The film has a specific scene that is a culmination of the elements that Bresson includes throughout. The mise en scène is consistent throughout, with simplicity being more of substance rather than densely filled frames. This method works well for this subject matter the simplicity adding a layer of emphasis to the object presented. The train theft is a perfect representation of the under stylization of mise en scène the objects (watches, wallets, money) are all center stage in close-ups as the group of pickpockets pursue them. Every scene of thievery presents key objects, which are usually the items that the pickpocket, Michel, wants for monetary gain. He chooses to focus more on the objects in frame, rather than oversaturating the frame with visual messages. In Pickpocket, Bresson stresses this simplicity through his mise en scène with frames that have baseline lighting and nothing visually stimulating. The particular style is a rejection of over-stylizing, as well as a choice of simplicity, which is the entire basis of Bresson’s mise en scène. But, I could see a typical audience member not being completely enthused at Martin LaSalle’s acting ability, or Robert Bresson’s particular style of filmmaking. A description of Martin LaSalle’s performance can almost be documented as merely underwhelming, which is not necessarily a negative. This is proven through Michel’s actions, with his constant thievery that does not cease until his arrest. The cold gaze that Martin LaSalle possesses presents his character as one similar to that of Meursault from Albert Camus’ famous French novella, L’etranger, another character that does not have any significant feelings toward his surroundings. He is a defiant a person who is unconventional in his lifestyle and one who is away from common morality. The character itself has an indifference to everything and does not have the archetypal good persona. It’s a performance based on subtlety, with his acting always feeling genuine and highly controlled. Martin LaSalle, an unprofessional actor, gives us a stupendous performance as the main character, Michel. The camera also places no negative opinion on these crimes, being indifferent to these sequences and allowing the audience to create a positive or negative judgement. The image of this specific pickpocket is what Bresson and his cinematographer, Léonce-Henri Burel, present through exceptional camerawork, which consists of tightly framed close-ups that make the viewer pay witness to these crimes. The Bressonian style emerges with its presentation of lifestyle, specifically one of a person who identifies with the profession of a pickpocket. He has a distinct presentation of his philosophy in his films, making him a quintessential image of an auteur. Relating to my previous post on the auteur theory, Bresson was one of the directors that these theorists actually admired. The film is incredibly literary in its executions - being heavily inspired by Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment - with a director puppeteering his actors to escape his opinion of superficiality and including a main character that narrates throughout. The 1959 film directed by Robert Bresson, Pickpocket, is a mosaic of human complexity as much as it is a defiance of morality through a character that is uncertain of life. Robert Bresson, Notes on the Cinematographer “My movie is born first in my head, dies on paper is resuscitated by the living persons and real objects I use, which are killed on film but, place in a certain order and projected onto a screen, come to life again like flowers in water.”
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |