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MORE DIRECTORS CHECKLIST SERIES - Volume #239 - The Films Of ROBERT BRESSON

post #1 of 31
8/2/05 at 6:54am
Thread Starter 
Rank 'em, Rate 'em, Review 'em, whatever

Volume #239 - Robert Bresson

Argent, L' (1983)
The Devil Probably (1977)
Lancelot du Lac (1974)
Four Nights of a Dreamer (1971)
Une femme douce (1969)
... aka A Gentle Creature
... aka A Gentle Woman
Mouchette (1967)
Au hasard Balthazar (1966)
Trial of Joan of Arc (1962)
Pickpocket (1959)
A Man Escaped (1956)
Diary of a Country Priest (1951)
Dames du Bois de Boulogne, Les (1945)
Angels of the Streets (1943)
Affaires publiques, Les (1934)
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post #2 of 31
8/2/05 at 7:15am
Thread Starter 
Trained as a painter, Robert Bresson moved into screenwriting and then directing. After his first 3 films, he developed a unique minimalist style. He would break stories down to their bare essentials. He called his actors, "models", and wanted them to give flat, expressionless deliveries, willing to shoot take after take until he got exactly what he wanted. But in his soundtracks he took pain-staking care to make sure each sound was represented accurately.

His films are demanding, even difficult, such that he will probably never be one of my favorites, but I do admire several of his films.

1. Diary of a Country Priest - A- (An often beautiful and rending treastise on faith in which a young priest finds himself inadequately equipped to minister to his small, troubled community.)
2. L'Argent - A- (Bresson's final film is a moving and biting portrait of how money controls us and the destructive power of greed and deceit)
3. Lancelot du lac - A- (Using the Arthurian legends to make a powerful anti-war film)
4. Procès de Jeanne d'Arc - A-
5. Les Dames du Bois du Bologne - B+
6. A Man Escaped - B (a prison escape film in which mental and emotional preparations and activities are more important than the physical effort)
7. Pickpocket - B
8. Au Hasard Balthazar - C (Considered among the all-time great films, I found this so bleak that I had trouble generating any emotional involvement.)
9. Mouchette - C

Own: 0

Mouchette is his remaining film I'd most like to see.
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post #3 of 31
8/2/05 at 7:17am
L' Argent (1983) ***
Lancelot du Lac (1974) ***
Mouchette (1967) ***
Au hasard Balthazar (1966) ***1/2
Pickpocket (1959) ***1/2
A Man Escaped (1956) ****
Diary of a Country Priest (1951) ***1/2
Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne (1945) ***1/2
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post #4 of 31
8/2/05 at 7:23am

Now, you're talking, Brook: one of my favorites!

In order of merit:


1.A Man Escaped (1956) ****
2.Pickpocket (1959) ****
3.Diary Of A Country Priest (1951) ****
4.Lancelot Du Lac (1974) ***1/2
5.Au Hasard, Balthazar (1966) ***1/2
6.L' Argent (1983) ***1/2
7.Les Dames Du Bois De Boulogne (1945) ***1/2
8.Les Anges Du Peche` (1943) ***1/2
9.Mouchette (1967) ***
10.The Devil, Probably (1977) ***

11.A Gentle Woman (1969) ***
12.Four Nights Of A Dreamer (1971) ***
13.The Trial Of Joan Of Arc (1962) *** - a fine film in itself, but it does suffer somewhat in comparison with Dreyer's sublime THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC (1928)

14.Public Affairs (1934) **1/2


 

Bresson is quite simply one of the greatest film-makers ever whose deceptively matter-of-fact style - wholly absorbing and deeply spiritual to my eyes - puts to shame all the whizz-kids in Hollywood!


