"L' Argent"*** 1\2 (out of ****)
Since my blog reached 100 entries I said I felt the blog is a failure because too much time is spent on discussing modern cinema. So, I've decided to write more about films made by great directors and less about more recent titles. To start things off I've selected a film directed by Robert Bresson, whom I've yet to review anything by on this site.
"L' Argent" in some ways is typical Bresson yet some elements of the film shocked me. For readers unaware of Mr. Bresson's work, he has been a filmmaker who has spent a career making films dealing with the human condition. He was raised a Catholic and some critics say his film are all religious in one way or another. An example would be his film "Au hasard Balthazar" a film about a donkey. It has been largely interpreted as a metaphor for the life of Jesus Christ (I reviewed the film on amazon.com). "L' Argent", his last film, released in 1983 when Bresson was 81 years old, he died more than a decade later in 1998, is a film which I think has a more ugly view of the world but has his usual religious undertones concerning guilt and man's moral dilemma.
The film was based on a short story written by Tolstoy as we follow a young boy who is mad at his parents, who refuse to give him an advance on his allowance. A friend has the answer. A fake 500 franc note which he tells the young boy to circulate. The boy does and now we follow the note as it goes from owner to owner as soon everyone realizes the note is fake. This is almost like the donkey in "Au hasard Balthazar" which goes from owner to owner.
No one in the film does the right thing, which would be to report the note or go to a bank. Each new owner lies creating more and more problems. Events get so out of hand that Yvon (Christian Patey) who eventually becomes our main character, is arrested. Yvon confronts the owners of a store where he received the bill as they deny they ever saw him. Yvon though does not go into fits of rage. He seems to accept what has happened as his wife Elise (Caroline Lang) and daughter watch on.
In prison Yvon goes through a dramatic change. When released he commits murder and appears to be losing his mind.
As someone who hates to know anything about a film's plot before hand I feel I'm not doing a disservice to you by revealing these events. Bresson's film is not so much about these people as it is about ideas. The characters are pawns Bresson uses to express his thought on our society and man's inherit evil nature full of corruption and greed, the basic underline theme of the film. There is no act of goodness unless that same person can benefit from it. This is what surprised me about the film. I hadn't really caught on to it the first time I saw this film but after multiple viewings new aspects jump out at me and I looked at the film in a different light. Bresson is a director I don't associate with such a negative outlook on life.
People lie in this film, steal, murder and cheat on each other constantly throughout the film. Only one woman displays kindness. An elderly woman who takes in Yvon after he is released from prison. Here Bresson seems to counter the earlier half of the picture showing us the world is not so evil. Kindness does exist. But even that doesn't last.
Bresson does something I found unusual in this film. At no time can I remember a close-up of a character's face. Objects are sometimes seen in close-up but never a character. Bresson doesn't seem interested in the human face in the same way Bergman or Szabo are. But I think this is a reflection of the idea I was expressing earlier. The reason we never get a close-up may be because Bresson wants to create a distance between the viewer and the character. I would not even be surprised if after watching the film you didn't remember a single character's name. The film is not about people but instead their environment. Bresson uses long shots and once in a while a medium shot. Characters are always seen in relation to their surroundings.
The film though has some flaws. Bresson was known for using non-professionals. Think in the vein of Italian neo-realism but the characters here seem a little stiff. You can't say that about the performances in "The Bicycle Thief". No one really creates any emotion. If you do feel anything it is because of the situation itself which may be dramatic which may lead you to identify with either the idea or the event. But I don't think someone would see a connection with the character themselves. Also the film runs 82 minutes. Here is something you may never read again but "L' Argent" needed to be longer. Certain scenes feel rushed. I was confused by some events. We don't see things they are just talked about. This story is deep enough where it could have been developed into a longer story.
Robert Bresson only made 13 films in a career which started in 1934. Between 1934 and 1983 he managed to get some masterpieces in. My favorite might be "A Man Escaped" followed quickly by "Pickpocket". His "Diary of a Country Priest" is often regarded as one of his great and lasting works as is "Au hasard Balthazar".
"L' Argent" was nominated for two awards at the Cannes Film Festival. It won the best director award (it tied with Andrei Tarkovsky for "Nostalghia") and was nominated for the top prize, the palme d'or. It did not receive any Oscar nominations. It was probably too good of a film to qualify.
It is hard to say what is the best place to start watching Robert Bresson's films. If you don't mind watching European films. And aren't bothered by their slow pace "L'Argent" may be a fitting beginning. If you feel you have to ease your way into it, try "A Man Escaped" or "Pickpocket" first then rent this one.
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