown to be as important as the plot).  A one way ticket to dull films if you ask me.

Roger Ebert compared this film to Crime and Punishment.  God, I hated Crime and Punishment.

305. Un condamné à mort s'est échappé

Un condamné à mort s'est échappé 
A Man Escaped
1956
Directed by Robert Bresson














I love a good prison story, especially if it is a French prison story; those are always the best.


We are getting a rush of Nazi films here; I guess around this time the atrocities were finally out in the open and uncensored.  The film opens with a really solemn message that commemorates the 7,000 men who died at the hands of the Nazis at Montluc prison.  Just disgusting.


Anyway, this movie, which is based on fact, is about a French Resistance fighter who is imprisoned by the Nazis.  He decides to escape with a trusty spoon (they really should not give those out at prisons anymore).




This is a really tense film; I think when a lot of people think of French films, they think of realist or surrealist films.  However, the French come out with some great thrillers, including this one.  It is also beautifully filmed; like The Hole, after awhile you feel so claustrophobic that you too want to escape the prison.


A must see film.


RATING: ****-


Interesting Facts:


A completely unprofessional cast.


Bresson himself was a prisoner of war.

238. Journal d'un Cure de Campagne

Journal d'un Cure de Campagne
Diary of a Country Priest
1951
Directed by Robert Bresson

I have discovered another block of films that I have seen in The Book, which means another flooding of posts.  I have no idea why I have seen so many early fifties films.  Obviously, catching up on this blog is much more important than the other work I have to do, so here we go.

I don't know the movies have been hard to find lately, but I was forced to go to another less than reputable site to find this one.  This book makes me do bad things!

This film is about a country priest who struggles with his faith.  He is pretty much one of those annoying people who will not leave you alone about your religious beliefs.

Obviously my description doesn't sound too exciting.  I actually found the movie to be quite boring and the main character to be obnoxious.  I was so puzzled as to what to say about this film that I googled it and found a fantastic review by Roger Ebert.  I say fantastic because he is a great writer, not because I agree with his views on the film.  Apparently, this is one of the greatest Catholic movies of all time.  I wrote a paper my junior year of high school about why the Catholic Church is evil.  Maybe that is why this film didn't click with me.

Ebert also commends the fact that the main character rarely smiles and is dead serious the entire time.  All right, I guess.  Is that really a reason to watch a movie?  Nobody smiles?

Overall, I feel like I missed something when watching this movie that other people seem to get.  This could be owing to my stupidity but I think it has more to do with the fact that the film is a major snore.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

The main character is supposedly an inspiration for Travis Bickle's character in Taxi Driver.