Edited by Mario Gauci - 12/21/11 at 8:12am
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post #5 of 31
8/2/05 at 7:47am
Seen: 2
Like: 0
Own: 0

Rank order:

Dames du Bois de Boulogne, Les (1945)
Diary of a Country Priest (1951)
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post #6 of 31
8/2/05 at 1:50pm

Rated from to
Titles in RED are theatrical screenings

Robert Bresson
Sep 25, 1901 - Dec 18, 1999
L'Argent (1983) star.gif
The Devil, Probably (1977) star.gif
Lancelot du Lac (1974) star.gifstar.gif
Four Nights of a Dreamer (1971) star.gifstar.gif
Une Femme Douce (1969) star.gif
Mouchette (1967) (Own the DVD, haven't watched it yet)
Au hasard Balthazar (1966) (Own the DVD)
Trial of Joan of Arc (1962) (Own the DVD)
Pickpocket (1959) (Own the DVD)
A Man Escaped (1956) star.gifstar.gifstar.gif
Diary of a Country Priest (1951) (Own the DVD)
Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne (1945) (Own the DVD, haven't watched it yet)
Angels of Sin (1943) star.gifstar.gifstar.gif
Les Affaires Publiques (1934)

Seen 11
Own 6


Edited by Bill McA - 3/27/12 at 7:09pm
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post #7 of 31
8/2/05 at 3:23pm

Ratings out of


ROBERT BRESSON (1901 - 1999)


Argent, L' (1983)
The Devil Probably (1977)
Lancelot du Lac (1974) TURD!
Four Nights of a Dreamer (1971)
Une femme douce (1969)
Mouchette (1967)
Au hasard Balthazar (1966)
Procès de Jeanne d'Arc (1962)
Pickpocket (1959)
A Man Escaped (1956)
Diary of a Country Priest (1951)
Dames du Bois de Boulogne, Les (1945)
Angels of the Streets (1943)
Affaires publiques, Les (1934)

 



 


Edited by Jim_K - 5/2/11 at 6:00am
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post #8 of 31
8/2/05 at 6:56pm
Seen, in order of preference:

Au Hasard Balthazar
Diary of a Country Priest
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post #9 of 31
8/3/05 at 12:29am
L'Argent

Le Diable, Problement

Lancelot du Lac

Four Nights of a Dreamer

Une Femme Douce 1/2

Mouchette

Au Hasard Balthazar

Trial of Joan of Arc

Pickpocket

A Man Escaped

Diary of a Country Priest

Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne

Les Anges du Peche 1/2

Les Affaires Publiques
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post #10 of 31
8/20/05 at 7:07am
.
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post #11 of 31
11/24/05 at 12:22am
Thread Starter 
Updated:
Pickpocket - B
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post #12 of 31
11/24/05 at 6:22am
Pickpocket ***1/2
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post #13 of 31
12/13/05 at 5:15am
Mouchette ***
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post #14 of 31
3/8/06 at 4:58pm
Argent, L' (1983)
The Devil Probably (1977)
Lancelot du Lac (1974)
Four Nights of a Dreamer (1971)
Une femme douce (1969)
Mouchette (1967)
Au hasard Balthazar (1966)
Trial of Joan of Arc (1962)
Pickpocket (1959)
A Man Escaped (1956)
Diary of a Country Priest (1951)
Dames du Bois de Boulogne, Les (1945)
Angels of the Streets (1943)
Affaires publiques, Les (1934)
Edited by Michael Elliott - 2/8/10 at 9:25pm
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post #15 of 31
3/15/06 at 10:03am
Thread Starter 
Updated:

Procès de Jeanne d'Arc - A-
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post #16 of 31
8/13/06 at 7:25pm

Re: MORE DIRECTORS CHECKLIST SERIES - Volume #239 - The Films Of ROBERT BRESSON

Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne ***1/2 out of ****
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post #17 of 31
10/19/06 at 8:37am

Re: MORE DIRECTORS CHECKLIST SERIES - Volume #239 - The Films Of ROBERT BRESSON

Argent, L' (1983) - 8/10
The Devil Probably (1977) - 6/10
Lancelot du Lac (1974) - 2/10
Four Nights of a Dreamer (1971) - 8/10
Une femme douce (1969) - 9/10
Mouchette (1967) - 9/10
Au hasard Balthazar (1966) - 9/10
Trial of Joan of Arc (1962) - 8/10
Pickpocket (1959) - 8/10
A Man Escaped (1956) - 9/10
Diary of a Country Priest (1951) - 6/10
Dames du Bois de Boulogne, Les (1945) - 7/10
Angels of the Streets (1943) - 8/10
Affaires publiques, Les (1934) - 5/10

If I had to make a top 10 directors list, Bresson would definitely be a contender. A couple of missteps, but I've been meaning to give those a second chance.
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post #18 of 31
3/24/07 at 6:47am

