Pickpocket (1959)

Director:

Robert Bresson

Writer:

Robert Bresson (writer)

Release Date:

December 1959 (France)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot:

Michel is released from jail after serving a sentence for thievery. His mother dies and he resorts to pickpocketing as a means of survival.

Plot Keywords:

Wallet | Prison | Wrist Watch | Police Officer | Search

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Martin LaSalle	...	Michel (as Martin La Salle)
Marika Green	...	Jeanne
Jean Pélégri	...	L'inspecteur principal
Dolly Scal	...	La mère
Pierre Leymarie	...	Jacques
Kassagi	...	1er complice
Pierre Étaix	...	2ème complice
César Gattegno	...	Un inspecteur

Also Known As:

Incertitude (France) (working title)

Runtime:

75 min | Finland:77 min (1965) | Argentina:79 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 (1965) | Singapore:PG | Argentina:16 | Finland:(Banned) (1960)

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

Compagnie Cinématographique de France

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Vai E Vem (2003)

Soundtrack:

Suite de symphonies d'Amadis

My first Bresson

Pickpocket is the first Bresson film I've seen. I knew he was considered a master by many and pretentious by some. I can understand both reactions. His mastery of the craft of film-making, the mechanics of it, is obvious. The famous train sequence is for me one of the greatest pieces of direction I've seen. A group of pickpockets work a train together and they show complete audacity in emptying pockets. In one instance, they return an empty wallet back to the owners pocket. The camera-work and editing are simply marvelous - a real treat compared to the 'high-concept' junk currently littering cinemas.

Bresson liked to work with non-professionals. The results show and I don't mean that as a compliment. The acting is wooden at best. When the lead character is angry and shouts, that scene is as embarrassing a case of bad acting as that notorious Snakes on a Plane scene with Samuel Jackson. Bresson could have used unknown actors instead of people with no acting experience or interest. Acting is an integral component of the collaborative effort that is called film-making. I also found the film to be emotionally cold. That is my single biggest gripe with Stanley Kubrick as well - cold and distant.

Pickpocket is obviously influenced by the Dostoyevsky novel Crime and Punishment. That doesn't become completely obvious till the anti-climactic end of the film. I remember reading Crime and Punishment as a teenager and that novel scarred me for life. For over a decade, I lived with the guilt that I had killed someone and would eventually be caught. That's true! So keep that book away from your teen aged kids!

The film was itself a major influence on writer-director Paul Schraders Taxi Driver and American Gigolo. I plan to see Bresson's other famous films as well, but as an initial impression I would say that had he also paid attention to other aspects of film-making like acting and audience involvement, and not just concentrated on brilliant mechanics, he would have been in the pantheon of the greatest directors.