Re: MORE DIRECTORS CHECKLIST SERIES - Volume #239 - The Films Of ROBERT BRESSON

Updated Master list...............................
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post #19 of 31
4/25/07 at 12:07am
Thread Starter 

Re: MORE DIRECTORS CHECKLIST SERIES - Volume #239 - The Films Of ROBERT BRESSON

Updated:

Mouchette - C
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post #20 of 31
7/8/07 at 5:21pm

Re: MORE DIRECTORS CHECKLIST SERIES - Volume #239 - The Films Of ROBERT BRESSON

UPDATED:

Au hasard Balthazar (1966) (Own the DVD)

Seen 2
Own 5
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post #21 of 31
7/8/07 at 8:17pm

Re: MORE DIRECTORS CHECKLIST SERIES - Volume #239 - The Films Of ROBERT BRESSON

Seen: 5
Own: 2

(stars out of four)
Lancelot du Lac (1974) ***
Mouchette (1967) **
Au hasard Balthazar (1966) ****
Pickpocket (1959) ***
Diary of a Country Priest (1951) ****
Dames du Bois de Boulogne, Les (1945) **

My favorite is Diary, followed by Balthazar. I've read his book, Notes on the Cinematographer, which was by turns puzzling and wonderful.

I'd rank Bresson among the highest tier of film artists. In fact, the only fault I ever find with him is that he sometimes tries too hard, especially in his later work, creating works that are brilliant but mechanical. I guess you could say they are limited by their own intellectualism.
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post #22 of 31
8/23/07 at 4:24pm

Re: MORE DIRECTORS CHECKLIST SERIES - Volume #239 - The Films Of ROBERT BRESSON

UPDATED:

Pickpocket (1959) (Own the DVD)

Seen 3
Own 5
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post #23 of 31
6/28/08 at 12:50am

Re: MORE DIRECTORS CHECKLIST SERIES - Volume #239 - The Films Of ROBERT BRESSON

added Trial of Joan of Arc (1962) - 8/10
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post #24 of 31
10/18/08 at 4:42pm

Re: MORE DIRECTORS CHECKLIST SERIES - Volume #239 - The Films Of ROBERT BRESSON

UPDATED:

Trial of Joan of Arc (1962) (Own the DVD)

Seen 4
Own 6
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post #25 of 31
4/12/09 at 6:11pm

Re: MORE DIRECTORS CHECKLIST SERIES - Volume #239 - The Films Of ROBERT BRESSON

added Four Nights of a Dreamer (1971) - 8/10
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post #26 of 31
4/13/09 at 3:19pm

Re: MORE DIRECTORS CHECKLIST SERIES - Volume #239 - The Films Of ROBERT BRESSON

added Affaires publiques, Les (1934) - 5/10
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post #27 of 31
11/4/09 at 11:46pm
Robert Bresson

Argent, L' (1983)                                       (owned)
Lancelot du Lac (1974)                             (owned)
Mouchette (1967)
Au hasard Balthazar (1966)                      (owned)
Pickpocket (1959)                                     +++
A Man Escaped (1956)                             +++
Diary of a Country Priest (1951)               ++++
Dames du Bois de Boulogne, Les (1945)

Added this whole post; blind-bought about six Bresson films at once, because of how many good things I'd heard about him. Ratings are based on my personal reaction to the films, not their inherent quality. I feel my ratings will go up with increased viewings, but generally I liked looking at the character's face in "Country Priest" more than in Pickpocket and A Man Escaped; and since looking at the character's face is the main thing you do in a Bresson film, I enjoyed "Priest" more.
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post #28 of 31
2/8/10 at 9:26pm
Update:

Argent, L' (1983)
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post #29 of 31
2/23/12 at 4:15pm

UPDATED:

 

Lancelot du Lac (1974) star.gifstar.gif
A Man Escaped (1956) star.gifstar.gifstar.gif
Angels of Sin (1943) star.gifstar.gifstar.gif

 

Seen 7

Own 6

 

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post #30 of 31
3/12/12 at 7:38pm

UPDATED:

 

The Devil, Probably (1977) star.gif
Four Nights of a Dreamer (1971) star.gifstar.gif
Une Femme Douce (1969) star.gif

 

Seen 10

Own 6

 

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